I would like to apologize about how late this blog piece is. I have been working on it on and off since we got back from download back in June 2010! To everyone who was there with me, we rocked. Lets do it again!
Download festival. My first festival. The guys (Steve, Lori and Bassett) had talked me into it months before. The tickets had been purchased, and we were ready for the off. Thursday morning I woke up at 7.13am with a hangover. I needed to finish packing and have a shower before we set off. As I left my room I walk into Steve and Bassett both of which are already up and very awake apparently. As I enter the bathroom they leave the flat with a cheery chorus of "Bye!" This takes a moment to register with me, but as soon as it does I run into Bassetts room and up to the window. "Where on earth are you going at 7.15am?!"
All I got back was "Download muthafuckaaa!"
Steve...
Lori...
Bassett (Bassett)....
Bassett (Jamie)....
They came back at just after 9 with Lori, and Steve's stuff, and Lori herself. I had breakfasted and showered by this point and was playing guitar hero. I quickly finished the song and grabbed my bag. Heading, downstairs I also check we have the essentials (my essentials) like tent pegs. Steve also checks we have his essentials like beer.
We aren't due to pick up Jamie until 10.30 when he finishes college. In the meantime we have plenty to do. We head into town to grab some more disposable BBQs and other bits (someone didn't have any socks!). After that we blast across town to Jamie’s house. Bassett’s parents place. We get there at the same time as Jamie on his bike. Only to watch him shut the garage door then turn round and curse himself for locking himself out. Retard. After a brief discussion we concur that the best idea is me through the window. Steve boosts me up, and I soon discover that it has a twin handle system and I can only reach the top one. Bugger. A quick rethink and I am all up for over the top of the conservatory. Bassett says the roof is too weak. Next door has scaffold up, so we ask if we can climb over. They say sure. We head into their garden to find that we can easily get over the back fence. Ideal! We are in. Jamie runs upstairs and grabs his holdall while Steve helps himself to a bit of food in the kitchen. Soon enough we are on the road again.
The journey didn't take long with just a single stop at services. Bassett had done the route before and knew to ignore the GPS at a certain turn saving us about 45 minutes. We got to the car park at around three. The weather was beautiful. Fluffy clouds danced on a slim breeze while the sun shone. As soon as we arrived we set about deciding what we would take in the first run and what we would come back for. Tents and chairs first. And Lori to take her bag. We would set up base camp then come back for beers and our spare clothes. This decision is primarily based on Bassett and Steves experiences from the last couple of years. Apparently when one campsite gets full they open the next one with a load of people waiting and it ends up a mad dash to find your pitch spot. So running across a field with just a tent in a bag is easier than running across a field with a tent in a bag and a backpack filled with beer (or so the theory goes anyway).
Packing the bag!
As it happened all the campsites were already open when we got there meaning that we didn't have to run anywhere. Just walk for a few miles to find somewhere with enough space to put the tents up. We ended up pitched next to some mental looking northerners who had been doing the Donnington thing since ‘86. And not missed one. Impressive. But as I say, they were mental. We got the tents up really quickly. Mostly because Bassett and Steve both have pop ups. After the tents were up Lori started to lay out her stuff that she had brought while the rest of us went back to the van for more supplies. The organisers had set it up so people were crossing the road from the car park in phases as well as having a complete stairbridge set up to get across as well.
When we got back to the car park Steve needed a poo. So he came back to the car, picked up the bits he needed and shoved them in his backpack, then left that with us and ran to the portaloos with loo roll clutched in his grasp. We filled our own packs, and helped each other into them before loading up the table that Bassett had made especially for the event. This was an interesting contraption that was a small table at some points, and a convenient way to carry beer at others. Bassett, engineer that he is had designed and made it at work in his spare time from tat lying around the workshop. Basically the legs came off and hooked under so you could carry it between two of you like a stretcher. Clever eh? That had all the beer on it. It was heavy. It started with Bassett (Jamie) and Bassett carrying the table while I carried Steve’s bag to the toilets. We also had a set of sack trucks with more beer on it which I was dragging. We took a quick break there to relieve ourselves, and wait for Steve. Before long we were on the long walk back to camp. We stopped a few times to swap who was carrying the table, or who was dragging the trucks along, as both of those were loaded with the heavy stuff (beer, cider etc...). As we went through the gates again Steve and I just got asked if we had any drugs or sharps or glass with us. We said no, and got through easy as that. Both Bassetts got searched – they took this well. We quickly took all of that to the camp and cracked open a beer. It was warm but delicious. Next, Steve and I volunteered to go back to the van once more for the BBQs and food. I emptied my backpack so I could fill it with food and we set off.
