There’s always an electric charge in the air when Takedown Festival returns to the iconic Portsmouth Guildhall, but this year that energy feels heavier and more meaningful. The sudden loss of Phil Campbell, who was set to headline, was on everyone’s minds and brought the crowd together even before the live music started. Despite the sadness, there was a strong feeling of unity. Takedown has always been known for its diversity and absolute sense of community, but this year it truly became a celebration and tribute, showing how beautiful and powerful alternative music is and how it can bring people together. The festival lived up to the moment, blending different genres and solid performances that respected the past and looked boldly to the future. We at Devolution were thrilled to be there and share our experience of this special Easter weekend.
FRIDAY – DAY ONE:
The task of opening a festival is a double-edged sword, depending on how ready the crowd is to go. Luckily for Blacklight Vice, they have enough quality heavy metal to rise to the occasion and Stone Soup over on the Total Rock stage are definitely giving it, ‘the beans,’ with tales of The Elephant’s foot, tambourine abuse and steam engines. Coupled with down and dirty low-slung grooves, this band isn’t a million miles away from the sound of the new Corrosion Of Conformity album. A damn good way to kick things off, we’d say.
Over on the main stage, now rightfully renamed The Phil Campbell stage in honour of the late Motorhead guitarist who was due to headline this evening before he was cruelly taken from us. Kill The Lights have a distinctly Bullet For My Valentine sound to them. This should come as no surprise, as they count former BFMV alumni, Michael “Moose” Thomas and Jason “Jay” James amongst their membership. It’s a solid true metalcore set befitting such an auspicious stage.
Mancunian wrecking crew, The Fear, are up next at the Metal For Good stage, and they’re definitely a band unafraid of interacting with the crowd and bringing a boisterously fun atmosphere alongside their metallic weight. The packed reception that greets King Kraken speaks volumes about their grassroots appeal and devoted fanbase. We see battle jackets devoted only to the band’s patches and an audience that knows every single word of their set in the sardine-packed room. The Scottish doomsters are as heavy as the aftereffects of devouring a king-sized Haggis, and their followers leave satisfied with their weighty fuzz feast.
Total Rock stage welcomes Gurt, who perform a track about having sliced testicles, and from the throat-ripping performance given by the awesome Gareth Kelly (AKA Growth), you’d think this had happened just prior to their crushing turn, their sludge-doom grooves absolutely destroying.
It’s now tragically fitting that Yorkshire traditional rock n rollers Asomvel take the main stage with a sound that owes much to the late Phil Campbell and Lemmy. Backed as ever by an immense backline of Marshall amps, their set is as powerful as the effects on your back after loading in their equipment.
After Asomvel’s adrenaline-infused take on a distinctly 80s vibe, Devere are clearly inspired by another genre from that era. Their Sunset Strip hair metal drips with a heavy rocking attitude and provides a neat stylistic swerve in proceedings.
The arrival of neon-lit coffins and a bright day-glow backdrop can only mean one thing: South Of Salem have arrived in Pompey, with Callum, the man with an immaculate beard, who is stepping in on guitar duties following Denis’s departure, and you’d swear he had been in the band for years given his confident performance and stagecraft. Of course South Of Salem do everything they can to bring an 80s arena show to the Guildhall, including cheer leaders, guitar god solos and even the old, “one for the ladies,” line before the ballad, with the latter announcement being the only moment that felt out of touch amongst a thoroughly entertaining set, not that their fans cared one bit.
Oxfords’ Wall, which comprises of the Desert Storm twins, take a more minimalist approach to levelling the Total Rock stage next as they dish out slabs of weighty excellence. This duo are the very definition of a powerhouse and kill it under any guise.
To say the next main-stage performance is powerful is an understatement. Arriving straight after a beautiful, poignant and touchingly delivered ‘moment of noise, dedicated to Phil Campbell, led by the understandably emotional festival organisers and all-around scene legends, Kai and Sarah Harris. The Wildhearts take to the stage, and the audience holds their breath for a second. However, like the legend that he is, their leader and visionary Ginger, immediately dispels any notion that news of his recent cancer diagnosis will make this any less of a full-blown kick ass celebration of life with a simple, “Let’s get on with it shall we?” Before blasting into the glorious ‘Everlone’ from their classic ‘Earth Vs The Wildhearts’ debut, an album so powerful that it still blasts away any contenders to the Britrock throne 33 years later. Tonight is not an obvious greatest hits set; such a move isn’t in Ginger’s DNA. He has always lived for challenging as well as delighting his audience, and his amazing new band are happy to march to his drum.
