With the festival season well and truly under way and so many to now choose from, it can be hard to decide on where best spend a long weekend and maximise the summer. Today I’ll be taking a look at this year’s Boomtown fair festival at Matterly Estate near Winchester, Hampshire. http://www.boomtownfair.co.uk
Whilst Glastonbury is still the undisputed goliath of festivals – some might be heard saying that it is a bit too big and that each year it loses a little more of its underground appeal, perhaps even heart?! I know that personally, what makes a festival appeal to me is the excitement of variety, the unknown and something altogether a bit surreal. And some awesome music never goes amiss either.
Boomtown 2014 is inventively presented and already proves to be one of the more exciting and well organised festivals of the year. The idea of a surreal pop up town where anything can happen is instantly appealing and with over 400 artists announced it looks as though Boomtown fair should have the awesome music to pull it all together. Bands such as: NOFX, Bellowhead, the legendary Jimmy Cliff and even Shaggy!
Aside from the obvious, there promises to be much more than meets the eye, such as Tribe of Frog’s Psytrance Forest Party! A magic carpet is also available to assist festival goers up the steepest part of the hill and FESTAXI are onsite to provide a themed luxury taxi service to the campsite.
The Boomtique Village also promises to provide sweet smelling compost loos, hot showers, a beauty tent with straighteners and hair dryers, hot tubs, sauna, chill out tent with phone charging points and an all-round lovely place to chill out and take a breather from festival life!
All in all, Boomtown looks like it could be one of the summer’s best weekends and with tickets almost all sold out, one to look forward to.
FULL LINE UP: www.boomtownfair.co.uk
OLDTOWN (Jolly Dodger and Town Centre)
Babylon Circus / Russkaja / WooHoo Revue / The Destroyers / La Selva Sur / Rupa & the April Fishes / Sonido Vegetal / Tako Lako / The Baghdaddies / Gypsy Hill / Tom Mason and The Blue Buccaneers / Diving For Sunken Treasure / Gentle Mystics / Veeblefetzer & The Manigolds / Pyrates! / Zorita / Vagalatschk / Gorgeous George / The Penny Black Remedy / Duncan Disorderly & The Scallywags / Drunken Balordi / Seas Of Mirth / Calico Jack / Tantz / Buffos Wake / The Jack Ratts / East Town Pirates / La Mort Subite / INC.A / Fastabenj / Goulash Disko DJs / Balkan Hotsteppers / DJ Luca Vaga / Petrol Molotov / Emily Dust
CHINATOWN (ChinaTown Court Yard & Devils Kicks Dancehall)
NOFX / The Skatalites / New Model Army / The Toasters / Demented Are Go / Mad Sin / Sonic Boom Six / Morning Glory / The Filaments / The Dreadnoughts / Long Tall Texans / Culture Shock / Koffin Kats / Inner Terrestrials / Freddie Notes / Lee Thompson Ska Band / Sonido Vegetal / RDF / P.A.I.N / Jaya The Cat / Uptown Ska Collective / Babyhead / Phoenix City Allstars + Rhoda Dakar / The Hotknives / The Pressure Tenants / Original High Five / Will & The People / Beer Orchestra / Blood or Whiskey / Ferocious Dog / Magnus Puto / Random Hand / NewTown Kings / Imperial Leisure / First Degree Burns / Bombskare / Buster Shuffle / The Talks / Dinamo / Anti Vigilante / Dirty Revolution / New Groove Formation/ The Indecision / The Delegators / Popes Of Chillitown / / Roughneck Riot/ Oscillator / Counting Coins / The Snare / Skarsoles / Killamonjambo / The Stiff Joints / Smokey Bastard / Faintest Idea/ Karma Party / ChainSka Brassika / Defektors / The Trojans / The Meow Meows / Will Tun & The Wasters / Largo Embargo / King Punch / Autonomads / Mad Apple Circus / Atterkop / Smiling Ivy. Last Gang In Town DJs.