While packing everything I noticed that I had a bottle of meths that I was sure I wasn't allowed (turns out I was allowed meths!) and two glass containers with dip in (definitely not allowed glass!). I tried to pack these in such a way to prevent clinking. We also had a couple of carrier bags in our hands as we wanted this to be the last trip! Going through the gate was a bit more interesting for me this time. Steve got through fine again. The bloke completely emptied my bag. I was sure I was about to lose a load of stuff and Steve stood just past the gate looking nervous. The guy pulled out all the marshmallows and tortillas that were in the top of the bag first. This made him think we were just gunna get stoned and have a serious case of the munchies later. Rather than deny this I figured that at a festival it's kinda expected so I played along and said "yea.. We should be blazed by about 8 dude... But it's ok, my buddy has the weed.." he looked at me and I smiled. He did that while pulling the glass out of the bag. I kept his attention on me and he let me re-pack the bag without taking anything from me, he just said "here ya go buddy. Have a good festival, and bring me some weed if there's any left!" I just laughed told him there wouldn't be before hurriedly re-packing and walking away like I was supposed to be there...
The one smile we got out of Jamie ALL WEEKEND!
That night we had a bit of a poke around the festival village and generally got used to the feel of the place. I am always happy to be in a field or a tent so I was happy to leave "civilisation" behind. Sitting around the home made table, drinking beer and cooking on disposable BBQs in the brilliant sunshine with your friends is actually the best thing ever. I could actually do it forever and feel satisfied.
Steve "tending" the BBQ...
Just because you are in a field drinking from the can.. There is no need to forget your manners!
As we would be spending 4-5 nights in the same place I took quite a few bits to make my tent a plush and comfy place to be. I had two roll mats side by side with a blanket over, then two more roll mats, then another blanket, then a single inflatable mattress, then another blanket and then my sleeping bag. Cushty!
The next day I was up first and sitting in a chair in the cool morning sun waiting for everyone to wake up, by about 8.30. I was semi sensible and decided to wait until they were at least awake before cracking open a beer. The others started to surface about an hour after me and then we decided to make breakfast. Which was different things for different people. Much like other things are. After breakfast I decided to go for a walk and get the other bits from the car that we would need for the next few days, so we didn't need to keep going back and forth. So Steve and I set off and grabbed the last of the disposable bbqs and any other bits we thought we might need for the following days in the arena.
A beautiful day in a field with friends.. What more could you want?!
The first band on the first day was Trigger the Bloodshed. We had all been to see them at the Cavern in Exeter a few weeks before the festival and definitely wanted to see them on a big open stage. This was the most easy start to a day we were going to get. The first bands weren’t on until 3pm! Trigger the Bloodshed were amazing, as we had thought they might be. On the second note the singer did an overly enthusiastic headbang and smacked himself in the nose. Blood went everywhere and they kept playing like that was normal. Just occasionally spiting blood into the crowd to get it out of his throat....
The bloodied face of Trigger the Bloodshed!
The next band we wanted to see was one of my favourites. 36 Crazy Fists. I have seen them before in Exeter and was really excited to see them again. Especially as they were to be followed by Killswitch Engage and there was a duet rumoured! We headed over to the main stage and got in the middle of everything and waited for about 15 minutes. They came on and played. We jumped and spun and stomped and generally had an amazing time in the middle of 50 000 or so people! It was an excellent thing to do! I highly recommend it! Then, out of no-where the lead singer from Killswitch Engage comes onto the stage. Howard Jones from Killswitch shouting his face off with Brock Lindow from Crazyfists. This was crazy! Suddenly the energy in the crowd doubled and everyone is jumping and shouting again! We joined in. It seemed the only reasonable thing to do under the circumstances....
