It’s been 21 months since my last festival so not only was last weekends Download Pilot event much needed for me personally it was also a step in the right direction to try and get live music events happening again! With COVID all gigs, festivals, shows, events were cancelled last year so the industry has taken a huge hit. We had already bought our 2020 Download Festival tickets, we had splurged for our 30th birthday celebrations and gone RIP (Downloads version of VIP), anyway we carried our tickets over to this year and again to 2022. 

Due to already having tickets for 2022 we were able to get pre-sale tickets for the Pilot event which took place as one of the governments ERP (events research program), once tickets were secured we started planning the weekend in just a few weeks. 

Download, Ticketmaster & Festival Republic made sure we were all in loop with information about the event, things we needed to do prior and kept the announcements coming. Andy Cooping, Downloads lead booker managed to get the acts signed up in a weeks time which is absolutely crazy but it seems all the bands were on board and excited to play a show. 

Before the weekend we had to take a PCR test and post this off on either Thursday evening or Friday morning then take a lateral flow test before travelling to the event; this had to show a negative result to gain entry to the pilot event. We are also required to take another another PCR test 5 days after the event for the research to be conducted. Me and my festival pals were all negative and set off for the event early Friday morning, traffic was minimal and we arrived around 11am where people where already heading through the check-in points. 

Face coverings were required to be worn throughout the check-in process, the first point was to show your negative LFT results and your photo ID then to check-in to the event using the NHS track and trace app. Next up was a bag security check, they had a limit on alcohol so were checking this here as well, once through security it was time to get our tickets scanned and a wristband on. I was so happy we had wristbands, its always something else to keep from the festival. That was it then, we were in the event; social distancing and face coverings were not required and we was basically free for the weekend! 

We managed to get a close camping spot on one of the red camps, this was the closest we have ever camped to the car so there wasn’t any lugging our gear for miles! Set up was seamless even in the rain which started 15 minutes before we arrived at the car park; standard for Download weekend! 

As this was a pilot event with 90% less attendees than a regular Download festival, everything was in one area; campsites, arena, showers/toilets, food vendors, merch stands and some small shops; this was so much smaller than we were used too. I got to admit it was so strange being around people again in groups and crowds but once the bands started and the evening went on it just felt normal again. Everything that had been put in place prior to the event including testing made me feel at ease too and after so long without any live music it was worth the anxiety I felt when arriving. 

Since we were camped so close to everything we popped back to the tent for some tea, threw some burgers on the BBQ then headed back to the stages ready for ‘Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes’ who was headlining on the Friday. If you haven’t seen Frank Carter before then your missing out and if this was your first time seeing them then I’m sure you had an amazing time! He is full of energy and passion plus he engages with the audience a lot; he also brought out some guest including IDOLES lead singer and Cassyette. 

Saturday was the biggest day for me and my pals, it was the first full day of bands which started at 11.30am and we had a lot to fit in but managed to have a chilled morning with a sausage breakfast and a rest before a busy day. We headed to the arena to catch ‘Wargasm’ who wasn’t my usual vibe but they performed well and had lots of energy on the stage, next up was ‘A’ followed by ‘Yonaka’ who I was super excited to see. I headed down towards the front and stood on the barrier in the middle, after a little sound error they brought the place down and everyone was enjoying themselves. Later we caught ‘Twin Atlantic’ before heading for our tea at the tent, we saved a lot of money by eating at the tent instead of buying food in the arena. 

Creeper were playing at 8.15pm on the second stage and this was my main band to see on Saturday, I got a good spot near one of the posts inside the tent so I had space if I needed it but I was so comfortable and just jumped, sang and loved every minute of their theatrical set. Closing the Saturday night, ‘Enter Shikari’ played on the main stage with their electric set with lots of bass and lights flashing across the arena. Perfect end to an amazing day! 

Last day is always the hardest as we know its nearly over but we still had a blast. First off was breakfast at the tent then packing up as we were leaving Sunday night after Bullet, of course the rain was here again which did make packing up a bit inconvenient but the short walk to the car was a win. Arena time and we had a quiet morning in terms of bands we wanted to watch so hung out at the ‘Rocktail Cocktail’ bar who had DJ’s on all weekend playing all sorts of music, it was fantastic! I hope they keep this attraction for future Downloads. 

