Festpod

Right then! Welcome back to Festpod, the Unofficial Rock Festival Guide. For Episode 88, we are getting stuck into one of the absolute best weekends on the entire music calendar - Radar Festival! We’re looking back at all the brilliant madness from the 2025 edition and looking forward to what’s coming up for 2026. Neill Wilkinson is joined by the amazing Arran Prime from the band Crushed By Waves...

In episode 87 of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide, Neill, Rich, and Arran talk about this year's Download Festival - what's coming up, what's changed, and what we're looking forward to. Topics this episode: - Railway bans bins. We discuss East Midlands Railway's decision to ban festival-goers from bringing wheelie bins full of beer and camping gear onto their trains. - RIP Park Farm gla...

The Download Community Takeover is your shot at playing the festival. It happens every year in District X, what used to be known as the Village, on the Doghouse stage. Bands submit videos of themselves playing and a panel whittles them down to six bands who will play on the first day of Download Festival. This episode reveals the final six bands. Trish and John, two members of the deciding panel,...

Festpod heads to Bloodstock Open Air 2025! 🤘 In this episode, we dive deep into the chaos, community, and unforgettable moments of one of the UK’s biggest heavy metal festivals. From wild crowd moments to exclusive interviews, this is your all-access pass to Bloodstock Festival. We meet the fans (aka the Bloodstockers), we watch a ridiculous dinosaur fancy dress mosh pit, and sit down with rising...

Welcome back to Festpod, the unofficial rock festival guide!  In Episode 84, Neill and Rich are diving deep into the massive Download Festival 2026 lineup. We’re talking the return of Linkin Park (with Emily Armstrong), the "lengthy" Guns N' Roses sets, and why on earth Scooter is on the main billing!  We’re also breaking down the latest Bloodstock Open Air news from their recent Q&A...

In episode 83 of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson, Rich Holmes, and Arran Prime meet: -  @allearsavowband  -  @CollapseTheSky  -  @changepersonaband  -  @DACARAUK  -  @TWOYEARBREAK  -  @ExistImmortal  and Hevs, the organiser of the Takeover at Download. with our sponsor: Fat Frank's Camping Shop  @fatfrankscamping1991  https://fat...

In episode 82 of Festpod - the Unofficial Rock Festival Guide, with hosts Neill Wilkinson & Rich Holmes: We discuss ‪Mediterranea Metal Cruise‬. It's a metal holiday! The value for money compared to other fests Varied activities onboard Passengers were from varied backgrounds around the world. with our sponsor: Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Video playlist:  &nb...

In episode 81 of Festpod - the Unofficial Rock Festival Guide, with hosts Neill Wilkinson & Rich Holmes: As heavy metal music fans, we've been going to rock festivals for a long time - but never outside of the UK, and certainly not on a cruise ship! That's exactly what Mediterranea Metal Cruise is! And we're talking LUXURY. Amazing food, beautiful views of Greece and incredible metal acts make...

In episode 80 of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson, Rich Holmes, and Arran Prime discuss: - Download Festival lineup teased and a commemorative coin is available. - Bloodstock lineup additions. - Live Nation is investigated over monopoly fears. - Reading Rising creators are interviewed about this year's event. with our sponsor: Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Find all our vi...

In episode 79 of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson and Rich Holmes discuss: - The branding and merchandise updates from Download Festival; - Bloodstock announces that a 4th headliner will appear on Thursday night; - Mediterranea Metal Cruise is sold out for this year - we take a deeper look at what to expect onboard. with our sponsor: Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Find all...

in Episode 78, Neill, Rich, and Arran take a walk around the main arena for a guided tour of Bloodstock Festival 2025, discovering what's on offer at the stages and stalls, and meeting many happy people along the way. with Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Find all our video podcast episodes in this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlfyhNTZm6HBHjHm4kSORo_HykWXf0...

