From Co-op Live to Oasis: The Good, The Bad, and The Inaccessible

 "Society, more often than not, makes me feel more disabled than my actual disability does." 

In this episode, Zara and Faith are breaking down the highs and lows of navigating live music in 2026. First up, they are giving a massive, well-deserved shoutout to Manchester’s Co-op Live arena. But it’s not all standing ovations. The girls dive into the absolute chaos of buying accessible tickets, only to find a complete lack of system support for disabled fans. 

Plus, Zara shares the shocking, blunt rejection she faced where customer service told her: "It’s in the middle of a field, so unfortunately we can't accommodate." Faith also takes a trip down memory lane, exposing her chaotic 18-year-old festival work experiences, an Uber nightmare, and what it’s really like working behind the bar at major festivals.

Follow us for more:
📸 Instagram: @sitdownwithuspod @faith_hiles @zaraborji
🎵 TikTok: @sitdownwithuspod

#DisabilityAwareness #Alopecia #ZaraAndFaith #WheelchairLife #Inclusion #RepresentationMatters #Podcast #ZebedeeModels

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi, sit down with us and get comfortable as we talk about the time I got refused entry to a festival. Mm-hmm. But before we get into that, we're first gonna talk about something really incredible where we went to the concert together. Yes. And it was so accessible, it was amazing. So we're first to talk about that and dive into that. So stay tuned. Let's go. So co-op live needs a shout out.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Coop live. So co-op live, if you're not from Manchester, is a new venue/slash arena. Yeah. Is arena and a venue the same thing? I'd say so because it's like the yes, like an arena.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Event space, I guess. Concert space.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Arena.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Yeah. Oh my god, that did not need that much thought of it. Anyway, co-op live. Um I've been to the co-op live twice in the past month, which is a bit excessive, some might say, but honestly. I think it's my new happy place. Uh yeah. I agree there. It it was it was great. So we I went there for Olivia Dean as the first time ever. That was great. And I went again for Alex Warren, but I'd booked Alex Warren before I'd been to Olivia Dean, so I didn't know what to expect for either of those.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Firstly, the staff were so accommodating. Yeah. Like, not gonna lie, the bit that was the messiest of it all was just outside.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Because there were so many queues, and it's it is a new venue. Like I think the only queue that was very structured and easy to understand was the standing only queue.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Like in the in the middle of it. But then the other doors, like we used in the queue wrong. We were like the wrong queue to begin for a while, yeah. But like as they came over and checked tickets, they made sure, like, go to that guy in the blue top, he'll get you into the bike. So they were really accommodating that way.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

I appreciated how many different entrances there were. Yeah. Like, even for like wheelchair users, there were like different entrances based on where you were sat. Speaking of where you're sat, if you are like a wheelchair user or generally use like an accessible area at a concert, you know, you know the drill. Sometimes it's just one area and it's like at the back of the queue, might as well be at home kind of vibe. Genuinely, sometimes. Oh my gosh. But we won't get into that. I am gonna talk about that more. But with this one, there were so many different areas you could have sat from like different tiers or like like closer to the stage, like further away from the stage, so many different levels. And I personally actually went on the middle level once for Olivia Dean, and then when we to went together for Alex Warren, yeah, it was actually classed as a standing because we read we read the ticket and we were like, oh my gosh, like am I gonna be stood for the whole time?

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Which is fine, I don't have a problem with that.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

My issue with that was obviously I knew they weren't gonna ask me to stand, but also my issue was like, Am I just gonna be like in the crowd of all these people and like basically not gonna be able to be able to see anything? Um, but no, it was so good, it was basically on the standing floor area, but it was kind of like barricaded up, it was like off to one side, and you were almost above everyone, so sat down.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

So satisfying.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

So satisfying to see something like that because I'm like, it was just so great. The other thing I really liked is so, for example, there was like bars and stuff across the venue, but even the ground level bars or like bars like higher level, all of them had like ramps to get to, even though there was also stairs next to it, yeah, there was ramps absolutely everywhere. Like you could just tell whoever designed this space really thought about it. They were like wheelchair users, we know them, yeah. Whereas some brand some brands, some venues really just don't.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Really not. Is there a particular venue you've been to where you were like, oh my gosh, like this is not absolutely which one was it? AO Arena. That's new as well. Is it? Yeah, because they redid that from the M E N.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Oh see, I didn't know. So I thought I was about to literally be like, maybe because it's old.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

