![Sonisphere Festival 2014 opens at Knebworth with The Prodigy on the main stage [Picture: PG Brunelli] <i>(Image: Archant)</i>](/resources/images/15678452.jpg?type=mds-article-962)
This year’s Sonisphere Festival kicks off on the main stage this afternoon (Friday), with The Prodigy headlining at Knebworth Park.
The chart-topping electronic dance/rock titans from Essex top the Apollo Stage line-up on the opening night of the three-day rock and metal bash in the grounds of Knebworth House.
Today’s Apollo main stage line-up is also due to include performances from nu-metal favourites Limp Bizkit, HIM, Band Of Skulls, Gary Numan, Anti-Flag and The Defiled.
See below for full Sonisphere stage line-ups and set times.
Tonight will be The Prodigy’s first appearance at the Hertfordshire stately home since supporting Britpop legends Oasis in the summer of 1996.
Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim released their seminal The Fat of the Land album the following year, with that 1997 record including number one hits Firestarter and Breathe.
Looking ahead to the band’s Knebworth return on July 4, main man Liam Howlett told Gigwise: “Sonisphere will be a lot louder – I’m hoping. I think there’ll be a lot more pushing and shoving.”
The Prodigy will take the stage around 9.20pm and fans can expect the group to play a blistering set including tracks from their forthcoming new album, plus classics such as Voodoo People, Your Law, Omen and, of course, Firestarter.
Having played all three previous UK Sonisphere Festivals, Knebworth regulars The Defiled graduate to the main stage this year and have the privilege of opening proceedings on Apollo at 2.45pm.
Members of the band will later be the final group to appear live over the weekend when Nirvana Defiled make their debut late on Sunday night in the Bohemia tent.
Pittsburgh political punks Anti-Flag will make their Knebworth debut after The Defiled, having staged their own mini-festival in Hatfield’s Forum complex a couple of years ago.
Influential electro pioneer Gary Numan returns to Knebworth, after playing the opening night of Sonisphere 2010, while Southampton trio Band of Skulls make their first appearance after headlining Hertfordshire festival Standon Calling last summer.
Finnish love-metallers HIM will take to the stage for an exclusive UK show around 6.30pm, before American nu-metal legends Limp Bizkit roll into Knebworth again armed with hits such as UK number one Rollin’, My Generation and Break Stuff.
Famous for Mission Impossible II theme song Take A Look Around, the Jacksonville rap metallers played the main Apollo stage at the inaugural Sonisphere in 2009.
Vocalist Fred Durst, guitarist Wes Borland and their colleagues returned to Knebworth two years later in support of Slipknot.
And they will make their third visit to the Hertfordshire countryside as the perfect warm-up act to Friday night headliners The Prodigy, their hour set starting around 7.40pm.
Elswhere, Bohemia will feature performances from Electric Wizard, a late-night show from 65daysofstatic, LostAlone and Canterbury, fresh from playing Slam Dunk South at Hatfield in May.
With a spare day in their schedule, the mighty Anthrax will also put in an appearance today ahead of their main stage slot on Saturday.
Thrash metal fans can get Caught in a Mosh in the Bohemia tent, with Anthrax performing classic album Among The Living in full.
Among the bands playing the smaller Jagermeister and Satellite stages are the likes of Max Raptor, Little Matador and Glass City Vice.
A metal festival is the last place you’d expect to see Snow Patrol, but the band’s guitarist Nathan Connolly will be pitching up at Knebworth with his raw and aggressive rock’n’roll side project Little Matador. They play the Satellite stage.
History will be made when Glass City Vice take to the same stage at lunchtime, with the Brighton-based band featuring guitarist Ed Lytton Cobbold, who just so happens to call Knebworth House home and is the son of Henry and Martha Lytton Cobbold.
British heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden will top the bill on the Saturday at 8.45pm with the final show of their Maiden England World Tour.
Before taking the main stage, Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson will be taking to the skies at 6pm for an air show replicating a World War One dogfight.
Following their headline performance at Glastonbury, American metal legends Metallica will bring the main Apollo Stage at Sonisphere to a close on Sunday night with their ‘By Request’ set chosen by fans.