Their set takes in medleys and a distinctly progressive approach, bursting with colour and humanity that may or may not have made us a little teary. The inclusion of ‘Diagnosis’ from the seminal ‘Renaissance Men’ album is an especially poignant inclusion, as Ginger seems to be laughing in the face of notions that he would slow down for anything in the world, serious illness will not stop this man from doing exactly as he damn well pleases, and this legendary set is a massive two-finger salute. Lead guitarist Ben Marsden was simply born to be exactly where he is, right here and right now. We cannot rate the six-stringer highly enough, and to watch his extended guitar solo close out the set is a thing of beauty. It’s as though we’re witnessing the birth of a new guitar hero, and his potential for greatness is something utterly palpable. Lest we forget that one of the UK’s finest singer-songwriters and Steve Ignorant band member, Carol Hodge, is on keys, providing even more kaleidoscopic layers of melody. We must also mention another punk rock legend sharing the stage, former Cardiacs six-stringer Jon Poole, who loses two strings to riotously command the stage on bass. It honestly seems that at this crucial time, Ginger is surrounded by the exact group that he needs to do this on his own terms and what a joy it is to behold.
Following such an important set would be hard enough on its own but doing so when you’re standing in for Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons is an almost impossible challenge. However, Therapy? Have always thrived in the face of adversity and celebrated the fact that they are such outliers and unlike any other band out there. If The Wildhearts were the Kings of Britrock, Therapy? were the knights of the Round Table. Belfast’s finest scrappy noise rock trio take to the stage with zero trepidation, armed with a discography of crowd pleasers and do what they have done for decades, provide angsty, high-powered anthems for the disaffected.
There is no denying the sheer joy of shouting, “James Joyce is fucking my sister!” during the evergreen ‘Potato Junkie’ or belting out the chart-topping choruses of ‘Nowhere’ and ‘Screamager’ at the top of your lungs. Sure, Andy Cairns isn’t the angry, angst-ridden frontman we remember these days. In fact, we’d describe him as actually quite sunny tonight, almost as perpetually positive as “Evil Priest” and suspected vampire Michael McKeegan (Seriously, this man does not age!) Maybe this is because drummer Neil Cooper is celebrating his birthday and the band are planning to get right on it later, or maybe it’s simply because, like The Wildhearts before them, their place in UK rock history is cemented and indelible and even in their later years, they still make most young pups look amateur.
SATURDAY – DAY TWO:
Being woken up by the overly dramatic shrieks of the peacock that lives in Victoria Park next door to our hotel is a surreal way to start the morning. The cries cut through the rush of Saturday traffic and the foghorns drifting in from the ships we can see from our window. We wander through the park and pause at the war memorial as trains crawl overhead. The whole scene creates that uniquely Portsmouth blend of calm, chaos and character. It’s exactly this unique industrial yet historical vibe that you can’t recreate that we love carrying with us as we step back through the grandiose Guildhall doors for what promises to be a very exciting Day Two of Takedown.
Monochrome open the Metal For Good stage with a hefty hardcore adjacent punch combined with a fantastic experimental edge, thanks to a stunning performance by their lead guitarist, whose intuitive approach to playing marks him out as a fresh talent. Their pounding set also features blackened flourishes, a commanding vocal performance from Eliza, and a powerful rhythm section. Keep an eye on this band.
Leeds modern metal genre smashers Artio open the main stage with their increasingly polished, arena-sized sound, making it clear why they’ve got the mainstream metal world in a tizzy. Now, for something completely different, over on the Total Rock stage, Slackrr are bringing some much-needed sunshine to the party with their positive punk-pop anthems. It’s really heartening to see a band that’s perpetually smiling for a change.
Throwing a cover of ‘Charlotte’ by Kittie into your performance early doors may not seem normal for a largely electronic act, but Zetra are anything but, god forbid, normal. This is exactly what makes them brilliant again today: you either get this band or you don’t, and we really do. Their unique approach to subverting gothic pop and metal is all their own brew, and great music is rarely easy music. Today’s set was yet another reason for us to be completely under their spell.
Vexed are one of the most consistently thrilling live acts in the UK metal scene, and the roadblocked Metal For Good stage is a testament to this. The seemingly reinvigorated Megan Targett gets more wonderfully vitriolic every time we see her, and the command and confidence she has gained over the years is a true joy to witness. The band exploded back with new guitarist Olly Hall in tow and renewed precision and vitality.
What can we say about Vower and their frankly jaw-dropping performance on the Kerrang! Stage? The band are simply majestic, unleashing swathes of emotive progressive and yet hook-laden metal from their seminal debut EPs. It is not hyperbolic to say that UK metal and rock truly need this band right now. Balancing technicality and restraint is a skill that sets Rabea Massaad apart as a respected musician, and it’s rare in the guitar world. However, it’s frontman Josh McKeown who really delivers the knockout blow, his astonishing live vocal performance somehow besting his studio take, which never normally happens. This is because there is nothing about Vower that is anything less than utterly perfect today. Devoid of crass gimmicks and throwaway content, Vower are the answer to what ails modern metal, and they deliver it with a level of sophistication most can’t touch.