But I didn't know. I mean it's it's an old venue, don't get me wrong, but they refurbished it. Oh because that was the M E N.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

See, oh yeah, I have been back since then actually. So yeah. So still so I've been to the AO Arena twice, once for Sean Menders, who also just digressing a little bit, who had a Sean Menders era life? Because I was obsessed with him at one point. Yeah, I wasn't obsessed.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

I wasn't obsessed, I just liked his music.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

No, I I was obsessed with him. I think for me, what basically when his like when his album came out that like blew up. I think the one with like stitches in it, all that, all those songs. The divide one. The division. Because all this one that's a cheering. That's what you said. No, Sean Menders. Sean Mendes.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Listen. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

What was that listening ears? Yeah, I had a him ear. I don't wait. I don't roller tape, I actually don't know. In my head, I thought you said Ed Cheerin, but you mean Sean Menders. Yeah, I had a Sean Mendes I'm probably I had a face. Right? Right. Right. Glad we got that. And I was like stitched. I was like, I think it's called Shape of View. I don't think that's definitely sure. That's definitely not Sean Mendes.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Okay, okay. So, and then do you know what? That album came out beautifully, just as my first relationship ended. Oh. So that album became my life, and subsequently he became my life. Anyway, nothing creepy, obviously. I was I was your regular fangirl, alright? Not confessing to anything. And yeah, anyway, digressed. Went to his concert, sat right at the back of the arena, and bearing in mind this was my first ever concert. Oh, at like maybe like to that uh 2017 or something. Wow. And it it was just like I was so far from everyone else, I was just like, I could have listened to this at home. Like the audio would have been much better on my Spotify. Yeah. Nothing to him, but like I was just so far away. And yeah, the staff were great, yeah. I missed the cues and all that jazz, but it was just the fact of they were like, yeah, this person's fine sitting right back. And that was the AO arena. Yeah, and before everyone's like, yeah, but maybe you you specifically chose those seats. No, no, no. There was different areas were like around the venue, but they were all at one level, which was right at the back. So you could be on the side right back, on the left hand side, right the back, or the like the back of the venue, right at the back, which is where I was.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

I think this is why co-op live is I like I I've actually not been to a concert since I was like 12 years old. That was like one direction and I didn't see a thing. But that was again like I never thought then where the accessibility would be, but co-op light it's so clear, clear, yeah. Like it's so obvious and it's so easily to access. Yes. So and even for me as someone that came with you, like I genuinely thought maybe you you'd have a space where I'd be standing. There were seats, like it's not complicated, just a plastic chair, that's all you need. Yeah, and it was just like there in a row, yeah, and like everyone was like, and then you then had an option whether to stay in your chair or transfer.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Which I loved actually, because I didn't know they were gonna offer me that. But yeah, honestly, such nice staff. Like, if any one part of Cop Live is watching, please give a raise to your staff because they were really good, they were actually amazing, and like even when we were like, oh my gosh, like where are we going?

SPEAKER_00 7:46

They were just so good at directing us through the door. Yeah. I think at one point, um, to be fair, there was an interesting smell that I couldn't really um ignore. But obviously, you're going to a concert, you know, but people have been queuing for a long time, I get it. But I was like, Are we in the right queue? Because this is for standing. And so I went to the lady at the front and she was like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll just you're going through this door, just a different entrance past the door. I was like, right, okay. So they were just they knew they knew their stuff, like they knew what to do.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