We strolled around the arena, caught a bit of ; ‘Lonely the Brave’, ‘Massive Wagons and ‘Elvana’ who were all on form! Since we had packed up we ate in the arena so opted for the popular ‘Yorkie Pud’ stand which was delicious; massive square Yorkshire pudding with pulled pork, stuffing, mash potatoe, sausage and gravy! 

‘Skindred’ where hitting up the main stage just after 7pm, we always watch ‘Skindred’ when they play, they are one of our whole groups favourites and Benji and the band put on a great show. The second stage last band was ‘Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls’ who were a wild card in my opinion and actually rock harder than I thought! Bullet for my Valentine closed the weekend and the pilot event massively, with an amazing show, perfect set list, the whole band was on form, happy and excited to just play a show! Honestly couldn’t of been a better end to the weekend. 

I think this weekend was much needed for a lot of people and Download did amazing at setting this event up in around 4 weeks, you guys ROCK!!! I hope the statistics from this research are as positive as I think they will be and we can get live music back again!

Checkout all the photos and videos from the weekend on my Instagram & TikTok.

See you in 2022 Download Festival RIP style. ‘Horns up’ 

Summer is finally here with the looks of it and festival season is well underway so I've put together some essentials for feeling and looking your best this summer. Weather your going on a sun and sea holiday, city break or simply hitting up a festival this season make sure you've got some of these items packed!


As your all aware Kiss Products imPRESS nails are my favourite stick on nails and I tend to wear them all the time. However the shorter styles are absolutely perfect for festivals. You can apply them within 5 minutes, you could even stick them on whilst your on your way to your festival (as long as your not the driver). Once on, I personally get around two weeks wear from them before I have to remove them to apply a fresh set. Now at a festival you may be more hands on; putting up a tent, carrying a lot of luggage -cough- beers and being outdoors so I did only get 1 week wear on this occasion but this is still amazing for stick on nails! imPRESS come in many different designs, styles and lengths so everyone can find a set for them. Grab yourself a set or two from your closest Superdrug, Boots or Asda or online here.



Now we're talking more summer holiday than festival here, well depending on where your festival is located I'm sure you'll be keeping the sandals and flip flops packed. For all the lucky ones having a summer holiday this year, check out imPRESS pedicure which are the same great stick on nails as the manicure sets but for your toes!! Don't deal with clipped nail polish or expensive trips to the salon, apply a set of these imPRESS nails for long lasting nails that look and feel amazing! Everyone has asked me where I had my toes done since I've been wearing these. They actually make my toe nails look better and neater than just wearing nail polish. These are a new product from Kiss so there are currently fewer designs to choose from but still a good choice. I had my first set on for around 4 weeks but I changed them to a fresh set which was more out of choice than needing to remove them.


Top Tip - Apply your press on nails before bed as your less likely to get your hands or feet wet for longer than during the day. This helps them stick and last longer in my experience.

Being outdoors or in the sun for long periods of time can dry up your skin even with the correct sun care. Pop a mini Hempz Beauty all day moisturiser in your case or bag and treat your skin morning and night to keep it feeling soft and smooth. Hempz use 100% pure natural hemp seed oil to create their products and sell a range of scents and collections. This one is the Herbal Whipped Body Créme which has a sweet scent which lasts and because of the whipped texture of the cream it applies beautifully without any stickiness. The whipped like texture is thin enough to apply quickly and easily but not thin enough to make a mess. Hempz is paraben free, Gluten-Free and 100% Vegan too!


Want fresh looking non-tried eyes whilst away from home then make sure to put these bargain eye patches in your toiletries bag. For just £1.00, yes a quid you can awake your eyes every morning so you can look and feel fresher plus do not worry about puffy eyes. Just apply one patch under each eye for 5 to 10 minutes, you can even do this whilst you get ready for the day. Once the times up, remove and check out the results! These are a total winner for festivals too as you don't always get much sleep if your on a noisy campsite so puffy eyes are a problem but not with these little life savers. Head to your local Primark and stock up!


The all important sun care products, this should be one of the first things you pack in my opinion. Even in the British weather, you need to protect your skin from harmful sun rays and UVA damage. I particularly like this Calypso once a day, the texture is oil like but smooths onto my skin. It's easy to apply, isn't sticky or shiny when on the skin and perfect for applying on the go for those jam packed holidays or non-stop festivals this summer. Note, I always reapply the 'once a day' sun protection after going in any water for long periods of time, after 6 hours  of being out in the sun consistently and always 15 minutes before any sun exposure. Calypso is made in England which is a nice bonus as well.

