Hold your head up high, Rise your fist up in the air, Play metal...!!!

The equivalent of Christmas in the heavy metal world, is Download festival..a music festival where over 100,000 metal-heads and rockers come together to listen to good music, hang out with their friends, meet new people, party and generally have a good time.  I've been to every Download festival since it started in 2003, though those slightly older than me will remember Monsters of Rock festival which also used to take place on the hallowed heavy metal soil of Donington Park, some years before Download began.

This post isn't to write about festivals I'm afraid, and their significance to metal fans, but rather just to share some photo's of my holiday this year!  As I said, I go to every Download and this year was no exception.  I actually try to go to 2 rock/metal festivals a year and the past few years it's been Download and Bloodstock, but for a couple of years it was Download and Sonisphere while that was running, and then right back in the day it was Reading Festival and Download...actually, my first ever festival was Reading 2001..and let's just say, I was certain converted right there and then in an instant! Apart from those festivals, I've also been, while they were running, to Distortion in Nottingham in 2002, and Ozzfest in 2002 which kind of ran briefly at Donington Park sometime between Monsters of Rock ending and Download starting.

Anyway, thought some might want to see some photo's from this year's Download...

This one is taken from Download's website...look carefully, I'm right there in the middle..looking slightly drowned from the earlier down pour!!! :/

This one is taken from my mates Ben Wilmott's photos...

This is one of Ian's pics...

 The rest of the pics are mine

Me n Ian :)

Me n my mate Luke

Me n my very good friend Owl :)

Luke dressed as a power ranger one day, Owl dressed in her much loved silver space suit...oh, and we randomly found a courgette so thought we'd draw a face on it!haha random!

On a ride called 'The Wild Mouse' with Ian and Luke

 

And another picture of me...for no reason! lol