MAYFAIR AVENUE (The Gentlemen’s Club, Town Hall, Casino, Fitz-Slone Manor)
The Cat Empire / [dunkelbunt] & Secret Swing Society / Hot 8 Brass Band / Tape Five / Sam & The Womp / Molotov Jukebox / AlgoRhythmik / Klischée / The Sweet Life Society / Hackney Colliery Band / The Carny Villains / Electric Swing Circus / Tankus The Henge / Renegade Brass Band / Dutty Moonshine / Kid Kasino & Shea Soul / DJ Switch / Smokey Joe & The Kid / Bad Capitano / Odjbox / DJ Chris Tofu / World's Tallest DJ / Professor Elemental / The Woohoo Revue / C@ In The H@ / Big Swing Soundsystem feat. Hypeman Sage / Gabby Young & Other Animals / Harleighblu / Formidable Vegetable Sound System / Elle & The Pocket Belles + Mista Trick / Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra / Jamie Berry / Ecklektik Mick / Chicken Brothers / The Dirty Gentleman / Jon Bongly / Castro / Fresh Dixie Project / Madame Electrifie / Tim Arisu / Phat Bollards / The Ouse Valley Singles Club / Dirty Old Folkers / Rogora Khart / Hot Tin Roofs / The Lounge Kittens / Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band / The Black Kat Boppers / Lunatrix / DJR / A Ray Of Charles /Temple Funk Collective / El-Camino / The Recks / Imperial Works / Big Red Ass / Mr Tea and the Minions / Noah's House Band / Freakeasy Cabaret / Swing Dance Classes
TRENCHTOWN (The Lion’s Den, Hidden Woods, Tangled Roots)
Jimmy Cliff / The Wailers / Lady Saw / UK Allstars: Congo Natty, Tippa Irie, Daddy Freddy, Top Cat, General Levy, Tenorfly, Sweetie Irie, Congo Dubz and Nanci & Phoebe / Raggasonic / Chronixx & Zinc / Fence Redemption / Warrior King / Easy Star Allstars: Dub Side Of The Moon / Irie Maffia / The Skints / Dawn Penn / Macka B & The Roots Ragga Band / Robbo Ranx w/ Stylo G + Sister Nancy / Hollie Cook / Brushy One String / Raging Fyah / Ed Solo / Aries b2b Marcus Visionary ft Navigator MC / Benny Page & Mc Sye / Daddy Skitz & Rodney P present 'Original Fever'. A UK Hip Hop Reggae Showcase, Million Dan, Deadly Hunta, Darrison, Buggsy plus special guests / Trojan Soundsytem / Iration Steppas / Channel One / The Heatwave / Mungos Hi-fi ft Parly B & Charlie P / Soom T / Wrongtom & Ragga Twins / Vic Ruggerio (The Slackers) / Don Letts / Poirier / Jus Now / Pama International / YT & Mr Williamz & The Inner Heart Band / Mouse Outfit feat. Dr Syntax & Sparkz / Digital Nyabinghi / Liondub / Jacky Murda / onlyjoe / Nick Manasseh & Brother Culture / Dubkasm & Solo Banton / Max Powa & Tuffist / Uzimon / By The Rivers / Capitol 1212 / The Drop / Dubheart / Red I Hi-Fi feat. Fox & Kathika / Slowly Rolling Camera / Illbilly Hitech / Barley Mob / Talisman / UNIT 137 / Dub Smugglers / Lionpulse / Dutty Inspectors / Blackstar Dub Collective / Captain Accident / Danny T & Tradesman / Ed West & Parly B / Kelvin 373 & Gardna / Kayanites / One Roots / Shanty / Bahia / Steel City Rhythm / Trinity Lo-Fi / Derw The Damaja / Backyard Rhythm Orchestra / Ben Russell And The Charmers
WHISTLERS GREEN (The Old Mines & Fl)