It's time for another festival outfit share, as I've said in my previous posts, I can't wait for my next festivals, May, June and August are looking amazing at the moment. If I'm lucky I'll fit in another festival in July as well but I've not booked anything yet. I think this outfit is a good chill day outfit when your mooching around the campsite, shopping at the stalls or partying in the evenings. You can mix it up with different footwear, belts or tees and throwing a bumbag across body will complete the festival look more so!


Primark has been one of my favourite stores pretty much forever (since they were a thing anyway) and they've got some amazing spring/summer items in now with all the festival wear you can think of. This snake print midi dress was a sale pick up, £7.00 reduced from £15.00 and the print also comes in a skirt, vest top and bumbag.


I wouldn't tend to wear this style of dress on its own so pairing it with a tee underneath is totally on trend and makes the dress easy to wear for lots of occasions not just festivals. This black mesh tee is from Simply Be, it's long sleeved but breathable and cool and quite long in length if you wanted to wear this with other outfits.

Who hasn't got a western themed belt this season??? This was another Primark bargain at just £5.00 its the cheapest I've seen on the high street. The buckle does open from each end so it's adjustable even though it is one size, I've added this to many outfits since buying it and it can also be worn on jeans but you do have to undo both buckles for this. If you just want a single buckle western belt, Simply Be has a similar one here.


I finished the outfit off with a River Island bucket bag which has snake print detail on the strap so matches my dress perfectly; my sister gave me this bag so was a freebie. My boots are from Koi Footwear, I featured these in my last festival post but they are so comfortable, I've had them on so much and I think they are definitely a festival fashion piece. Fancy treating yourself to a pair of Koi Boots, grab yourself a 30% discount with my referral link here.

There's a few festivals that this outfit may not be suitable for but if the weather holds up like it did bank holiday weekend then we are laughing! What outfits will you be wearing this summer?

Yes you read that right, we had a mud-less Download Festival this year and the weather was amazing all weekend; barr a little bit of a shower during the night on Friday and a little drizzle but nothing crazy. I saw people with a t-shirt tan all weekend, smiling and happy to be sat in field at Donington!

Guys Download Festival starts tomorrow for me, we always head down on the Wednesday to enjoy the full force of the festival village and attractions before the arena opens on Friday. I’ve put together a short post about 5 things to do at Download Festival this year. These are things I’ve done previously, new for this year and my best advise for people.
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I can't believe the weekend is already over, I've been counting down the days for festival season starting and my first festival this year was Slam Dunk Festival. I was mega excited for the festival, the bands that were playing are some of my favourites and it was a first time experience for me as I've never been to Slam Dunk before. It's always been on my list of things to do and I'm still gutted I missed last years festival but sometimes its not always possible to do everything.

Anyway me and my friend Nat headed to Leeds on Friday, we was staying at the Ibis Budget which wasn't too far away from the train station or the festival site which was good. I always find staying at Ibis hotels pleasant and cheap so its a win-win all round. We decided to get some shopping done and find Almost Famous before heading to the Leeds University Student Union to exchange our tickets for wristbands; this was an excellent perk of being in Leeds the day before as it saved so much time on Saturday morning and no long queueing to get our wristbands. The Union was open from 5pm until 9pm to collect our wristbands so we headed over at around 5.30pm, there was a short queue but nothing major and it was moving quite quickly; as we was leaving the Union the queue was getting bigger so getting there early was best.


Saturday morning came around early and although I'd been awake from 7am I was ready for a busy, fun-filled, packed out day. We headed to a pub for some food whilst planning our schedule for the day using the Slam Dunk App on our phones. It was clear at this point that we wouldn't be able to catch every single band and some decisions had to be made. We started by entering the festival site at the south entrance, we wanted to explore the site and find your feet with the location; we was already familiar with where the arena was so that wasn't a problem. The Slam Dunk app was super helpful and we used the map to navigate around; the app also notified us when our next scheduled band was about to start.



After wandering around the festival site it was time to head over to the Jaegermeister stage (First Direct Arena) for out first band of the day; Four Year Strong. There was a massive queue to get into the arena but it was moving, we opted to queue for the seated area, we got into the place as the band was starting. I'd been in the arena previously at a First Direct bank event; you can read that post here. The place is set up theatre style so no matter where your sat, you've got a good view of the stage. My friend left me to go watch some other bands at the other festival site so I decided to move forward in the seated area as and when I could, once Four Year Strong went off there was loads of spare seats closer to the front.


