The doll appeared in a basement, moves on its own and has left marks on her body
A paranormal investigator who “married a ghost” claims she is being haunted by a suspected demonic “headbanging” bobblehead toy from Download Festival that moves on its own when heavy metal plays. Brocarde, 43, a singer from Oxford who uses only her performance name, said her “life changed” in 2021 when she encountered Edwardo, the spirit of a Victorian soldier who professed his love for her.
They “married” on Halloween 2022 but divorced the following year after she claimed Edwardo got too drunk on their honeymoon to Barry Island in Wales, became possessive and even became infatuated with the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. Following the split, she has travelled the world documenting the paranormal, claiming to have seen an alien-like figure in Area 51 and Georgian-era spirits at Download Festival, with one moshing to the band Busted.
She said she recently discovered a mysterious plastic toy of Download Festival’s mascot – a dog with large, pointed teeth – in her basement, which she believes may be haunted by one of the festival ghosts. Brocarde claims she has seen the toy move across the floor on its own, particularly while heavy metal music is playing, and said she has even had “unexplained marks” on her body appear when near it.
Brocarde told PA Real Life: “Perhaps it’s demonic, perhaps it just wants to head-bang, only time will tell. “I want to take it to the road and see if anyone else picks up on his energy. Maybe I have the next Annabelle (doll) on my hands, or maybe its bark’s worse than its bite.”
From a young age, Brocarde was “fascinated” by ghost stories and often begged her grandmother to read them to her before bed. She said: “Looking back, I did have a few ghost sightings as a child but nothing significant enough to make me believe.
“I’d often hear chains clanking and the sound of a horse and carriage, then there would be nothing there when I looked out the window. (I would see) shadow-like figures moving down the road, then disappearing.
“The apparition of a pig’s head in an upper pub window as the hog roast was cooking below.”
In 2021, she said she encountered the spirit of Edwardo, a Victorian soldier who professed his love for her. Brocarde said on a “dark stormy night” she was struggling to sleep, and out of nowhere she felt a “warm sensation in (her) heart” and “throughout” her body.
She explained: “This force propelled me bolt upright in bed, with tears streaming down my face, and I was shaking almost uncontrollably, it felt like there was someone present. I couldn’t see anything so I reached for the bedside light, something grabbed at my hand to stop me and I heard a whisper in my ear.
“I didn’t just hear the words, I felt someone’s breath on my ear and felt a shudder down my spine. That’s when Edwardo, the Victorian solider first introduced himself.”
She said up until that point, she was “quite cynical about ghosts”, but Edwardo “opened (her) eyes” and she began to investigate the paranormal. Brocarde said the two married on Halloween the following year but divorced in 2023.
This came after Brocarde said Edwardo got too drunk on their honeymoon in Barry Island and over time he became possessive. She added that he became infatuated with the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, and he would often disappear for days before returning smelling of Chanel No 5 – the actress’s signature scent.
After their split, Brocarde wanted to explore her witch-like powers, focusing more on herself, and in April 2024, she said she travelled to Romania, staying with a coven. She said the coven cast a protective spell on her against her ex-husband and, since returning from Romania, her encounters with him have become more positive.
Previously, she had found him “very intense and scary”, but she has since seen him “almost smiling” at her. Brocarde has also travelled the world filming and making documentaries about paranormal locations.
During summer 2024, she conducted a ghost hunt at Download Festival at Donington Park, where she claims she made contact with spirits from the 18th century. She said: “One (ghost was) a man named George, a pompous fox-hunting fanatic who was surely lingering around to mosh to Busted!
“He kept parading in front of the stage on horseback with his pack of angry hounds. “The other, his wife, the woman in white, in her long 18th century gown, seemed slightly more disgruntled, perhaps she’s concerned that her regalia will get trashed in the pit. She certainly wasn’t dressed to rock!
“Due to the history of the site, inevitably the festival is haunted. There’s also a theory that heavy music opens portals to other dimensions and conjures spirits, which is so fascinating to me.”
Earlier this year, Brocarde travelled to America and said almost every building in New Orleans’ French Quarter had a “resident ghost”.
She added: “Sometimes I feel like I’m so immune to ghosts now that nothing shocks me. I had some amazing experiences at a ranch near Area 51, those stories would turn your blood cold.
“This ranch allegedly has an alien aircraft buried under its meadow that still omits a signal … I stayed in the shaman room and personally I experienced something in that room that was definitely not human, it was erratically crawling the walls, it had hollowed-out eyes, you could see its veins through its skin. It was something I could only describe as alien.”
After coming back from the trip, Brocarde began clearing boxes in her basement and she discovered a toy of Download Festival’s mascot. She said she does not know how it got there and believes spirits can form attachments to objects, causing them to become “haunted”.
She added: “Objects like dolls, clowns and toys are particularly common as they have a human-like form and make great vessels for spirit communication.”
Brocarde claims she has seen the toy move across the floor on its own, particularly while heavy metal music is playing. She explained: “Ironically it loves my song Haunted, it also loves Hell Or Hallelujah by Kiss, which is interesting because that song was part of their setlist at Download in 2015.
“If you place it in one place, it will often be found somewhere entirely different. I’ve had a few unexplained marks appear when I’ve been near it, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it bites.”
She suspects the male ghost from the festival, George, is haunting the toy, after experiencing “vivid apparitions” and feelings of being transported to the Georgian era. In the days leading up to the festival, which this year starts on June 10, she plans to take the toy “on the road” with her to see whether other investigators detect the same “haunted energy”.
She said she will also use a spirit rod, a metal rod used by paranormal investigators to locate “spiritual energy” and communicate with entities. Brocarde believes people often “judge” or “laugh” at her because of her beliefs.
To sceptics, she said: “In terms of the paranormal world I don’t have all the answers myself.
“I’d like people to keep an open mind, though, because there’s definitely a lot to the world and our existence that we don’t understand, the percentage of people who’ve had paranormal or unexplained encounters is very high.”
She added that she often has people “fascinated” with her story and many like to share their spooky encounters with her. Her new single Seven Sins ft Ray Luzier is out now and her debut album, Good Attendance At Sunday School, is out on June 5 2026.
She said: “It really is the story of my life, even before ghosts came into my world I was expressing my emotions through songs. “Of course, the paranormal world inspires songs and thoughts, but I exist in the world of living humans as well as dead ones, so there’s definitely more to it than ghost stories.”
