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Hammerdown Festival returns to Brighton, UK, on Saturday, July 19th, and Sunday, July 20th, 2025, for two days of diverse rock and metal. We caught up with the festival director, Harry White, to learn more about the festival's origins, the 2025 edition, and its future.
So, going back to the beginning, how did you come to form Hammerdown Festival in 2014 and what inspired you to do this? Is it something you always planned on doing?
I had seen the big festival lineups like Download, Sonisphere and Bloodstock, and it all looked amazing. Not only did you get to basically go on a camping holiday for a week, but you also got excellent value for money… rather than spending £60 seeing your favourite band with 2 supports, you could spend £200 and see 30 or 40 bands! One year at Download, I pushed myself to see as many bands as possible. I saw 52! You can’t beat that. So for me, it seemed like the dream way to see all my favourite bands in one place. I’d always used online templates to “make your dream festival lineup”, or written them down on big bits of card, and visualising it like that helped me to make it a reality I suppose!
How hard was it to start out running a new festival?
Well, in truth, the first 4 years probably couldn’t even be considered proper festivals, they were so bad! There’s a long old story about the first ever festival we did in October 2015… To summarise it, we’d selected a village hall in the middle of nowhere, and almost no one came. We didn’t know how to advertise it, the location was wrong, we didn’t give ourselves enough planning time. But on the day, it was magical. Just hanging out with all my friends, watching some fantastic bands. I went to Download 2015, saw a wonderful band called Emp!re, and immediately booked them to play for us 4 months later! We certainly didn’t give us enough time to get it all together, but it was a brilliant day.
With Hammerdown Festival 2025 looking like the biggest one yet, how does it feel to look back at past festivals and see how much the festival has grown?
Even now, remembering the details of the first few festivals is tricky… With this year being so much bigger, I decided to go back and try to write down the story of the early days. I had to scroll through hours of old Facebook messages and emails from 10 years ago, and I was amazed at how much I’d forgotten. The things that happened those first few years were truly astonishing… I have no idea how we thought the way we ran things back then would be successful… we didn’t have a clue! So looking at how our fortunes have changed, particularly since we pushed the restart button after covid, I’m really proud of where we’re at. It makes all the crazy stories from the early days worth laughing about in hindsight.
How excited are you for this year’s festival and what can attend fans expect from the festival?
I can’t wait. This is probably my favourite lineup we’ve ever put together. Naturally, I’m going to say that, but 2022 had a special place in my heart the last few years, but I really do think our 2025 bill is even better. The fans… well, if they’ve previously attended our events, they can expect to feel a sense of scaling up, but also pride. There’s a lot of people who have been with us for years, and I really think they will have a sense of pride and ownership in being a part of us being able to grow. Because without them, it wouldn’t be possible, and they know that. For new fans, they can expect to see a polished operation. A clean venue, helpful crew, big stage, a carefully curated lineup with no clashes, and a central location right by the seaside, perfect for a little break along the pier to give their ears a rest if needs be!
How do you decide which bands you want to play at the festival?
Great question. Well, for me, if I like it, I’ll book it. It’s a principle I’ve always stuck by. If I create a lineup I’m genuinely passionate about, I can trust knowing that I’m probably not the only person on earth who likes these bands! Of course, I do some favours here and there for bands who just want a shot, or if I owe them one, but generally it’s all bands I’m deeply passionate about. In essence, I’m down the front for every band. Those who have attended before know I’m right there singing along, moshing, and having the best time in the world. This year, with 2 stages and no clashes, bands playing from half 11 in the morning until 10pm continuously both days, that just won’t be possible as I’ve got to interview bands and do some other bits and bobs, so I won’t be able to see EVERYONE, which is going to be really painful!
Looking back, what have been some of your personal highlights of Hammerdown Festival?
That very first year we had Emp!re play was wonderful. An 18 year old kid had seen a band at the most legendary rock event on earth, and booked them to play his own festival… that felt pretty cool. Another highlight would certainly have to be the whole event in 2022, our post-covid comeback. The whole lineup was amazing, so many special memories, and our first ever successful event with hundreds of punters. 2 bands made comebacks to play their final ever shows that year, bands who had been robbed of a sendoff show at the end of their careers because of the pandemic, and I gave them the opportunity to feel that buzz one last time. Those bands were Mordecai, and Southbank Crows. Both those sets were very emotional. One more mega highlight would be last year’s performance from Esoterica with the Parallax Orchestra. A unique show, hugely ambitious performance, and I was the one that pitched it to them. Now, they’re doing the same thing with a bigger orchestra and a choir at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in September, and It’s amazing to think that I am a small part of helping to make all that happen.
What would you say to anyone who hasn’t attended before to persuade them to come along?
Hopefully, reading the above, you’ll see that this really is my life. I’m so passionate about what we do at Hammerdown, and that passion pours into the weekend experience for everyone. You’ll feel like you really are joining a buzzing community who welcome you into our world. The thing is, there’s a lot of festivals. The bands sell themselves, they’re amazing. You’re probably only reading this because you’ve seen the lineup and like some of the bands. So for me, it’s about showing what a wonderful experience the whole thing is aside from the epic musical talent on show. A family, a community, and a real buzz. That’s what you’ll get with us.
Although we have yet to reach this year’s event, have you already started to think about Hammerdown Festival 2026?
I have, yes. I’ve not started to book the bands yet, because budget always depends on how this year goes. But it’s likely we’ll stay at Chalk and Dust for a few years, build up to a consistent sellout event, and then go even bigger!
What would be your absolute dream line-up for Hammerdown Festival?
I really am a rock and metal madman, listening to alternative music is my life. There are HUNDREDS of bands I’d like to book one day, so here we go, have a list (and trust me, this isn’t even close to a full list!): Bury Tomorrow, Shinedown, Rise Against, Vola, A Day To Remember, Atreyu, As Everything Unfolds, Vukovi, Novelists, Blackberry Smoke, While She Sleeps, The Used, Praying Mantis, Avenged Sevenfold, Nickelback, Starset, Saxon, Lacuna Coil, All That Remains, and about a million more!
Is there anything else you would like to share or add about Hammerdown Festival?
A massive thank you for taking the time to write these questions for me! I really appreciate it. If you’re reading this rock fans, Hammerdown is July 19th and 20th. It takes place at Chalk and Dust in Brighton, a 2 day, 2 stage indoor festival with bars and a merch area in a great location. Hopefully we’ll see you there!
Harry White, Managing Director Of Hammerdown Festival
A Hammerdown Festival Warm Up show will also be taking
place at The Factory Live, Worthing, on Saturday July 5th,
featuring In Search Of Sun, Sypha, Such Better Days, Those
Made Broken and one more band TBC.
For more information on Hammerdown Festival visit:
https://www.hammerdownfestival.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/HammerdownFestival
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