TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL announces AS IT IS, WARGASM, VOWER and more for 2026

TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL announces As It Is, WARGASM, Vower and more for 2026

PRESIDENT to make their first ever festival headline appearance at Takedown Festival 2026

Award-nominated independent rock and metal festival, Takedown Festival, has today announced more bands for its 2026 edition.

The festival returns to Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April 2026, once again delivering a packed lineup of heavy music to the south coast.

Newly confirmed acts include As It Is, whose welcomed return in 2025 was a major highlight for the alternative world and WARGASM, whose chaotic, genre-smashing fusion of electro, punk and metal has made them one of the UK’s most incendiary live acts. Both will take to the stage on Saturday, alongside Vower, Saint Agnes, Bex, Profiler and Tropic Gold. On Friday, Gnome, Devere, Gurt and The Fear join the bill.

Headlining this year’s festival are PRESIDENT, marking the masked collective’s first-ever festival headline appearance. Having rapidly established themselves as one of heavy music’s most compelling and unpredictable new forces, their Takedown 2026 performance is set to be a landmark moment in their rise.

Also topping the lineup are Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, who bring decades of hard rock firepower with a special Motörhead.

AS IT IS – ‘Lose Your Way & Find Yourself (Official Music Video)

Kai and Sarah Harris of Takedown Festival Ltd share, “This year’s event taps into a powerful moment in metal culture. With younger fans rediscovering the roots of heavy music – especially following the passing of icons like Ozzy Osbourne – we’re honoured to have Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons headline Friday 3rd April with a full Motörhead set. It’s a chance to celebrate a legacy that continues to inspire across generations.”

“On Saturday 4th April, we’re handing the reins to President, one of the most talked-about new acts in UK heavy music. Their April ‘Campaign Trail’ tour sold out instantly, and their debut EP King of Terrors has struck a chord with fans through its cinematic intensity. Their headline set will be a statement, and we’re excited to see them take the Takedown main stage in full force.”

“We’re excited to be able to showcase the evolution of heavy music from (to quote Lemmy) Motorhead’s rock n roll all the way through to cutting edge contemporary alternative metal”

Tickets for Takedown Festival 2026 are on sale now via takedownfestival.com

After an eight-year hiatus, the legendary festival made its triumphant return in 2023 with headliners Sleep Token and Skindred. Relocating from its Southampton University roots to the larger Portsmouth Guildhall, Takedown has re-established itself as one of the most important fixtures in the UK rock calendar.

Capping off an incredible comeback year, Takedown Festival was nominated for Best Small Festival, Best Metropolitan Festival, and the Grassroots Festival Award at the 2023 UK Festival Awards.