Steve and Lori in front of the stage waiting for 36 Crazyfists.
Lori wanted to see Coheed and Cambria next. Everyone else wanted to stay on the main stage and see Killswitch Engage. I decided that it wasn’t fair for her to go by herself, so I opted to go with her. Walking out of the now 70 000 strong mosh pit for Killswitch to go and watch a band I have little interest in was very difficult. But Lori had a great time with Coheed so that is good. She enjoyed it so much that she went a little faint and needed to sit down as I recall... Which made us slightly late to watch Them Crooked Vultures over on the main stage again. They played well. Lori especially enjoyed Dave Grohl beating some drums like a mad man. In his torn up vest and with the facial expressions he was pulling he looked awfully like Animal from the Muppets to me... Everyone else had wandered over to the other stage to catch Bullet for My Valentine. After this we all had about 30 mins to try and find each other before AC/DC came on. I must admit I wasn’t fussed about finding people at that point. I just wanted to watch AC/DC and chillout for the evening. I even bought an ice cream for the princely sum of £4 to aid the chilling out.
Yes.. I am aware that there is ice cream on my face. What of it?
As it happened Mike from Exeters Rockshow on Phonic FM was at the festival to do a press release on it. He is also our good friend. He had brought his girlfriend Willow who is also our friend. Unfortunately she doesn’t really understand Metal music. But Lori really wanted to meet up with Willow so we phoned them and found them by a disabled viewpoint. They said that they were using the large Ozzy Osbourne Billboard at the top of the field in front of the main stage as a meeting point so we decided to contact the others and set that up for them too.
Mike and Willow..
AC/DC Crashed onto stage with their classic Crazy Train with a lifesize train bursting through the back of the stage! This was what the rock bands of yesteryear had to compete with the young guns. Being frigging crazy! They played for 2 and a half hours non stop. Which is pretty crazy as most young bands won’t do that, and these guys are pushing 65! I was amazed to see later on a giant inflatable woman pop up and straddle the train from earlier. It was time for a Whole Lotta Rosie. She tapped her feet and wobbled in the wind. It was fantastic! They played songs old and new. By the time they came on stage it was thought there were over 105 000 people in the arena. And at that point in time I would not have been anywhere else.
The crowd for AC/DC
Our Saturday began slightly earlier for everyone else, and at roughly the same time for me. We all needed to be breakfasted and ready to see Taking Dawn in the arena by 11. We were. They were a relatively small band, and they were clearly VERY excited to be opening the main stage on Saturday! Personally I don’t think they had been to bed at all. They all looked so wired and played the best 25 minute set of any band that were the first on to any stage. They rocked! Their music was good. An excellent choice for early in the morning. Quick enough to wake you up without the massive bass kicks of the really heavy metal. I remember that we were stood just outside of where most people were jumping around in front of the stage, and I had a clear view of the lead vocalist. He was pacing up and down the stage watching the security guards between him and the stage. Playing guitar all the way. At one point there was a gap in between the guards and he leapt from the stage and ran into the crowd! He just disappeared! The guards went in after him but they had no chance. By the time that they had realized and followed him he was lying face up on the crowd shouting the lyrics at the top of his lungs and shredding guitar via a wireless connection. I thought this was fabulous! Such a brave move for a small band in an early morning slot pulled of perfectly! Eventually he made it back onto the stage, after adding about 8 minutes to their set. Brilliant, and well worth getting up early for!
I don’t really remember what happened next. Probably thanks to all the beer we had on the Saturday. In fairness it was the one day we got properly drunk the whole festival so it’s not as bad as it sounds. Just that I was most drunk between 11 am and about 3pm is slightly unusual I will grant you. I know that I watched Atreyu on the main stage from 1.30 and I watched Five Finger Death Punch from just before three but I don’t remember who was with me or what was going on. I remember it was painfully hot and my ears got sunburned. And I spent a bit of time sat by myself next to the Ozzy billboard. This didn’t bother me.
