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Download boss Andy Copping has said that while the rock festival has improved in recent years concerning its gender-balanced line-ups, there is still a long way to go.
Next year’s 20th anniversary festival is set to be four days long and will be headlined by acts such as Slipknot, Bring Me the Horizon and Metallica performing on two nights.
Despite the presence of all-male headliners, there are a number of female musicians on the bill including Evanescence and The Distillers, which is fronted by Brody Dalle, in major slots.
In an interview with NME, Copping said: “All festivals need to look at how diverse they are. It’s something we’ve tried to do over the years, and we’ve still got a long way to go but it’s encouraging there’s so many great, female artists out there. Hopefully we can help give them a platform.
“We’re a long way down the line from where we were, but there’s still room to improve and we want to do that year on year.”
English punk rock duo Nova Twins are also set to feature and are only one of five Mercury shortlisted bands to play the festival, alongside Muse, Biffy Clyro, The Prodigy and Therapy?.
Copping added: “They’re a great band, they’ve got a great image and a brilliant attitude. They’re obviously pushing diversity boundaries as well and we need to see more of that. I think having a band like Nova Twins on the bill will certainly open things up for similar artists in the future.”
Download will take place from June 8-11 at Donington Park next year.
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