Individual day and weekend tickets for Sonisphere Knebworth are on sale at www.sonisphere.co.uk
* For the latest festival news, visit the Welwyn Hatfield Times’ Sonisphere Festival section here.
SONISPHERE 2014 LINE-UP AND STAGE TIMES:
FRIDAY, JULY 4
APOLLO STAGE:
* THE PRODIGY 9.20pm.
* LIMP BIZKIT 7.40pm-8.40pm.
* HIM 6.35pm-7.20pm.
* BAND OF SKULLS 5.30pm-6.15pm.
* GARY NUMAN 4.25pm-5.10pm.
* ANTI-FLAG 3.35pm-4.05pm.
* THE DEFILED 2.45pm-3.15pm.
BOHEMIA STAGE:
* INFAMY 1.30am.
* MIXHELL 12.45am-1.30am.
* 65DAYSOFSTATIC 11.15pm-12.15am.
* ELECTRIC WIZARD 9.30pm-10.45pm.
* ANTHRAX 8pm-9pm.
* ATARI TEENAGE RIOT 6.45pm-7.30pm.
* BAM MARGERA 5.40pm-6.25pm.
* DEVIL YOU KNOW 4.45pm-5.15pm.
* COMEBACK KID 3.55pm-4.25pm.
* YASHIN 3.05pm-3.35pm.
* CANTERBURY 2.15pm-2.45pm.
* LOSTALONE 1.25pm-1.55pm.
* HOUNDS 12.35pm-1.05pm.
JAGERMEISTER STAGE:
* SILENT DISCO by SILENT ARENA 11pm-2am
* CARNIFEX 8pm-8.45pm
* BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL 7pm-7.30pm
* PROTAFIELD 6pm-6.30pm
* OCTOBER FILE 5pm-5.30pm
* TRC 4pm-4.30pm
* MALEFICE 3pm-3.30pm
* CENTIMENT 2pm-2.30pm
* BLACK DOGS 1pm-1.30pm
* SHRINE Noon-12.30pm
SATELLITE STAGE:
* PROGRESS WRESTLING Midnight-2am
* DEMONIC RESURRECTION 9.30pm-10pm
* SCHOLARS 8.30pm-9pm
* LITTLE MATADOR 7.30pm-8pm
* MESSENGER 6.30pm-7pm
* MAX RAPTOR 5.30pm-6pm
* FORT HOPE 4.30pm-5pm
* LOVE ZOMBIES 3.30pm-4pm
* EMP!RE 2.30pm-3pm
* STRAIGHT LINES 1.30pm-2pm.
* GLASS CITY VICE 12.30pm-1pm.
SATURDAY, JULY 5
APOLLO STAGE:
* IRON MAIDEN 8.45pm.
* DEFTONES 6.15pm-7.15pm.
* FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS 4.20pm-5.05pm.
* ANTHRAX 2.45pm-3.30pm.
* GHOST 1.25pm-2pm.
* BABYMETAL 12.10pm-12.40pm.
* TESSERACT 11am-11.30am.
SATURN STAGE:
* SLAYER 7.25pm-8.25pm.
* HUNDRED REASONS 5.15pm-6pm.
* CARCASS 3.35pm-4.15pm.
* THE WINERY DOGS 2.05pm-2.40pm.
* CHAS & DAVE 12.45pm-1.20pm.
* ALESTORM 11.35am-12.05pm.
BOHEMIA:
* KERRANG! PARTY 1am-3am.
* THE SISTERS OF MERCY 11.15pm.
* NEW MODEL ARMY 7.40pm-8.30pm.
* DOG EAT DOG 6.20pm-7.10pm.
* SEBASTIAN BACH 5.10pm-5.55pm.
* BLACK SPIDERS 4.05pm-4.45pm.
* THE VIRGINMARYS 3.15pm-3.45pm.
* RECKLESS LOVE 2.25pm-2.55pm.
* BLITZ KIDS 1.45pm-2.15pm.
* VOODOO SIX 12.55pm-1.25pm.
* CALLING ALL CARS 12.05pm-12.35pm.
* HANG THE B****** 11.15am-11.45am
JAGERMEISTER STAGE:
* SILENT DISCO BY SILENT ALARM 11pm-2am.