Steve and Jamie by the Ozzy billboard. I love the look on Jamies face!
Five Finger Death Punch are a band I have known only since download. They came on and were American all over the place which was a little bit irritating but they played well. And when the singer called for a stage invasion there was bedlam! After most of the stuff had died down there was still one security guard beating the hell out of some random teenager who had made it further than most people. The singer (no small man himself) pulled the guard off the guy and got the teenager up on stage to give some merchandise to. Then they had the end of their set cut for the stage invasion stunt. They played on regardless until someone removed the power cable from their instruments. Gutted.
I sat with Steve and watched Lamb Of God after Five Finger. They are metal to the core. I want a beard and hair like them! They are also famous the world over for the destruction in the mosh pit when they play. And this time was no exception. I saw a circle pit open up right in the centre that must have been 1000 people wide. It was insane. I saw people coming away from the medic tent later with broken arms and legs saying they got them in the Lamb Of God pit and this is a quote from one guy “yea, this happened in the pit. But it was totally worth it! Did you see them shred?!”. Well at least he had a good time..? Steve and I were slightly more sensible and watched from a more sedate distance. Also during the set Lori and Bassett made friends with some random Geordies and disappeared to get drunk with them...
Random Geordie number one...
And insert Geordies two and three....
After Lamb Of God we had a bit of time to kill before there were any bands people were dying to see, so we grabbed a few beers and I wandered with Jamie Bassett, and Steve to see Senser in one of the tents. It was ludicrously packed and already stank of sweaty man and slightly of wee. Senser have quite a following for a small rap metal band from South west London. They played like crazy, the same as they did the first time I saw them at the phoenix centre in Exeter. Later that day the male vocalist came and sat with us to watch Rage Against the Machine. And people say that guys in rock bands aren’t cool and down to earth!
We had some more beer and sat down to watch Deftones. I was quite excited to see them. They are one of my favourite bands and are supposed to be superb live. Mike and Willow were sat with us, Mike enjoying a rather unusual pint (normally he is tee-total). I was slightly disappointed with Deftones performance. They sounded right, but there didn’t seem to be any real energy coming from the stage. It all seemed a bit forced. Even front man Chino Morino jumping around the stage just didn’t seem right to me. Maybe it was just me.
So, the second day headliner... Rage Against The Machine. You can’t help but love this band. No matter who you are. I love the way we were all exhausted from being in the arena for over 10 hours already. We were all sat down by the Ozzy billboard. The guys from Senser sat right by us. The sun was going down and we were relaxed. Rage hit the stage. We stopped being relaxed. More or less the whole stadium was already on its feet and they hadn’t even played a note or said anything yet. Before introducing themselves or saying a word they started to play. Everyone who is a human was on their feet and jumping around. Bassett got his camera out and started to take pictures. Rage stopped playing long enough to thank everyone for making them Christmas number one and then they were off again. For Lori, Bassett and myself the excitement was too much now. We had to go get in the jump pit. Lori was gone before anyone could stop her. Bassett and I came running after Bassett filming as we were singing to Guerrilla radio. He was filming me, then himself, then random people in the crowd then he looked round and suddenly there I wasn’t. And indeed there he wasn’t for me too. I decided that it didn’t matter anyway and ploughed on into the crowd. We have since found out that there was an estimated 125 000 people in the arena while Rage played. Scary numbers! The mosh pit however was the most polite and kind one I have ever been in. Normally it is all pushing and shoving with people jostling to see while screaming lyrics at each other. With just an un-written code that if someone goes down near you, you get them on their feet ASAP, and they will do the same for you. This had a very different feel to it. There was almost space to move between people. People were still jumping and singing, but it wasn’t so tense. I tapped a guy on the shoulder and asked if I could get by. I am by no means the largest man around and he was quite considerably bigger than me. He turned and looked at me. Then I got the biggest shock of my life.
