FEATURE // Download 2006

The following statement was sent to us by somebody who claimed he received it from, 'a friend of a friend'. He also said that he had seen the cuts and bruises on the authors face, and said that his friend had no reason to make the following statement up. These sorts of stories fly around after festivals every year, but have a read for yourself, and make your own mind up. Us at Audio Scribbler are too scared to join the metal heads at download. We choose to brave the exploding gas canisters on Leeds festival hilltop.

Here's the scoop.

"Sunday morning at Download. We're drinking with friends in their campsite. People are starting big scary fires and pulling down the lights. It starts to get out of hand because the security are doing nothing.

We decide to back to our (VIP) campsite. We are blocked by riot police. I ask to be let through to my campsite. They charge at me with their shields and knock me down. Then they retreat. I ask for the number of the cop who knocked me down. He stays silent. This is illegal. I ask again. They prepare for another charge.

I get down on my knees and stretch out my arms. "I am defenceless. I just want you number. It's my right. What is your number?"

They charge at me, and ROUND me. A load of big security guys grab me, drag me by my ankles to a van. They throw me in, the doors close.

They start punching me in the face. "You want our fucking number? I'll give you our fucking number. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN. DON'T LOOK AT ME."

I feel more punches, and what I think are kicks.

I then get taken to a holding area where I'm searched and sat by a wall with a load of other people. They take my stuff. They cut off and take my wristbands, so I can't get back in. Blood is now streaming down my face, people look shocked when they see me.

We ask for water, they deny it.

Eventually, they chuck me out, with, as far as they are concerned, no means of getting to my stuff.

I creep into my campsite, past the guard who, just like in the movies, is FAST ASLEEP! Get some water and go looking for Stephanie.

When they took me away, she went up to them and asked where I was being taken.

They knocked her to the ground, ran past her. She was picked up and thrown to the ground repeatedly by the security. She keeps saying she's going nowhere until she finds me. (I love her!) The guy screams in her face, grabs her by the throat and throws her 4 or 5 feet onto the ground. She badly sprained her ankle and was taken to hospital.

Eventually I managed to get to the hospital she'd been taken to, they looked at my face, patched me up, and we went home."

So, what really happened at this years Download 2006. Was you there? Did you see the security going a bit off the rails? Send us an email (audioscribbler@gmail.com) OR jump in our discussion forum.