Tinariwen / Bellowhead / Afro Celt Sound System / Playing For Change / Eliza Carthy / Chas & Dave / Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit / Dub FX / The Bad Shepherds / Treacherous Orchestra / Sam Lee & Friends / 3 Daft Monkeys / Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate / Dizraeli & The Small Gods / Beans On Toast / Skinny Lister / La Chiva Gantiva / Urban Folk Quartet / Diving For Sunken Treasure / Rupa & The April Fishes / The John Langan Band / John Fairhurst / The Babar Luck World Citizen Folk Band / London Afrobeat Collective / Afriquoi / Jaipur Kawa Brass Band / Roberta Pia (The Banana Sessions) / CoCo and the Butterfields / Gentlemen Of Few / Katy Carr / Aelfen / Firepit Collective / Animanz / Los Pelos Rizos / They Say Jump / Ichi / Rachel Dadd / Nubiyan Twist / Lily & Meg / The Odd Folk / Dirty Old Folkers / The Fontanas / Toby Thompson / Rumba de Bodas / Perkie / Afro Cluster / Pachango / Miss Maud's Folly / Gypsy Rebel Rabble / Poor Old Dogs / Rusty Shackle / Jess McAllister / La Morte Subite / Ratbags / Adam Kammerling / Wandering Word Poetry Slam
WILD WEST (Rusty Spur & Crazy Calamities)
Hayseed Dixie / Alabama 3 / Son of Dave/ Pronghorn / Boot Hill Allstars / Rob Heron And The Teapad Orchestra / Cut A Shine Hoedown / Wille and The Bandits / Stompin Dave Allen / Grizzly & The Grasshoppers / The Skimmity Hitchers/ Winter Mountain / The Vagaband/ CC Smugglers / Dirty Cello / JohnnyCage! & The Voodoo Groove / The Doghouse Boat Boys / Chicken Shed Zeppelin / Howlin' Lord / Dr Bluegrass and the Illbilly 8 / Lumberjack Cowboy Heartbreak Trucking Company / Screamin' Miss Jackson and the Slap Ya Mama Big Band / The Montgomerys / The Paper Trains / The Jimmy Hillbillies / Feral Mouth/ land of the giants/ Smiley & The Underclass / Captain Accident / Love Street / The Buffalo Skinners / The Recks/ Crinkle Cuts/ Solko/ Cut Capers/ Carnivala! / Slightly Offensive Steve / The Inexplicables/ Beneath the Reef/ Tree House Fire/ Junior Bill and the Scallies / Shanty / The Piratones/ Backyard Rhythm Orchestra / Broken Boat/ La Mort Subite/ House Of Commoners / Fat Sandwich / Ben Russell And The Charmers / Josephine and The Artizans / Fast Decline / Gecko
BARRIO LOCO (Circa Ballie & Poco Loco)
Eats Everything / Boddika / Special Request / Friend Within / Dub Phizix & Strategy / Ms Dynamite / Kry Wolf / Stanton Warriors / Mele' & Slick Don / Zed Bias / Om Unit / My Nu Leng / Swindle & Royal T / Kahn & Neek / Sam Binga & Redders / DJ Champion / Chimpo / The Busy Twist / Dr Meaker / Lady Leshurr / Mystro & Cut La Vis / Skitz Vs Sammy B Sides / The Mouse Outfit feat. Dr Syntax & Sparkz / JFB / Buggsy / Lazy Habits / Skittles (Live Band) / Dizraeli & Downlow / Problem Child / Pete Cannon / Mr Woodnote Feat Fernquest + Lil Rhys / Jman / Double Drop / The Allergies / Sophistafunk / The Scribes / Subculture Sage / Granville Sessions / Endoflevelbaddie / The Fire Beneath The Sea / Mr Phormula Feat. Dybl & DJ E-Ratik / Gardna / Kimberely Newell / Jives (Boom Bap/Sensi-Tize)
DOWNTOWN (The Body Shop, Leisure Centre, Arcadia, ASBO Disco)
Tipper / Black Sun Empire / Opiuo / Aphrodite / Rockwell / Proxy / Audio / Optiv & Btk / Altern8 / Freefall Collective / Atomic Drop / Ray Keith & Carasel MC / Slipmatt & Billy Bunter / 2 Bad Mice / Slamboree Soundsystem / Sub Slayers Takeover (King Yoof & Jay Cunning) / Cause 4 Concern / Bong Ra / North Base / Odjbox / Itchy & Skratchy / Machine Code / Chris Liberator / Dj Producer B2b Death Machine / Se7en Deadly Breaks / Krossbow / Defunk / Caski / Benton / Amy Becker / B-Side / Shepdog / Jinx In Dub / Turntable Dubbers / Mr Benn / Jam Baxter & Dirty Dike / Uncle Dugs / Rowland The Bastard / Panacea / Detest
