Tuesday afternoon. I do apologise for not updating my blog with my adventures from DownLoad last night but to be honest it was a complete nightmare getting home yesterday.!

Let me explain. I was awoken at 4am by the sound of Snecma’s finest engines pushing an Airbus skyward. After sleeping fitfully until about 8.30 we all got up and realised we had a good two hours before pick up time and it was only the four of us left (Giles, Stu and Katie having left about 8.15 ish). Then came the thunderstorm. I spent twenty minutes holding the tent up because it was hammering down so damn hard. Eventually the rain stopped and we got the tents down. Then the sun came out (too late, everything was instantly muddy from all the dust), so we had to trudge through the muddy wasteland, across rubbish, bent lighting poles and past the whiffiest toilets on the site. The bags were drinkless but felt even heavier. We eventually collapsed at the pick up point, I ripped off the blue band I had had on my arm for the past few days and waited for Pouty’s mum to arrive. 15 minutes later she did, we loaded up and spent about 40 minutes just trying to get out the car park. We HAD to turn right out the place despite wanting to go left, intending to go round a roundabout and head back, but the queue was incredible (about 6 miles in all) and Pouty was desperate for the loo so we headed to the services on the M1.

It was soooo nice to wash hands and use a proper loo, I shall never take my toilet for granted again.!!! Grabbed a COLD coke and jumped back in the car… intending to head south then rejoin the M6 via Coalville. Remember Coalville.? Where Crazylady lives.? Well we got to there, the car started misfiring and we ended up in a Ford garage waiting for them to have a look at the car. Decided to go and get some lunch so went to Wetherspoons (Crazylady’s Mum’s local.!) and enjoyed real hot food that wasn’t a burger or a sausage (ok Pouty had a burger and Angel sausages). On returning to the garage they said it could not be fixed so we spent about 5 hours sitting around waiting for some news. In the end a hire car picked us up and drove us to Hinckley so Rose, our driver could sign some forms. We finally left Hinckley about 6.45pm and headed home. I got in about 9.30pm hot, sticky and feeling so tired.

But was it worth it.? Of course it was.!!!! I am sunburnt, my head itches from the fact I burnt UNDER my hair too and I have to replace my camera as it is playing up. Let me fill in the bits I have missed about the festival…

Day One…

Got picked up along with a box of wine, 15 kilos of rucksack, 11 kilos of tent, and a twelve pack of Fosters and crammed into Pouty’s Mondeo with her mum, Rose, driving. Was a really hot drive up, stopping at Tamworth for a burger, then ending up at the pick up point at the entrance to Download along with a pile of kit, under a tree staying cool. Dave, Marie and Beth managed to find us and left their kit with us. Saw Lemony, Nat, Merv, Louisa and Dave as they walked past on the way to the main site. Eventually Angel, myself, Sarah and Stew grabbed our kit and headed off to camp. We decided to head to Yellow camp but found it full, then gold which was also full.! This was in a 80 degree temperature with the sun soooo hot on us. Angel almost collapsed so we had to leave her and Sarah in gold and Stew and I walked to Blue, then Green (down steep hill), then Orange (up steep hill), before they finally opened purple camp and we almost ran in relief to an empty area and threw stuff down. I took my top off (when was the last time you saw me do that).! Sarah and Angel arrived a little later and so did Dave with their two tents. I put up most of them (no one else had a clue in places, lol. Angel, Sarah and Dave headed back to help Marie and Beth with their stuff. Stew and I relaxed in the sun for a bit and eventually everything was up and done, sleeping bags moved in. Angel borrowed mine to sit on rather than “mess hers up” (????). Had a wander round, bought food and the delightfully tasty tea before hitting the hay quite early.

Funniest Moment… Lying in my tent with Angel and Sarah as everyone else was off watching bands, Sarah had put her sleeping bag on the top of her tent to dry the dampness out, to us it looked like a burkha on top, a Terrorist tent if you will (yes, we were very tired).!!