And it's crazy because you'd think as wheelchair users or as like people with disabilities, we want like them to like be well worse in everything. No, it's just a matter of just some guidance, like that's all we need, and that's what they gave, and that was like that. Or just being aware, yeah, being aware, literally. Because like sometimes you ask someone some questions, and so for example, going back to a different type of topic, but like transport, I went to a London Underground once. Um bear in mind I got the lift to the underground, got the staff because I was asking the staff where to get the train for the next accessible underground. Anyway, I went down and then I asked her, and she was like, Oh, I didn't even know there was lifts in here.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Mind you, she was the one for like accessibility to go to the garden, and I was like, I mean, I do hope it improves because getting back from the concert with Alex Warren, they were really good. Yes, like there were to be fair, there was a lot of staff there because I think they knew the trams was going to be hectic because the traffic at that point around the arena it messes every single road up with how busy it is. Oh my god, but that's with every concert and festivals that we'll get on to. That's in every single event setting for given. So there were so many people there to help, and I was just shocked with how accommodating they were to us. Like they apologised that we couldn't get on the first tram, literally, but got us to like a perfect setup space for the next tram.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Yeah, like I I almost well, I did feel bad for the people who'd been queuing up, but at the same time, I really appreciated this help. Yeah, and knowing like obviously I'm a vulnerable person, so like I I kind of get priority in that sense, and I get that, and I get if you're not a person with a disability, that might think seem a bit like oh my god, like she's getting special treatment, yada yada yada yada.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

But I really just appreciated what we did. The thing is, I don't see that at all as special treatment, I just see that as the bare minimum, like that's how it should be, anyway. Yeah, like the I wouldn't say there's special treatment because it's just getting you to a position where you safely can actually board the track. Yeah, because like if he wasn't there, they would have been a stampede. 100%, and that would have been so dangerous, not just for you but for the people around you. Exactly. So it's yeah, especially coming out of a concert, everyone was rushing, like people were running. Like I felt like I was doing my half hours again.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Like gosh, but yeah, Cold Live, love ya, and the next concert, I will be there. Or genuinely, I could not shout about them anymore. Yeah, love them.

unknown 10:44

Damn.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

What about the tickets though? Like, because I try a ticket master, I feel like that's the main place where people go to. Okay, good. But it's like even me on that, I get stressed. I'm like, I can't deal with this, which is why I don't really get out. Like, I don't really go to coffee. She only comes to my house, that's it. Yeah, I can't, I can't excuse my friend, I can't be arse. Like the the actual process of buying a seat, I'm like, the waiting time. The whole refreshing, your 50,000 down the line. Nah. I see it like as much as I'm waiting for a ticket, I'd rather go buy a coffee and like wait for a coffee. Like, I can only listen to my Spotify. I can't bother with it. So, what is it like for you? Because I've seen so many other disabled advocates talking about this of the process of someone like me buying a ticket compared to their process of buying a ticket.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

I think this is where like accessibility hasn't quite caught on that it is 2026, like and I think basically for there's good good side and bad side. So for most venues, you can't, for most concerts, you can't buy it directly through Ticketmaster. Okay. You basically have to get in touch with the venue, and it's so with the with the co-op live going back to co-op live, you basically sign up with them, you basically give them all your history. And wow, yeah, basically, as a disabled person, you have this like letter to be like I'm disabled, da da da. You just send that to them, and then they have that on file, and then they give they give you a number. So each time you go to email them about a concert, just give that number, and then they're like, Oh wow. So it's that each friend you'll you'll have like an own your own number. So that's co-op life, okay. Okay, yeah. So that's how co-op live do it. A Marina, like I said, I've not been with them for years, like not booked through them for years, but the last time I did, it was again like send them an email, no like special number or anything, send them an email, send your letter each time to them as an attachment, whatever, and then they'll call you and then they book on. Oh wow. Yeah, but I again I don't really mind that because it's like first come, first served per email. Yeah. They're not just gonna call you and be like, yeah, we sold out. And the good thing about emailing them is you find out on the email whether they've got tickets or not, yeah, and then they'll call you if they do. But I think also with that you have receipts, yes, exactly. As well.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

So yeah, but one process that I still can't get my head around is the Taylor Swift Air's Tour Tickets Malarkey.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

That was chaos, and I know a load of people, even through Ticketmaster, Able Bodied, no able bodied, they even couldn't get tickets because obviously it was insane.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

