Guns N’ Roses are bookies’ favourites to headline Download 2017

Guns N' Roses at Coachella festival 2016
Guns N' Roses at Coachella festival 2016 (Image credit: Getty)

Following yesterday’s Hammer story speculating on potential headliners for next summer’s Download festival, we contacted bookmakers William Hill to get their professional opinion on who might fill the three top-of-the-bill slots in 2017.

William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly identified rock legends Guns N’ Roses and Metallica as the odds-on favourites to head up Download 2017, while also throwing in a few ‘wild card’ selections, including Marilyn Manson, pop-punks Fall Out Boy and two-time headliners System Of A Down as longer odds punts.

“I would personally love it if Bring Me The Horizon did it,” Crilly added.

Here’s the full rundown from William Hill:

Guns N’ Roses 112
Metallica 47
Nine Inch Nails 1011
Queens Of The Stone Age 21
Slipknot 31
Biffy Clyro 41
Van Halen 61
Bring Me The Horizon 81
Linkin Park 81
Marilyn Manson 81
System Of A Down 81
Fall Out Boy 101
Foo Fighters 121
Tool 141
Bon Jovi 251

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.