In this episode of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson and Rich Holmes chat to Joe Hammond - the guitarist from the metalcore band Assurance, and also the creator of a new festival - The Sanctum festival in Digbeth, Birmingham. Get your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/assurance-band-uk/t-rpvzmko with our sponsor: Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Find all our video...

In this episode of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson and Rich Holmes interview the six bands chosen to perform at the 2025 Takeover at Download. All Ears Avow, Collapse The Sky, Change Persona, Dacara, Two Year Break, and Exist Immortal all talk about their upcoming appearance on the Doghouse stage in June. Every year, six unsigned bands get picked to play on the first day of Download Festival at Don...

In this episode of Festpod, hosts Neill Wilkinson and Rich Holmes discuss the latest updates from Download Festival 2025, including improvements to facilities, new camping options, and insights into the festival experience. They also introduce new sponsors and merchandise, while sharing personal anecdotes and humorous commentary on festival life. In this conversation, they discuss the evolution of...

Festival season 2025 is upon us and we're ready for action! We have two interviews in this, Episode 74. Firstly, we'll chat to Bleed Again who update us about their lives since headlining the Takeover at Download 2024, lineup changes, and their new track out Friday the 16th May - Obsession! Then, we get Harry White on the line from Hammerdown Festival, who gives us some backstory on its humble beg...

This episode reveals the final six bands. Hevs, the organiser, joins us to discuss them and gives us her thoughts on the band's music, journey so far and potential reaction by the Download crowd. with our sponsor, Fat Frank's Camping Shop https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Find all our video podcast episodes in this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl... Please support us on Patreon! htt...

It’s almost time for festival season, and we’ve got all the latest updates! The Download Takeover is open for band submissions—so if you’re in an unsigned band, this is your shot at playing the festival. We also discuss the secret sets confirmed for this year, the latest lineup details, and some truly bizarre festival facts (yes, the Download Dog is throwing 200 horns this year). Beyond Download,...

In the 71st episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography,  There are some big updates to Download & Bloodstock this time! with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Timestamps ⏱: 0:00 - Pre Titles 0:47 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot 01:28 - Title sequence 01:55 - Welcome -- Festival New...

In the 70th episode of Festpod: This episode, we're out at Lion's Den bar in Manchester to enjoy the Defences gig, with support from Crushed By Waves. By this point, we've already drunk a lot. Sorry. with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Please support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/festpod If you'd like to buy our merch, visit our merch store here: https://etsy.com/uk/shop/Festpod All our...

In the 69th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography, and Arran Prime from the metal band Crushed By Waves. This time we're talking about Radar Festival - a 3-day indoor rock festival held in Manchester. It's described as modern, contemporary and progressive. It won 'Best New Festival' in 2022. And we lo...

In the 68th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography. We'll talk about Download's lineup for 2025, Nova Rock, and Rock am Ring! Then we chat with Rich Halpin from Dubs of Rock - a rock festival of tributes, and finally, we catch up with Veiled at their album launch in Leeds! with https://fatfrankscam...

In the 67th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography. We'll talk about Download, Bloodstock, Slam Dunk, and Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing! with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Timestamps ⏱: 0:00 - Pre Titles 0:27 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot 01:08 - Title sequence 01:35 - Welcome -...

In the 66th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography, and Arran Prime from Crushed By Waves. We've completed day 3 of Bloodstock and now we're having a beer in the guest area - Serpent's Lair! with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Timestamps ⏱: 0:00 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot 0:41...

In the 65th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography, and Arran Prime from Crushed By Waves. We've completed day 2 of Bloodstock and now we're back at the Festpod House! with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Timestamps ⏱: 0:00 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot 0:41 - Title sequence 01:01...

In the 64th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide... Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, and Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography. We've just arrived at Bloodstock and despite the rain, we're giddy kippers! with https://fatfrankscampingshop.com Timestamps ⏱: 0:00 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot 0:41 - Title sequence 01:01 - Intro 01:37 - Will it rain? 02:16 - Ri...