It was like it was all over.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yeah, and I got into the hype and I was like, I must go see Taylor Swift. I was like, I need to be within the hype. So I was like, I'm gonna get tickets. Oh, I'm I'm disabled, I just email them, go to your uncle, it's gonna be easy. Mind you, this was Anfield, the one in Liverpool. It's Anfield, isn't it? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was that one. So I so the way for Anfield back then, I don't know what it is now, I've not tried since, is you call someone and you can only book it through this number. No emails, nothing. Okay. I wish I still had the call history so I could put it up as proof. I was on this line for four hours and 52 minutes before I was just like, I love you, Taylor, but I'm spending more amount on this call than I would at your concert. So I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. Why if I you know it's not a doctor's surgery? No, it's not a cue hold. Why, why? It it literally the line I I still remember it to this day. Do you know what? It reminded me of that episode in Friends where Phoebe's on the line. Oh my gosh. Like it was it literally was like, you are da da da da online, but it wouldn't say what number I am. Oh I was like, how close am I actually to these tickets? Yeah, God knows. So I remember ringing them at like 3 pm. I'd finished work early that day. I was like, I'm ringing them at 3 pm, genuinely, still on the line around 7. And my mum walked in, she was like, What is this madness? Like, look at yourself. Look in the mirror, check yourself, yeah, genuinely. And I was like, She's right, oh my god, what am I doing? Anyway, that is crazy, and on the line, it was just like a bunch of random songs, you know the vibes of when you're on hold. All this time, not one human voice, it was just like constantly on, like you weren't connected to anyone. And I was like, okay, is this just me? Have I have I just been stupid? Is there another way to get into that? No, because after that, I was like going online, like having a look at things, and like just being online, and apparently there was a huge backlash to the whole process because of I think apparently all the venues processes were the same for her concert, I believe. Which I just think is like actually madness. Like, what do you mean? What what another thing someone else raised was why was there only one phone line and that many disabled speeches? For such a big star.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Like, I'm sorry, like her concert was insane. She had the biggest venues for someone with that much popularity. Like one phone line is madness. No, she needs a call centre.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

She like, no. Right, so yeah, that that that really truly like that was one of the points where I was like, damn, my disabilities actually stopped me doing something. Yeah, and yeah, I know loads of able-body people also couldn't get tickets and but yeah, yeah. That was not good.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Yeah. But also, like, an able-bodied person getting a ticket just goes online.

unknown 16:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Like it's it's such a more simpler process and it's frustrating. Like, I'm frustrated for you that that process for you is so much more complex.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Like for an able-body person, yeah, you go in and it's like, yeah, we don't have any tickets. Bob's your uncle, right? I'm made papers for it. Whereas if I'm on the line for four hours not knowing if there's any tickets left, like what are you gonna do? Like, call me back and be like, there's no tickets. Like, after four hours of just sat there. Yeah. No, not doing that.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Right, I wanna know about this concert festival that you couldn't get into because what the hell?

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Okay, so as you know, as I've said many a times, ignoring last week's episode of me not knowing my catchphrases, but as you know, I'm an honorary northerner, and as still an honorary northerner based forgetting last week's, I really like Oasis. Yeah, like I love Oasis, right? I yeah. And when I heard that they're doing the reunion, little concert, which is now gone, obviously, it was last year. I was like, I need to be there. I need to be front row, and then I didn't know where they were gonna play, blah blah blah. Found out it's basically where park life is held, I believe. Oh, Heaton Park. I think that's what it's one of the parks in Manchester. I've got an awful story about we'll get into that. We will get into that. So I was like, okay, because I know I'm not stupid, I know there's no place for me at Park Life. It's it's in the middle of nowhere, grass, wheels, not a great combination. I'm I'm not blind to that, to that fact. But I thought this is technically a concept, yeah. This is oasis, they're gonna have to do some adjustments. Of course, sure. Sure, there would be some kind of area. So ring up the contact number for this park. I'm like, hi, uh, I'm just looking to see if there's any accessible tickets or any accessible area for the Oasis concert. Mind you, I'm ringing the bell in advance, so nothing's like been booked, like nothing's have been sold out or anything. She literally, one sentence, hi. It is in the middle of the field, so unfortunately, we cannot accommodate that fly, it's in the middle of a field. I do know that sentence opera where you silence or were you silenced? I was silenced at that moment in time.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

