Review: Boomtown 2019

Boomtown has grown immensely over the last five years. It is far bigger and far more hectic, with a whopping capacity of 67,000 people this year. Certainly not one for the faint-hearted.

The main stages boast mammoth production and décor; lasers and pyrotechnics light up the sky, the sound systems are immense and pump out a serious amount of bass that can be heard in every nook and cranny of the site. Each area has a wonderful array of micro venues – from Copper County, Old Town to Barrio Loco; DSTRKT 5 to Area 404 (the old Sector 6), to name but a few. Each one giving ample opportunity to meander and experience the weird and wonderful that Boomtown has to offer at every turn… while stopping off for a little boogie along the way.

Boomtown Springs / Image by Garry Jones

The lineup covers all sort of genres from heavy metal, punk and gypsy folk, to techno, house, drum and bass and jungle. All bases are covered here. The calibre of the headliners and artists across all stages is incredible; the festival can now draw big performers from across the musical spectrum.

Friday kicked off at the Lions Den to see the original don dada that is Supercat, dressed head to toe in a 3-piece velvet burgundy suit. One of the greatest DJs in the Jamaican dancehall scene had to fight for her crowd, with 50mph winds and sideways rain that continued for the remainder of Friday evening, which made traipsing from one side of the festival to the other pretty hard-going.

Chronixx playing at the Lions Den / Image by Paul Whiteley

Chronixx brought a little Jamaican sunshine to cut through the rain, with his socially conscious lyrics and soulful voice that sounds as good live as it does on record. He stood out as one of the best live performances of the weekend, and it was only 9pm on Friday.

It’s not difficult to get a bit lost at Boomtown (it could do with a little extra signage!) but we stumbled upon the Hidden Woods – a perfect refuge from the biblical weather. It’s a magical place, adorned with colourful strings of lanterns, which provided a rather comforting psychedelic glow to warm up the wet evening.

The Hidden Woods / Image by Scott Salt

Over at Poco Loco, in Barrio Loco, Beardyman and Reeps One went back to back for an improvised set and world exclusive from two brilliant UK beatboxers. Some of the sounds that they can create using just their mouths are truly unfathomable – at points, it was hard to believe that you weren’t listening to a pre-recorded track.

The sun tried to peep through the wind and clouds on Saturday but to little avail. The Hidden Woods made for a relatively dry spot to see the world-famous Soca V’s Jungle Sound Clash – a true taste of carnival spirit, in a friendly but fiercely contested soundclash with Soca once again victorious!

The Streets / Image by Sian Herbert

The evening played host to The Streets, back at the Lions Den. A nostalgic show, full of all the classic tunes and a reminder of their extensive and brilliant back catalogue. As evening turned to night, the Nucleus stage, in Area 404, came to life. Carl Cox took over proceedings, once again showing why he is one of the head honchos of the dance music community. He spun dirty 4×4 beats with booming basslines on what can only be described as a behemoth of a sound system.

The sun shone brightly on Sunday for an afternoon of dancing to Legends of Moving Shadow, who showcased some classic drum and bass and jungle hits from the seminal record labels of the 90s. Heading to the Town Centre to see the fantastic set of Salt ‘n’ Pepper, who drew a hugely diverse crowd of all ages, we witnessed the epic Prophets of Rage – the American supergroup made up of members of Cypress Hill, Audioslave, Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine. The atmosphere was electric; combining the heavy basslines of Rage Against the Machine with the delivery of B-Real from Cypress Hill and Chuck D from Public Enemy. It was the perfect combination that left the crowd exasperated, desperately wanting more.

The crowd at Boomtown / Image by Benjamin Paul

The Lions Den closed with Lauryn Hill, who rocked up fashionably late to the stage. The set had to be cut short, but she still played some absolute classics from her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, including Ex-Factor, To Zion and Doo Wop (That Thing). She closed out the performance with Ready or Not, which had the crowd singing along word for word.

The festival drew to a close with the Assimilation Finale, who shut down the Nucleus stage. Chest-rattling, heart-thumping techno and drum and bass was a fitting end to a dance-heavy, fun-fuelled weekend.

Boomtown, you were a truly eye-catching, magnificent spectacle. See you at Chapter 12!

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