About Takedown
Takedown started small, as an extended gig at Salisbury City Hall in 2009. The premise was simple: get everyone's attention with a big headliner, then champion a whole lot of up-and-coming national and local acts. It soon outgrew that room and moved to Southampton University, where it ran until 2015. Then life happened, as it does, and the festival went on hiatus.
In 2023 it came back with a new home at Portsmouth Guildhall, and that comeback sold out. Takedown is now a two-day weekend across several stages, with an audience Strong Island described as "alternative people from every generation."
Takedown is a tastemaker festival. Every spring it brings together the best bands from across the rock, punk and metal spectrum: the headliners you already love, the next wave you'll be telling people you saw first, and everything heavy, loud and fast in between. Its headliners have gone on to worldwide success, among them Sleep Token, Skindred, Don Broco, You Me At Six, While She Sleeps, Bury Tomorrow and President, whose 2026 set was their first ever festival headline slot and has since been nominated at the UK Festival Awards.
The press agrees:
- "South coast's loudest weekend of the year" — Kerrang!
- "Events like Takedown Festival have never been more vital" — Rock Sound
- "One of the UK's most inclusive and fan-first rock and metal showcases" — Stereoboard
- "A festival that understands its audience" — V13
Takedown is independent. It's put on by Divergent, and the people booking it are people who go to gigs themselves. The premise hasn't changed since Salisbury: a big headliner, a bill full of bands on the way up, and a south coast weekend run properly, for the people who turn up.
See you down the front.