I was silenced. But also it's like, because you've been to pla like I've been to places before where like there is like a rubble, like a rubber, not a tar mark. Yeah, but like mask. That's what I imagined. So I would just assume they do that.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Even though, not even that I thought she's gonna be like, pay like two grand and go to VIP. I thought worst case, that's what she would say, to completely refuse and like not accommodate. I was like, honey, you need some better customer service skills, because that that response, not like not a tone of an apology in in what she said. Literally not. She put the phone down and I was like, okay, guess I'm not going to Oasis then. That's insane. I even, do you know what it's funny? Because I even considered getting regular tickets, and I was like, Zara honey. You will be trampled on. That's mad. Like, it what m my thing is, right? We've talked we've talked about like buildings being old, you can't really put a lift in certain buildings, yadda yadda yadda, Victorians, all that jazz.

unknown 20:49

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Victorian Victorian building. They didn't have it down, did they? No. They really did not care about us. Well, me. Well, not me particularly. That's very self-centered of me to say. But wheelchair people. Wheelchair people? Oh my god, I'm unravelling.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Unable people. What? Non-able people. Oh, you said unable people, I was like, alright. Oh god. I was like, do we have one Victorian on our hands here today? No, I think they think I'm a witch. You? I think if I was in the Victorian year, oh my gosh. Oh, I'd have to find a very good wig for back in then days.

unknown 21:29

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Also, speaking of witches, one year we should find the third person and go as um Hocus Poker's trio.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Hocus po You're gonna hit me, I've never seen the film. It scares me. I don't know. I just it goofs. I mean, are you five? No, I'm 25 and it gives me the ick. I don't know, it just it the the look at it scares the crap out of me. We need to discuss that. No, I just I don't I don't know what it is. I'm just terrified. I just don't know what to do. I don't know, just the look of it. It's just making it. So you're not a fan of any like Halloween movies? Well, I don't like horror.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

But it's it's it's a kids' movie.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

Yeah, but I don't know. I just it I don't know. I it scares me. So you've not watched a new one?

SPEAKER_01 22:13

No. No. By October 31st, you need to have watched it, babe. This that is appalling. I don't I am just disgusted right now. It just scares me, I don't know. But it's it yeah, but when I tell you it's a kid's movie, yeah, but I'm a big kid. No, but yeah. There's there's not a single scary scene. Like it's it's not Michael Myers. Michael Myers is not gonna pop out. Please tell me you know who that is. Let's just keep saying that is that the mask, the white mask, the guy with the white mask, and then like his like tough tuft of hair.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

You know my is that the fabby guy? Yeah, yeah. Don't think I've seen it. The mask freaks me out. Why would I watch that? I will be nightmares. No. Do you know why I don't like horror films? I've really digressed from this, basically. We'll get back to concept in one minute. The reason why I don't like it is because I watched the Doctor Who Angel Stone Angels. I don't remember that one. You don't want to. The The Stone Angel episode, I was like 12. I said Also, Am I I had Nightmares for Life.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Am I really with I I preferred Am I High to Doctor Who? But I think I actually never watched Doctor Who, it was just on one night my cover house. I got interested in Doctor Who when that guy came on. What what who is he? Oh, the real Michael Tennant. No. David Tennant, not Michael Tennant. David Tennant. I love David Tennant. This is so diverse. This is not. But no, back to Hocus Pocus. Okay. Oh please.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Oh. I can't really look at you. You know what? The fact that that scares me, but this next story didn't scare me. No, but wait, but you you said you've not watched it, so what's scaring you? I don't know, just the look at it. Just the look of it. I just feel like the poster? No, I don't know. Witches. Is it the gal with like really frizzy hair? Yeah. That's one. Just that it scares me. Oh, I love you so much. I don't know. I don't know what it is. It scares me. But I just haven't watched it. I've just not got around to it. I'm busy gal. I've not got around to it. I'm judging you. For 25 years! I've been busy. I have things to do. Busy 25 years. I'm hair to find. So speaking of hair to find, you found a hair on your jumper the other day. It was fake. Oh well it wasn't mine. I looked at you and got excited then. I've been. I was like, oh where would we be? Finally? No. It wasn't mine. It was my partner's. Moving on to something that didn't scare me at the time but should have scared me. The park life. So I have not been to park life as a participant. I don't know, as a goer. As a park? As a festival. As a festival goer. I went to work there as like through a side company. I think there's like Mint, there's H A Play. Yeah, it's interesting. No, it's character building. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