“sure dude, go through..” he said and then pushed his buddy to one side for me to come past. The next part is what was scary though. He poked the guys in front of him and said “let this guy through, he wants to get to the front..”
And they did! But not only that, they did the same! And the guys in front of them did too! I poked one guy and literally a parting of people happened for me! I must have got through almost 250 lines or people in one move! It was absolutely bizarre! I thanked them and ran through the space that had just opened all the way to the front! It was amazing to be there at that point. Dancing my legs to pieces with two Australians and a couple of Americans right in front of Rage against the machine in a crowd that had just parted simply to let me through. This is not the kind of thing that happens to me every day! And it is something I will remember forever! At one point ending up holding shoulders with the Australians and Americans in a line and all shouting the lyrics at the top of our voices and not being heard at all. Just the best thing ever. Ever.
Excitement over Rage Against the Machine!
Night time chilling...
Bassett in his rocking chair. (Because it ROCKS! and it also rocks to and fro....)
On Sunday Steve and I were up before most other people. Me because I get up early for some reason and Steve because he was excited about the days lineup. Bassett and Lori had got a bit drunk yesterday with some people they had met so weren’t feeling too great on this morning (who drank all the rum...? Hmmmm...?). Steve and I went into the village to try and get me a hat as I was getting some pretty good sunburn on my neck and ears despite wearing a cap for the last couple of days. It took a long time to actually find a hat that fitted me and my over sized head despite the fact that almost every stall sold hats. But anyway we got one and went back to the camp. It was around 12.30 when we decided to head into the arena to catch 3 inches of blood. While in the arena we discovered that alot of the merch stalls had saved stuff for the last day, clearly thinking that people would be saving their money for the last day. Bassett and Lori went for a look round at the merch and Steve and Jamie Bassett went to catch a band. I got lost. I wandered around for a while and saw a few people I knew from different places which was weird. It looked like it was going to rain so I went back to the tent to get my big coat, and bumped into Bassett going the other way, with his coat already on. “Looks like rain...” I said. It was already raining by that point.
“Yes it does. See you back in there for Steel Panther...?” He asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it mate. Catch you by the Ozzy then we can head over”
“Cool, see you in a minute!” And he was off into the rain.
When I got back to my tent, it was raining on the inside as well. I decided that it would be sensible to pack my stuff up already and get changed into some dry clothes before heading back. My straw hat was soaked so I left that there and just took my fishing hat, my flasher coat a pair of shorts and my boots. I should have gone for wellies. My boots were soaked through before I made it back to the arena. I waited for Bassett at the Ozzy stand for a while, and Bassett showed up a after a bit, he had been watching Airbourne in the rain. Neither of us knew where anybody else was. We got bored of standing in the rain and so decided to walk in the rain instead, and went over to the second stage where Steel Panther would be playing in a bit. Porcupine Tree were playing at that point, which was pretty cool. I grabbed some nachos which instantly got soaked while I watched them from a distance. I danced in the rain while Bassett called me an idiot. All the people who had been walking around all weekend dressed like the guys from Steel Panther had mysteriously disappeared when the rain started....
We went and stood in the now muddy area in front of the second stage while we waited for the band to come on. There were already a few other diehard fans here waiting for the band. Including a few bikini clad girls with clear plastic ponchos on. Now it was starting to get interesting! The band came on and rocked. They are a bit of a silly band that mostly plays stuff that would probably be called offensive by alot of people. But that is kind of why they are funny. At least they know they are a joke! All the way through the show there was a slightly larger than average girl wanting to be on someone’s shoulders so she could get on the big screen. Pretty well everyone declined or could only hold her up for a matter of seconds before putting her down again. Then I held her up for a whole track and she got on the big screen. She seemed happy about this.
After Steel Panther there was a bit of a wait for the final headliner Aerosmith. Bassett and I, both now covered in mud, wandered back over to the Ozzy to wait and see who showed up for the last band of the weekend. I wanted to see them and wasn’t prepared to fully give up just because of a little (ok, alot!) of rain even though a heck of a lot of people had already left the arena. As I recall Me and Bassett were just about to try and get a bit closer to the stage when out of the rain appeared a rather wet Steve! He had a massive grin on his bearded face. He walked right up to us and said “Hello boys! Look what I’ve got!” and pulled from inside his coat 6 pint cans of beer! We hugged him and gratefully grabbed a beer then all walked a bit closer to the stage.
