Review: Boomtown 2023 – ‘An incredible spectacle’

Boomtown Chapter Two: The Twin Trail went down a storm with the 66,000 attendees, as the festival, which has strong links to Bristol, got underway across a sunny August weekend.

This instalment was not just its usual celebration of debauchery but also marked part of its 15th anniversary celebrations.

Spanning across 12 main stages plus hundreds of smaller venues, we were excited to see heavyweights from several genres as well as some up-and-coming DJs who had started to make a name for themselves over the past year.

The weather leading up to the festival had the potential to turn the campsite into a  mud bath but it just held up for our arrival as we made our way to our campsite in Camp Orchid.

The walk reminded us of the fact that the festival is a huge site with long walks but we were ready to dive into the weekend head first and immerse ourselves in everything Boomtown has to offer.

This is the first year we had gone into a sectioned off campsite but I have to say it really made our experience. Camp Orchid is the upgraded campsite and provided the added creature comforts during our stay at Boomtown.

It was spacious with clean flushing toilets and full access to a pamper parlour experience that includes hot showers, mirrors, hair straighteners and dryers. Additionally, it had a boutique bar serving drinks and cocktails, a great selection of street food traders, plus a cosy cafe with seating and fire pit to create a relaxing chill-out space.

The Orchid wristband also allowed us access to the clean flushing toilets situated in a central location within the festival.

Known for its immersive, theatrical approach to getting drunk and listening to music in a field, the organisers had once again outdone themselves this year – creating miniature cities across the site, each with its own feel and plenty of Easter eggs to discover.

One of the more different but interesting things Boomtown did this year was to really engage festival goers.

Boomtown is famed for its ever-evolving storyline and this year was no exception. They allowed us all to vote on the Woov app to affect the final outcome. We had to vote on the main character Elen and each district had to vote. I thought this was a unique touch and was reflected in the closing of the show.

There were so many artists that caught our attention over the weekend but there are a few that really stood out.

Hedex on the Origin stage blew us away with his jump up drum and bass with some hard hitting double drops that sent the crowd into a long and energetic two step with almost everyone pulling out the gun fingers.

The energy was electric and we left feeling a buzz that made us want more.

Mura Masa on Grand central was another notable performance playing some high quality electronic, dance & hip hop music.

It is very easy to see why he has had the success he has had with him bringing in several genres and touching on his early work with music showcasing East Asian music and glitchy electronica.

He has produced and co-written several chart topping songs over his career and he effortlessly mixed in some of these classics throughout his set to the joy of the crowd he had brought in.

One of the more up and coming acts over the weekend was Badger holding down the Dubtendo street party in the heat of the sun. He brought incredible vibes with so much energy.

Badger went through his classic garage remixes with some of his own material which was great to see. Of course, he ramped it up with his Venga boys remix that got the crowd bouncing.

He was b2b with Oh My Rosh and the Dazed Music crew. It was so good to see the Bristol representation pulling in such a big crowd. I could overhear many groups throughout the weekend talking about how memorable this set was.

Skream was also one of our favourite performances at Wrong Side of the Tracks. For the last few years Skream has been showcasing the depth of his musical knowledge and he continued to do so at Boomtown.

He skillfully constructed a set that seamlessly showed the best of house, techno and electronic music while also cheekily throwing in some classic dubstep for those who have followed him for some time.

Skream has become synonymous with longer sets and this was long but he commanded the crowd well and kept a steady rhythm. Not one person left for the whole set and to achieve that kind of trust from the dance floor is rare but is is testament to his quality of sets that he has become so well known for.

He will continue to be one of the UK’s most treasured electronic music artists keeping the legacy of UK rave culture alive until the very end.

It was a body blow to hear that The Prodigy could no longer headline as they are one of those bands that are a must see and one that would have been a fitting close to the weekend.

However, we were instantly revitalised with the news that Chase & Status were stepping in. I’m sure many others like us have seen Chase & Status many times and know what to expect but they absolutely lived up to the expectations.

It was a huge show showcasing all of their classics and some of their new material which I am sure is from their upcoming album 2 Ruff, Vol. 1 coming out later this year.

This gave the show an extra edge to what I had seen of them previously. They did of course play what seemed to be the sound of Boomtown 2023 with their new song Badadan which you could hear ripping up dancefloors across the site each day. This lit the crowd up and was a great send off.

As it all came to an end we have to say a massive well done to the Boomtown organisers for what was another mammoth instalment of one of the most sought after festivals in the UK year after year.

They managed to blow our expectations out of the water with this wonderfully creative behemoth of a festival, which is still drawing the crowds fifteen years in.

Main photo: Sian Hebert

Read next:

• Major UK festival to host pride fundraiser event in Bristol
• Boomtown sells 45% stake to major music promoters
• Music festival announces sustainability campaign for upcoming edition

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: