I wasn't expecting to go at all, so I genuinely didn't have any expectations or real understanding of what Boomtown really was. I anticipated a huge site and lots of Drum and Bass, and they were both accurate for sure, but there was a lot more musical diversity than I thought there would be and so. many. hills. Finding a campsite was actually quite a nightmare, we'd obviously been delayed massively and so most spots were taken. At one point we were going to camp on what was essentially a vertical hill (genuinely don't think we could have hacked more than one night) before we finally found a sick spot, and set up camp. Tent up, tinnies cracked, wellies on, rain pouring. The high life. Thursday night was really about getting our bearings and exploring a bit, so we wandered before settling in the Psychedelic Forest for some mixed vibes focusing on DnB. After the confusion of what we were doing, I started to clock what Boomtown was and was unbelievably relieved we'd made the decision to come. The music was already great, I remember there was a remix of 'Renegade Master' that night that popped off, 'Original Nuttah' and even a DnB 'No Diggity' that had the main melody playing at half speed. The forest is effective at feeling intimate despite its enormous size, so was working great for a first night, and gave us good shelter from the rain.
So yes, the weather was pretty hectic at first, but it genuinely didn't seem to be dampening anyone's mood. I woke up on Friday morning and it was absolutely pissing it down, but when you're in your tent anyway it's not at all a bother. First used the camp portaloos that morning, definitely very grim. They had designed them with 'art' of worms and famous people as faeces which I didn't really rate, it felt a bit stupid. We also got an announcement from the cleaners that the sawdust box was meant to be poured over after you'd gone to the toilet, not used as a toilet itself - what is wrong with people? Anyway, Friday meant committing to acts properly, and we made our way to the main stage, Lion's Den, for Ms Dynamite. I realised properly at this point how the hills create the perfect layout for the stages; there were SO many people there and you could still see perfectly from pretty much anywhere. The stage was mad, with waterfalls on each side, and her set was thirty minutes of pure, constant bangers. 'Dy-Na-Mi-Tee' and 'Lights On' built up to 'Wile Out' which she started three times before paying a sped up version and the crowd was going mental, but the biggest reaction came from 'Gold Dust' which slapped. Hard.
It was short lived, but the set paired so nicely with what came next. We made our way to Relic for Shy FX, and as we arrived there was still a bit of time before it started. The area in front of the stage had been barricaded off, and the crowd was getting quite restless. The next hour was pure chaos, I'm creasing just thinking about it. Somehow the barricades just fell down and everyone ran in from every direction, the set just started immediately with 'Call Me' and it was just this mass of people moving in and out of one another. The weather was poetic, as the clouds would break and sun would pour down on us at just the right moments, like when Lily Allen's verse started on 'Roll the Dice', or when 'Gold Dust' came on AGAIN. The stage was just immense, really overwhelming, and you really noticed it when it got shut a little early because of the weather and it took over half an hour to even get out because there were so many people.
So, after this we took a break before continuing into the night. The wind had really picked up and we'd reached a peak in the storm. Nucleus was the core (lol) of the music for the night, with Ben UFO b2b Joy Orbison, Mall Grab and Four Tet all in a row. We only caught the end of the first set because it took a while to get down there, but for what it was it was still great. I think this was the third time I've seen Mall Grab live, and I do always find myself a little disappointed. Some of the tracks he plays are fantastic and the drops are super heavy, but for a two hour set it didn't really have any progression, the mood didn't change or take us places. It was fun, but the visuals took front and centre really. The stage was already mental, especially in the dark, but because of the wind and rain the air was actually glistening with colour all around us, genuinely magical. Four Tet followed up and of course blew it out of the park. 'Only Human' combined with 'Lush' provided an example of his typical impressive mixing, but I got really take by surprise and emotional when he dropped 'Plastic People'. Beautiful!
By this point we'd had about five hours of heavy electronic, so we wandered into the Old Town and saw Baltic Balkans. They were absolutely jokes, don't even know how to explain it beyond traditional Eastern European vibes but we were just all dancing like idiots and they were loving it onstage. My favourite part was that random people kept discovering it and having the exact same reaction of 'yes let's have some of this' without any hesitation. The rest of the night was similarly random, but the music was far removed from the Drum and Bass we'd started with and this is what I mean about the level of eclecticism I experienced. I really found the line up was well curated to create a different dynamic for each day of the festival whilst still maintaining an image of Boomtown that people could rely on if they were unsure about anything new.