Ooh, okay. I like that.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

So the actual work was great. You know, found a few fake IDs, got shouted out by a 16-year-old. I was like, love, go to bed.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Also, how do you stand on business when you find the fake ID? Because I feel like if that was me, I'd be like, you just go through love.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

I don't want any trouble. So with this, with this festival, apparently you can get in. Like kids can get in. Oh. Like if which one was this? Park Life.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Can kids get in to make life?

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Like 16-year-olds were getting in. Like you didn't need an ID to get in, I don't think. No way. But for alcohol, obviously you do. Well, yeah. And so we were all briefed in fake IDs. But basically, I found a fake ID and I scratched. You can scratch where the face basically there's a bit on the ID where the face and the number of the year will change. Okay? It's like um on the real one. On a real one, yeah. It should change. But fake one, it'll be printed. And you're like, you can literally scratch it off sometimes, like it's printed. And so I saw that and it's pretty obvious to be fair. And yeah, I I just stepped back with it, and like he went to grab it, I was like, mm-mm. No, no. No. And so anyway, but that digressing. The actual work was fine. Like, the work was fine, but getting home literally thought I was gonna be kidnapped. Like, I think if we I said it before from any venue, like the getting home bit literally gives me anxiety, like it's awful. But this one, I don't know how reckless 18-year-old Faith was, but she had issues. Basically, basically, I uh there was two days to this park life. The first night I had to find my own way back to my flat. The second night I was getting picked up and then going home home, like driving home. And so the first night as I was trying to get back to my flat, I was on the I was like on my phone to Ubers for an hour, like cancelling, couldn't get through because it was insane, like it was awful. Everyone was like doing the same thing, yeah. And so, and because I've been working as well the whole day, I've been there since like 8am or 7am or something. It was now like 10 pm, 11pm. I just wanted to get home, and so I'm there, rang my partner, being like, I can't get home, and I was like, keep trying new whiskey. I'm getting all flustered, and at this point I was wearing my wig, so like I'm not sticking out, I'm just I'm I'm not making a scene, I'm just flustered and like making a scene. Yeah, me over now, just getting worked up basically. If you were as an 18-year-old on your own, yeah, that's no Manchester. I didn't know Manchester that well, yeah. And so, and first time I'd worked it is in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of nowhere, and so this guy then basically said he's picking up his friends, they had been to the concert and he saw me and he was like, Are you okay? I was like, I just can't get Uber, I just want to get home. And he was like, Do you want a lift? And I was like, Okay. I'm sorry, where's your sense of sit stranger danger? It wasn't there, wasn't there, which is why I'm like, why am I so scared of hocus pocus? Anyway, we're not going back. We're not going back. But I was mad. Okay, don't do this, kids. I've got in the car. Let's not do this at home. I got in the car, and they'd be like, Oh, where do you live? I was like, mmm, okay, let's have some coverage.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

That's why I get home without telling them where I lived. Yeah, literally.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

But I was sober, so I was with it, and you'd think Were they not though? Yeah, so two guys weren't, two guys, they were tiddly weren't drunk. Tiddly. Like they were fine. Yeah. So, but I I don't I just felt safe, like I did. I feel fine. And I am so yeah, and I saw it as like there's so many people around me, like there's it's it's not quiet. Okay. So I was like, surely they wouldn't.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

I mean, they wouldn't do it right then, but they couldn't do it like ten feet down the road.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

I'm laughing, but I was way too trustworthy.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

Like Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah, they wouldn't do it right where you are, but like they'll be like taking you like five miles down the road and like but basically I got home all in one piece and it was fine, but literally called my partner at the end being like, don't shout at me, I know what I've done.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