* BLEED FROM WITHIN 7pm.
* ZICO CHAIN 6pm-6.30pm.
* STAMPIN’ GROUND 5pm-5.30pm.
* GLAMOUR OF THE KILL 4pm-4.30pm.
* STORMZONE 3pm-3.30pm.
* THE HELL 2pm-2.30pm
* EMPIRE KILL 1pm-1.30pm.
* THE WILD LIES Noon-12.30pm
* COLLIBUS 11am-11.30am.
SATELLITE STAGE:
* PROGRESS WRESTLING Midnight-2am.
* THE YO-YO’S 7.30pm-8.15pm.
* EUREKA MACHINES 6.30pm-7pm.
* THE LOUNGE KITTENS 5.30pm-6pm.
* Comedy with MC MATT REED
ANDREW O’NEILL 4.55pm-5.15pm.
THE NOISE NEXT DOOR 4.35pm-4.55pm.
JOHN ROBERTSON 4.15pm-4.35pm.
ALFIE BROWN 3.55pm-4.15pm.
JOHN HASTINGS 3.35pm-3.55pm.
FIN TAYLOR 3.15pm-3.35pm.
* THE SAFETY FIRE 2.30pm-3pm.
* BROKEN HANDS 1.30pm-2pm.
* RIVAL STATE 12.30pm-1pm.
* THE RAVEN AGE 11.30am-Noon.
SUNDAY, JULY 6
APOLLO STAGE:
* METALLICA 8.15pm.
* ALICE IN CHAINS 5.45pm-6.45pm.
* MASTODON 3.55pm-4.40pm.
* AIRBOURNE 2.10pm-2.55pm.
* DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT 12.35pm-1.20pm.
* GOJIRA 11.15am-11.55am.
SATURN STAGE:
* DREAM THEATER 6.50pm-7.55pm.
* DROPKICK MURPHYS 4.50pm-5.35pm.
* REEL BIG FISH 3pm-3.45pm.
* KARNIVOOL 1.25pm-2.05pm.
* PROTEST THE HERO Noon-12.30pm.
BOHEMIA STAGE:
* ULTIMATE POWER Midnight-2am.
* NIRVANA DEFILED 11.15pm-11.45pm.
* THERAPY? 7pm-8pm.
* THE BRONX 5.50pm-6.30pm.
* KERBDOG 4.40pm-5.20pm.
* CHIODOS 3.40pm-4.20pm.
* GALLOWS 2.40pm-3.20pm.
* BO NINGEN 1.50pm-2.20pm.
* TRUCKFIGHTERS 1pm-1.30pm.
* THE CADILLAC THREE 12.10pm-12.40pm.
* THE STRUTS 11.20am-11.50am.
JAGERMEISTER STAGE:
* SILENT DISCO by SILENT ARENA 11pm-2am.
* RAGING SPEEDHORN 7pm-7.45pm.
* ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE 6pm-6.30pm.
* DREGEN 5pm-5.30pm.
* SWEET SAVAGE 4pm-4.30pm.
* BEASTMILK 3pm-3.30pm.
* KROKODIL 2pm-2.30pm.
* PALM READER 1pm-1.30pm.
* DRIPBACK Noon-12.30pm.
* BOY JUMPS SHIP 11am-11.30am.
SATELLITE STAGE:
* PROGRESS WRESTLING Midnight-2am.
* TRASH TALK 7.25pm-8.05pm.
* ONLY CRIME 6.30pm-7pm.
* SILVERSTEIN 5.40pm-6.10pm.
* Comedy with MC ANDREW O’NEILL
JIM SMALLMAN 4.55pm-5.15pm.
MAT EWINS 4.35pm-4.55pm.
PAT CAHILL 4.15pm-4.35pm.
ALFIE BROWN 3.55pm-4.15pm.
MATT REES 3.35pm-3.55pm.
ROB DEERING 3.15pm-3.35pm.
* ITCH 2.30pm-3pm.
* THE BOTS 1.30pm-2pm.
* THE HYPE THEORY 12.30pm-1pm.
* THE ONE HUNDRED 11.30am-Noon.
(Line-up subject to change).
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