So, Saturday kicks in and the sun is finally shining! Kind of, the wind was still really strong. The bad weather wasn't even that much of an issue for me, but it really did make me appreciate how peng it was once it went away, and it only got better as the festival went on. We got up pretty late after Friday night and were quite lazy vibes during the day so only really got stuck in for the evening. We caught the end of Groove Armada, which was great but I don't think I can comment much when I heard about three songs ('At The River' made me very happy). We were, however, front and centre for the entire set of 'The Streets', which was undeniably mental, but one of the best things I've ever seen. To put it bluntly, Mike Skinner just chats utter shit the entire time he's onstage, but it doesn't get old. He kept telling us to cleanse our souls at the beach in Southampton, to get in the waterfalls during Lauryn Hill's set the next day, that he'd come dressed as Johnny Cash, and that we're all 'so lucky'. Fair enough, I guess. 'Turn the Page' was an expectable but solid choice for opening, I was definitely immediately hyped up. 'Don't Mug Yourself' and 'Geezers Need Excitement' were both great too; during the latter he built the crowd up to him jumping about half a meter off a block for over a minute, and when he did it everyone just started screaming and throwing themselves around, so jokes. 'Has It Come To This?' featured quite early on, gave me goosebumps, and it was really cool to hear it live and acoustic, with the crowd singing back the stylised sample of the chorus.
I cried during 'Dry Your Eyes' but no surprise there, I love getting emotionally invested, and 'Blinded By The Lights' was really powerful, all the lights were turned this dark, cerulean blue and the way the echoing synth chords resonated across the crowd was sensational. He got all the girls to crowd surf for 'Heaven for the Weather' and then crowd surfed himself for 'Fit But You Know It', which really sums up for me how the whole set was just about bringing us together and having fun, there wasn't a moment where it was taking itself too seriously. 'Weak Become Heroes' is one of me and my best friend's favourite songs of all time, and being there with her to witness it live was a real special moment in my life - shoutout to Rose. The stagecraft was relatively simple compared to other sets we saw, which made sense with the goofy style they were going for, but the fireworks at the end made for a real shock moment that rounded off the performance with an explosive finish. 10/10.
The rest of the night was similar to Friday, not much to talk about beyond being really fun. Sunday evening we decided to climb all the way to the highest point of the festival to the Lighthouse stage, and nothing could have prepared me for the emotional journey of Kate Tempest's set. Having just released her new album, 'The Books of Traps and Lessons', she had plenty of content to fit into the time she had. It was incredibly, moving, she had so much to say and the setting was just perfect, standing on top of that hill in the clouds with the sun just starting to set. Certain lines would just hit you so hard, paired with the relatively minimalistic music shifting from front focus to accompanying her voice seamlessly, you had tears in your eyes the whole time. 'Hold Your Own' and 'People's Faces' were particularly powerful for me, please listen to them if you have the chance. Really, really phenomenal, I'm grateful I got to experience that.
The night ended at midnight on Sunday, and Lauryn Hill was so late to come on we missed pretty much everything else - particularly sad about Slowthai - and to be honest I don't have much to say about her set. I did enjoy it more than the last time I saw it, but it was very much more of the same, and 'That Thing' was quite cringe as she started a call and repeat but altered the melody so much that the crowd couldn't really sing back.
And, well, that's that. As I mentioned earlier, each day was totally different to the next, and just as enjoyable, although I would say Saturday was probably my favourite, The Streets was just so good. I don't think I ever would have chosen to go to Boomtown in the first place just based of premade assumptions, which is ironic because I reckon it was one of the best festivals I've ever been to and I'm so glad I went, probably even more so than if I had been able to go to Houghton. The crowd is mixed to the extreme, people from very different walks of life all come together, and it's so huge there's definitely something there for everyone the entire time. When I compare what it was like up top for Kate Tempest to sprinting into that pit for Shy FX, it was two totally opposite worlds, but for one weekend it all makes sense within those walls. I had an amazing weekend with some wonderful, wonderful people, and I'm so glad it turned out how it did. Will upload some cooler pics once I get my film developed. xx