I am so sorry. Like, what have I done to myself? You've not tried this at home. But this is why festivals, I I'm not keen on them. No. Not just from that, but from getting home in general, it's horrible. Yeah. And like also on an accessibility side, I don't understand where that is.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

There is j like I cannot fathom how it's 2026 and accessibility within the festival in the middle of the field is not thought of on.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Because I went to Leeds in 2018, which was my first festival, and personally, I wish I went as a bigger group because it was just me and one like my friend that we went that I went with, and the walk from where we got dropped off to our campsite. Oh my god. Thought I were gonna die, it was horrible. Either my arms were gonna be left behind, dragging our bags. Oh gosh. We have to put this tent up. Obviously, you're putting a tent on, but yeah, I just I don't I don't see why people do it. Like it's definitely an interesting experience that I don't want to repeat.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

I do think, I mean, I'm only 27, but I do think like that's past me now.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

No, no, um so as a goer, like even just getting through like into the actual festival bit, like past the camping site, such a walk, and I'm like, wet that there is no way to be for this to be accessible. Like I don't see how it can be. No, so yeah, that was that.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Also, as a celiac perspective, I think I poisoned myself that weekend. Yeah, because there was nothing that I could see that was specifically gluten-free or if I knew celiac safe. I don't know. Obviously, I've not been in many years. I was gonna say, I wonder if it's changed now. Probably has changed now, and but it was after the COVID year I then worked Leeds Festival, completely different story as a staff member. It was so much more, it was better.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

I got to go to a festival for free and paid for it. Love it.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

Well, wait, do you hear the songs and stuff?

unknown 31:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Are you in the vibes?

SPEAKER_00 31:06

Yeah, so I was where was I in front of? Uh Liam Gallagher.

unknown 31:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Again. Oh wait, I was at I was at I was at like the bar in front of him. So like we could hear and see his music, but like people that weren't interested in whoever was on that main stage would just come to the bar and have a chat.

unknown 31:25

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

So it's like it was good, it was fine. So I'd say that was really good. Yeah. And I feel like there was space there, there was space there for accessibility, workers.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Uh, because you had it, you had you you had the option to be like a bar back or whether to be on the bar. I chose to be on the bar, my partner was the bar back because we actually chose to work together and we could work together, and you could work in groups as well. Yeah. But even at the end of the night, like majority of the staff would go out, and again, they would they wouldn't treat you like royalty, not like that, but they'd make sure that you got into where you wanted to go. Like you got into the club you wanted to go into, you got into the the bar or the tent you wanted to get into. So yeah, it was a vibe as a staff. And then to get back, again, it was so much easier to get back as a staff member than an actual festival attendee personally.

unknown 32:15

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 32:16

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

Do you know what? I wonder if there's an accessible festival. I wonder was a coachella accessible. I love how you're asking me as if happy. What is it? You know when you went last week, wasn't it? No. Um so I so I think so I feel like I looked into this last year and I think I came up across this TikTok of this girl talking about how there's like certain areas that are accessible. Okay. And but like it's like VIPs. So already there's a great wine, you know that like the tickets are like you need to take out a mortgage.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

I've actually seen a video, I don't know who it is now, but he basically compared like a poor coachella to the rich coachella. Yeah. And it was like, even like you do it on a budget, it's insane.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Or on the ground, at least.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

Yeah, go to Leeds. Go get a trade to Leeds.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

But yeah, so I think if you want to go on an accessible in an accessible way, it's with VIP, which I just think again, ridiculous.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

To be fair, for Leeds Festival, the reason why I keep saying Leeds, it's the one that I've been to the most to. Like I've not really been too.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

I think they are all pretty much.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

Actually, I would say rewind north, and I feel like there's more mature music there. Where? Rewind north.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

I might just not mature because I've done it.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

No, no, no. To be fair, I didn't know it was until I got the like the job through to work behind the bar. That where is that at? Like Manchester, literally. No, no, we're on a coach. North. Somewhere north. They have a rewind north and a rewind.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Although I didn't know where you were.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

No, I was just on a coach.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

I w You live life on the coach.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

I don't know. Okay, I did at this point in my life. Yeah. I'm much more with it now, guys, I promise. But I think. But anyway, but this this one, I think because it was smaller, it was definitely more accessible.