It’s a tough day for electronic punk acts, with St Agnes and Bex both battling sound issues and hiccups that delay their performances and disrupt their flow. However, Bex in particular deals with it in the most punk rock way possible. I doubt we’d ever cross this young lady, given her stern but sweet onstage patter that has grown men visibly shrinking. Bex’s set on the Total Rock stage is a masterclass in grabbing triumph from the jaws of defeat and exactly the reason why she’s kicked down every door in the music industry. Her set is infectious, funny, and, most of all, punk as fuck, even with sound problems! Bex could entertain a crowd armed only with herself, and today, she frequently does.
Elsewhere today, Profiler brought bouncy, high-octane nu metal vibes to an up-for-it crowd, and Tropic Gold had more than enough energy to power the entire lighting and sound rig over at Metal For Good. Mason Hill delivers a set of true Scottish rock to the south and follows in the bloodline of the likes of Simple Minds and Big Country. Whilst the much-talked-about Mouth Culture lays down a crowd-pleasing set of alternative rock seasoned with pop punk, proving that the hype is real about this Leicester-based buzz act.
Sam Matlock of Wargasm storms the stage with a mission to ignite the Guildhall, urging the crowd to rise to the band’s fever pitch. Sometimes the audience lags a little, but Sam and Milkie pour every ounce of themselves into the frenzied show, leaving no doubt about their devotion. When the crowd finally catches the spark, the energy surges, especially during the detonation of ‘Pyro Pyro’ and a wild, Durst-free ‘Bang Ya Head’ with both tracks hitting with undeniable force. Drummer Jamie Oliver (no, not that one!) claims the spotlight with his persistent precision, machine-gun delivery, and turbocharged playing, propelling the set forward. His thunderous rhythms anchor Wargasm’s sound, injecting the show with a raw, unfiltered edge that delivers authenticity through the spectacle.
Regretfully, we miss out on reviewing Graphic Nature today, as they have the misfortune to clash with what is possibly the most talked-about performance in rock so far in 2026. At this point, we don’t know how good it’s going to be, but it is definitely one of those sets that, as a magazine and as music fans, we have to witness.
President are doing their first-ever headlining festival performance, and they haven’t even released an album yet. To kick this off, let us just say that the biggest surprise of the night isn’t who is singing (we all know the answer to that anyway), and it isn’t the anonymous band suddenly revealing itself (they don’t). No…
The biggest surprise is how much better sounding President are live, compared to on record. Stripped off auto-tune, Charl….President’s lead singer’s voice really shines, and the added character and grit of an unprocessed human voice is actually much cooler, who knew, right!? When you strip away the marketing schemes, the masks, the hype and their insistence on banning photographers from the photo pit to maintain their perceived (to them) mystique, you are left with a pretty good mainstream rock act that dabbles in metal and EDM. Basically, if you are a Sleep Token fan and would like another band with a similar sound and design, but with the esoteric cult stuff replaced by a mildly US-influenced political theme, President is for you. Luckily for President, we have just described the vast majority of the casual listenership of metal and rock around the globe over the last three years. This will not be the last time President headline a festival; however, it will be the last time President headline a festival with under 10,000 capacity in attendance.
The inclusion of their cover of Deftones’ ‘Change’ (In The House Of Flies) is exceptionally faithful to the original, even down to the samples, which is rare; normally, acts don’t go to that level of detail. The only issue with being this close to the original is that you’ll never be Chino, so it won’t sound as good 100% of the time. Takedown also gets another exclusive in the first live performance ever of the recent single, ‘Mercy’ which almost brings the house down, but the actual Beatles level hysteria is reserved for the inevitable closing track, ‘In The Name Of The Father’ which is clearly President’s answer to Sleep Token’s ‘The Summoning’ in terms of being their most recognisable breakthrough success. Whichever way you see it, behind the masks and marketing, there is a genuinely great UK rock band, and hopefully now they have everyone’s attention, they can shed the gimmicks and bare their true souls, maybe take some inspiration from what Vower did earlier?
As we stepped out into the Portsmouth night, our hearts were very full as we watched some revellers head across the road to the after-show party to continue the fun. One thing is unmistakably clear. Takedown has never felt more alive and necessary. This proudly independent festival thrives on diversity, risk, and the kind of community spirit that you simply can’t manufacture. None of it would be possible without Kai and Sarah of Divergent Promotions at the centre of it all. Their dedication to bringing new music and bold experiences to the South Coast keeps this festival not just relevant, but pioneering. Their vision ensures that Takedown remains a step ahead of the curve. This weekend was proof again of just how essential their work has become. If this is the future they’re helping shape, then we’re in very good hands.
We’re already counting down to 2027.
Review By George Miller, Nickie Hobbs & Mark Bestford
Photos By: Alienation Photography
With Thanks To Sarah & Kai Harris and Jordan Bell @ Turn The Page LDN