I stayed at the Jaegermeister stage to watch Creeper which was one of the main bands I wanted to see, I'd pretty much planned my day around seeing them play. Up until now I'd missed Creeper at Download Festival and when they played Manchester back in December so I was even more excited finally see them play. Creeper did not disappoint and played a lot of my favourite songs, Hannah also performed a new song along which was so emotional and actually gave me goosebumps; that girl can sing! The whole band got involved in the rest of the show and really gave it their all, I can't wait to watch them again. Shortly after Creeper's set, State Champs came on stage opening with my all time favourite song from them and playing their new song Dead and Gone 3 songs in; another total banger! I decided to leave a little before State Champs finished to try to make the Creeper signing which was the in Kerrang! Signing tent at the other site.



Luckily I made it back to the signing tent in time to meet Creeper although this was really the bands fault as they ran over the time slot a little and made sure everyone in the queue got to meet them. The band was so lovely and had a chat to each and everyone one of us and I was able to get a photo with Will which was a complete bonus! The band signed my ticket but Monster Energy was handing out flyers which could be signed so if you didn't have anything to get signed, you could use this flyer. Next to the signing area was the Merch Tent, this area was filled with band merch and festival merch; I grabbed a Creeper t-shirt of course then headed to the Fireball stage to watch Zebrahead.


A few of the stages in this area was situated outside so it had a real festival feel to it, Zebrahead were playing on one of the smaller stages but still put on a great show, there was even a panda crowd-surfing on a rubber dingy so you know, it was pretty damn awesome! We grabbed drink from one the many bars and then headed to the Fireball tent to get temporary tattoos and have a go on the photobooth, Fireball was giving out free samples whilst we was there so we was able to try Fireball which was delicious and not what I was expecting; the flavour is really nice and not too harsh at all. We grabbed a free temporary tattoo which a member of the team applied for us and I bought a pin badge whilst I was there too; we also got given a guitar pic from the team.


At this point we had a short amount of free time so we had a wander around, caught a little bit of Lower Than Atlantis's set, had a sit down then I headed back to the Jager stage, my mate stayed at the other stages for a while. I wanted to catch PVRIS at 8.15pm but I got straight into the arena so managed to watch Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes too, another added bonus and an extra band than planned. I've watched Frank Carter play on the TV and the band always puts their all into any set, it was even more special to be in the crowd for this set. I'd come into the standing area to watch PVRIS and was even able to grab a Slam Dunk t-shirt on my way in which I'm glad I did as they didn't have my size left at the end of the evening. PVRIS came on stage and really owned it, I was impressed with Lyndsey's voice and her musical instrument talents; she played keyboard, guitar and drums whilst also being the lead singer of the band; total bad ass.


The standing area was pretty big and so my mate could find me when she arrived I stayed near the back of the room in front of the sound tech but I had a really good view and the barrier around the sound tech gave me something to lean on in-between bands. Nat met me well before Good Charlotte and she managed to watch a bit of PVRIS's set too; she said she would totally watch them again too so I've got a mate to go watch them with next time they tour. The headlining spot was taken by Good Charlotte, we wanted to watch Jimmy Eat World but made the decision to catch GC as we didn't want to risk not getting into the other stage area if we left half way through plus I'm pretty glad we didn't leave now as GC put on an extremely amazing show; this is the second time I've watched them and it was definitely better than the last show!


Good Charlotte opened with some old favourites including; 'The Anthem', 'Girls and Boys' and 'Keep Your Hands of my Girl' then followed with some newer songs and the latest release 'Actual Pain'. We'd been given a free GC mask earlier in the day so this came out for the new song, I was happy to hear the new song live and it's already been added to my Spotfiy playlist. GC are one of my favourite bands and I've followed them since being a teenager which is crazy, they will always be relatable, perform well and I'm so glad they made that come back 3 years ago; don't leave us again guys!


Slam Dunk was a new experience for me, a great experience at that and I will definitely be back next year, this is now on my not to miss festival list. The pop punk scene is something I never wanna grow out of and don't plan too either. Bands I'd love to see next year would be; Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Rancid, I Prevail and The Distillers. Plus Bowling For Soup will always be favourite of mine too plus they are so much fun to watch and jump around too!

Now Slam Dunk is over with, I'm looking forward to Download Festival at the beginning of June. There will also be a review up about my time there after the event but keep an eye on my Instagram for updates whilst I'm there!