unknown 34:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Because there was options for people to camp or there was options for people to get a closed hotel.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

So I feel like that could have been accessible because it was smaller. What's the actual like grounds? That it was grass.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

But I feel like around it, and it was muddy, but I don't know. I just felt like there was more space to see and areas to go. Yeah. Does that make sense? Like it was- it wasn't mud. Like I don't remember walking through mud, it was like it was like stainless steel like platforms.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

Okay, that that's you know, and it there wasn't big hills.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

Like if you've been to I've been like getting back from park life, it was literally a slip and slide. Yeah to get out. It would not be there. So it was yeah, I think on an accessible side, that was more than most I'd seen. And then only a few years ago, I was a performer at the Secret Garden Party in Huntington Huntington, and they had like a gravel route. So I feel like there was a lot of stones and like seating areas. It was massive. Like I've actually never seen a festival so big, like it was huge. There were so many areas I needed a map. Like I literally needed a map. There was like a forest um section that was just like a big club, like in a forest. Oh my gosh, my yeah. And then but I was there as like a fire performer, so there was so much safety for us and health and safety, and like surely there would have been moments where you'd yeah, you'd hope. However, I will say again, the place from our drop-off to walk into where we needed to be for a tent, that walk, any festival is insane. But that secret garden party festival was really good. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

I think things like this, because sometimes my tagline is in life that society, more often than not, makes me feel more accessible than my disability does. And I know there's such mixed mixed, I was gonna say mixed reviews, but mixed feelings and opinions about this statement. Because basically I've spoken about this on my TikTok and there was a lot of like, well, this was da da da da da da. But there was also a lot of people who agreed, and I think this like talking about festivals and like concerts, but like more more specifically festivals, like with it being like in the middle of nowhere, blah blah blah, or the instances where I'm like actually, yeah, like my disability isn't stopping me going to these concerts, the society is because it's such an easy fix, and yeah, I'm not in that industry to know the ins and outs of it, but I can imagine it could be somewhat an easy fix to make it inclusive enough for even having like areas for like new divergent people and like different disabilities, yeah, not just a physical or like mobility disability. Yeah, I just think it has to be more thought about. Yeah, literally. I agree there. Thank you. Do you know what? I wonder if if you like live somewhere in Europe or like wherever you live, if there's a festival concert, festival concert? No, my mind's gone. If there's an accessible festival, please let us know. Guys, I've just checked. We took a little breather, but I've just checked. Park life is accessible. Yeah. And Coachella, apparently. So it's getting better. But Coachella again costs a lot a lot. Park life, companion tickets. If you're into festivals, I mean I'm clocking out the for festival life because I'm 27 of your age. I need to I need to like hang up my festival shoes. But I if you're into that, get on it. Yeah. Because that's news to me. It did not used to be because no. No.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

As someone who worked it, it was not.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

There you go. And as someone who wanted to go there as a participant, I Googled it many a times. It wasn't.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

And remember, it was in the middle of a field.

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Oh, yeah. Like that woman said.

SPEAKER_01 38:13

Mm-hmm. Oh my god, I'm actually like I'm shocked. I actually didn't know. I wanna go. Now that I know it's not, not it is, I wanna go. That's cool. And after many digresses and roundabout ways of talking about festivals, concerts, tickets, and all that jazz, we've come to the end. Yeah. This is the end. And yes, please let us know if there's any concerts, slash, festivals, whatever, near you that are actually accessible.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

We would love to know. Yeah, we'd love to know some stories, especially if there's not been accessible and how you've been treated. We'd just love to shed light on that and kind of expose like the reality of the industry as well. Because I think it's it's 2026. Yeah. What's happening? And clearly things are changing. Yeah. Like, and I think it's uh finally time. Yes. You know, very delayed, but at least it's happening.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

But another thing is though, sometimes people call themselves accessible. So I'd be interested to know if anyone's actually gone to Parklive since or any other places that claim to be accessible, like Coachella, and actually maybe had a completely different experience. Yeah. Because sometimes accessibility doesn't quite mean what it says on the tin. True. Tune in for next week. Bye guys! Bye.