We stood for just over half the set, until it was almost dark watching a very burpy Aerosmith play. And it was good! Bassett even got a video of me and Steve dancing like old men to it. It was fantastic. After a certain point the novelty wore off, and the beer ran out so we headed back to the tents. We decided not to stay that night but to try and get out of there instead. I left my tent, my chair and a couple of other bits that were too broken to bother brining back. I put my wellies on for the walk back to the car. It was awkward to carry everything at once, but somehow we managed it. When we got back to the car we quickly slung everything in the back without much thought as we all just wanted to get out of the rain now. Bassett was driving us back and the rest of us were thankful to be able to switch our brains off.
The main things I remember from download my first festival are (I apologise that not all of these featured in the main blog!):
• The crazy Scottish people.
• The drunk women who touched Jamie (best not to talk about it, the only time he will is therapy)
There is one of them...
There is the other one!
And look! There it is happening! Notice how I am stood at a safe distance!
• The mad guy with dreadlocks
There he is look!
• Bassets table and the comments it brought about from other people
• My fantastic sleeping arrangements
• The way that Steve and Willow argued the whole time.
• The sunburn
• The difficulty in finding a hat to fit my head amongst around 30 different stalls selling hats.
• The chilli noodles I ate
• Jamie being quiet the whole weekend
• Steve being tired but rocking out the whole weekend
• Bassett being drunk the whole weekend
• Lori crying on my arm at Coheed and Cambria/Dave Grohl
• Having burning sun and incredible rain in one day
• Dancing in the rain to Aerosmith with Steve and Bassett
• Weeing in a cup (I didn’t throw it!)
• Being the last person to be asked by a girl if I would have her on my shoulders and being the only person in the local audience who could hold her for more than 2 minutes
• Having aforementioned fat girl on my shoulders while watching steel panther play dirty songs in the rain. All while she flashed her boobs for the benefit of the big screen, and I danced and screamed insanely filthy lyrics
• Leaving my tent behind due to its death
• Steve appearing out of the rain with lots of very strong beer
• It being one of the most difficult things ever to walk away from the mosh pit for Killswitch Engage.
• The way the ground in certain places was squishy. Like in a weird way – not because it was wet.
• The way it seemed like a weird pilgrimage from one camp of survivors to another each morning and evening walking to or from the arena with all the other people.
I would like to thankyou for reading, and I would like to thank Mr Bassett for all the photos and videos as the most complicated item of electronics I took with me was a digital watch.
Kat and I on a very wet tour bus in London on my birthday.
Me being excited/happy about something on the London trip.
I am renowned for being really tall. Look how tall I am next to this bus.
Kat was very excited to find an animal at the County Show that she isn't allergic to!
"What do you mean there is no Tequila left?!" "Dude, you drank so much Tequila you have grown a sombrero on your head!"
Kat and I at our friend Jess' wedding. The man in the top right corner amuses me.
The picture that got taken of me for a magazine. I have no idea if it ever got printed or not.
(Left to right) Me, Bassett, and Jade made of Lego.
I saw a lot of these signs on the Sussex downs. I can only speculate at what situation caused their requirement.
Bassett models one of the finest Beard Hats I have ever seen.
Told you I was tall. Look at me next to a Hummer in London!
One of the less drunk group pictures from Loris "Come as you were as a teenager" birthday party.
Jade and Bassett with everyone's friend Pikachu at Loris party.
Kat, Jules, and Jade again with Pikachu.
A picture of me from one of the years early Burlesque evenings where I sold things from a stall. Which was interesting.
Me with Kats Family in Scotland on Christmas Day.
Pirate Day Pub Crawl!
One from after the Bath-tub race
The after race "warm down" talk....
Kat and I at Kirstys Birthday party.
