Download festival founder Andy Copping has responded to criticism over the event’s 2025 lineup, which features Sleep Token as one of its headliners.The festival shared their first lineup announcement earlier this week, revealing that Sleep Token will headline alongside Korn and Green Day. While many Sleep Token fans were ecstatic to see the rising band get one of the top spots at the festival, others felt that they weren’t as deserving as some of the other artists on the bill.”I love Sleep Token, but I think they are not ready to headline download; I think Bullets should instead,” one fan wrote on X, referring to Bullet for My Valentine, who are also part of the lineup.Speaking with NME, Copping defended the festival’s decision to book a relatively newer band as a headliner, and noted that Sleep Token’s “meteoric rise over the last two years” made them deserving of the slot.“I think it’s important for the festival to bring new bands through to headline. Back in the day, I did it with Slipknot. I did it with Avenged Sevenfold and Biffy Clyro. In 2023 we did it with Bring Me The Horizon. Now, every one of those bands across the world is perceived as a festival headliner,” he told the publication.“That’s what I felt this time with Sleep Token. It feels like we’re the first major festival that’s taken the bull by the horns and gone, ‘Okay, it’s time. Its Sleep Token’s moment’. I know it’s going to be amazing for them, amazing for the festival and amazing for the fans.”READ MORE: Pollstar’s Rock Tour of the Year Nominees RevealedCopping further emphasized the importance of evolving with the times and keeping up with which bands are gaining momentum on social media, especially on platforms such as TikTok. That platform, in particular, is where bands like Sleep Token and Bad Omens generated so much buzz.The festival announced a total of 92 artists so far for 2025, and teased that more will be revealed at a later date, likely in January or February. Stay tuned for further announcements.The Bands Big Artists Have Shouted Out as the Future Of Rock + MetalGallery Credit: Joe DiVita