Day Two…

Giles, Stu and Katie arrived quite early on in the day and we helped put up their two remaining tents. We had kept plenty of room and had far more space to move than anyone else on the site, I think.! I opened my first beer at 11am and we sat around trying to cope with the heat. The first band we wanted to see was at 5.30 so we had time to grab some doughnuts and then Angel and I wandered off to see Coheed and Cambria. The main arena was a sea of bodies and we were at the back, so using Angel as a battering ram, she led the way down until we were on the edge of the pit, the sun thankfully sinking behind the stage as the set started (having watched the last 20 minutes of Soulfly which I quite liked too). Really, really enjoyed it.! When it had finished we headed around in big circles trying to find the Snickers Stage. This was set up like a big tent and was sooooo humid and hot inside. We watched InMe, which I thoroughly enjoyed (Hollie, you win, I like ‘em ok.?), until Angel felt sick and dizzy again. We went outside and sat on the bank in the shade for a while, then stood and watched the last part of the set. We were going to watch Atreyu but it was just so damn hot that we both headed for the campsite and had a few drinks in the setting sun light. I was so very drunk with the help of a few herbal cigarettes too .

Funniest Moment… Beth had a new top, she couldn’t tie it properly and manged to flash us her boobies. At the EXACT same moment as she did it Giles was sat pointing at the sky saying “Look at that cloud”. He honestly didn’t realise about the exposed breasts but it was so much like he wanted to divert the attention away that he was tickled about this for the next four days. Hehe.

Day Three…

Still hot but with the added bonus of less wind. Lucky us. My head was still burning from having the sun at a constant upper left face angle. First band was Arch Enemy at 1.15pm for which the sun made sure it was as hot as possible. That lead singer is TINY. But the noise of her voice is immense.! Hung around sitting on the bank near the stage we listened to Alice In Chains and couldn’t be bothered to move to watch StoneSour so stayed there until Avenged Sevenfold came close. We headed into the pack and were quite close to the front until Angel went back into sick and dizzy mode and needed to be walked out the crowd. A few minutes of rest and some water and we got back in closer again, the set was amazing, the best of the weekend and I had a great time singing along. After that it was time to head for the tented Snickers stage again and watch Within Temptation. All that yogurt weaving and fieryness must be been hell to do in that heat. Caught up with Lemony, Dave, Lousia and Nat after the set and sat with Angel and them while Nat, Dave and Sarah watched Opeth (I gave Opeth 45 seconds of my time before deciding I really don’t want to listen to them). Headed back to camp after that and were all so tired we were in bed before 11.30.!!! Did enjoy our cup of tea though.

Funniest Moment… Angel, having been in the sun too long, coming out the tent with her jeans half way up, unable to get them on any further and saying “my legs have expanded”. I had to lift her up by the waistband while she jumped up and down and slid into them.

Day Four…

The hottest yet. So hot that we couldn’t be arsed to meet Sarah for 36 Crazyfists or Inflames. Eventually got to see Lacuna Coil at 3pm ish and met Pika too with her bloke briefly. Wandered around for a bit after that and saw a little of Cradle of Filth (THE original cockney geezer who sounded just like the Hitcher out of the Mighty Boosh).!!! Plus Danny Filth is TINY.!!! Even when in the front row you need a small pair of binoculars to see him properly. A munchkin in leather.! Due to the massive heat we just could not be bothered to walk back and watch BFMV, Skindred and Lordi so just grabbed some food, drank and smoked everything we had left and waved bye-bye to Beth, Dave and Marie. Apparently the riots started a bit later but we saw nothing and didn’t see any trouble. Heard a lot of shouting and Timmmmeh’s though, hehe. Headed for bed about 1am, with some strange noises from inside… and out .

Funniest Moment… Dave getting Sarah’s fags off her, then running off and camply throwing them into the middle of the vaguely clearing field.!!! It was his facial expression that did it for me.

So in conclusion a fucking amazing time, well repeatable with more food and less clothing, hehe and a smaller tent for just two people.

Photos will follow soon when I can be bothered to upload and resize them. .

Oh and if you are wondering, I got off with two people… but I am not saying who…

What happens at DownLoad STAYS at DownLoad.

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