Boomtown 2022 Line Up Confirmed!
On Sunday 7th August, after months of speculation and hype, heavyweight festival Boomtown finally announced its musical offerings for the year. As always, an eclectic mix of recognisable names and underground artists from a staggering range of genres will appear for “Chapter 1: The Gathering” from Wednesday 10th August.
Anticipation ran so high that Woov, the app through which Boomtown released their line up, immediately crashed for many users; organisers released an official apology, stating that “60,000 people tried to log on at exactly the same time and it just couldn’t quite cope.”
Festival organisers chose to significantly delay line up announcements until mere days before the festival’s gates open. Fans debated potential headliners with anticipation, guessing that many that were previously confirmed for the 2020 show would be rolled over. Sadly, many have not; reactions to the final line-up have been mixed, particularly due to the limited number of larger artists, prompting an explanation on social media from Boomtown HQ:
“For those people who were expecting bigger headline artists, we really need to say this; when we relaunched chapter one and the new version of boomtown 2 years ago, we made it very clear that we did not want to dedicate such a large portion of the budget to three acts that sit on top of a poster. Instead, we wanted to spread it across all areas that make boomtown unique, that was always our ethos, and we wanted to return to that.”
After taking a hit financially through event cancellations due to pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, the element of secrecy allowed them to avoid pricey bidding wars for larger artists. However, a fresh wave of musicians have joined the roster in place of established names. Festival-goers can expect to discover new favourites in up-and-coming bands, DJs and acts.
Though most sets will be genre-blending spectacles, we’ve broken down the most notable appearances from each overarching genre, so that you can plan your weekend accordingly (and hopefully avoid dreaded clashes). The full lineup for Boomtown 2022 can be found on Woov, and on their website.
Drum & bass
Main stages: Origin, Wrong Side Of The Tracks, Dubtendo, The Jobcentre, The Inconvenience Store
Fans of one of Leeds’ favourite genres, drum & bass, will not be disappointed with this year’s artist selection. New main stage Origin seems the place to be for DNB across the weekend; 11pm Saturday, it hosts an act to certainly avoid missing – Dutch trio Noisia (who have confirmed that Boomtown 2022 will be their last ever UK performance), blending electro, bass and house.
DJ Marky, DJ Flight, General Levy, Harriet Jaxon, and Gryphon favourites Mungo’s Hi-Fi and Shy FX (ft. Stamina MC) will all make appearances.
Inja, a big-name MC, will headline Origin stage at 6:30pm on Saturday, as well as joining Born On Road and a host of other drum and bass names for a set at the same stage later that night.
For those seeking a more underground DNB experience, queer collective Unorthodox will host a takeover set on Saturday; following this, head to mini-venue Postal Posse for late-night set from Physical Digital. Secret game-themed venue Dubtendo is also well worth a visit (if you can find it!)
Jungle
Main stages: Grand Central, Hidden Woods, Tangled Roots, Wrong Side Of The Tracks
Jungle is still massive at Boomtown. On Thursday night, Hidden Woods plays host to Scottish jungle DJ Mrs Magoo.
Head over to Hidden Woods or Tangled Roots on Friday night to catch Benny Page, Aries, or a takeover set from Jungle Cakes.
Saturday daytime at Grand Central, Fabio, Grooverider and an entire orchestra present ‘The history of jungle and drum & bass’ – sure to feature all your favourite tracks.
Concrete Junglists takeover Hidden Woods on Saturday night with an hours-long mega set featuring Something Something, Natty Lou, Charlie Tee, and Mollie Collins.
Dance and electronic
Main stages: Grand Central, Zenith
Grand Central is the place to be for a range of dance and electronic music across the weekend. Friday night sees Overmono, Squarepusher, Prospa, and DJ Tennis all taking the stage for hours of electronic delights. Following them on Saturday are Mall Grab B2B My Nu Leng, and Four Tet.
For dance music of every imaginable strain, visit Zenith on Saturday for a line-up impossible to sneer at: Partiboi69, Shy One, Dan Shake, Effy, Mella Dee, and Chaos in the CBD.
Techno
Main stages: Grand Central, Zenith
Though the techno line-up is less generous than previous years, Boomtown still provides some prominent names: catch Somniac One on Friday for hard techno sounds, Daniel Avery at Zenith that night, or heavyweight Nastia at 2:30am on Saturday at Grand Central.
Pop, R&B, funk and reggae
Main stages: Grand Central, The Vault
If hip-hop is your thing, be sure to catch Arrested Development, Kojey Radical, Black Josh, Mr Jukes and Barney Artist, or the legendary De La Soul complete with a ten-piece live band.
Pop artists gracing the stages this year include R&B-funk crowd-pleasers Kool & the Gang at 9:30pm Sunday, Grand Central. Self Esteem, Biig Piig, and ‘electro-pop-ghetto-funk’ performer Moonchild Sanelly all also have slots.
For reggae, see Julian Marley & The Uprising, or Jamaican reggae singer Koffee, both at Grand Central on Friday. Spoken word star Kae Tempest also returns to Boomtown this year.
Alternative music
Main stages: Hangar 161, Foggers Mill, The Flying Moustache
It’s impossible to ignore the blend of punk, rock, folk, and alternative music at Boomtown. Make sure to catch grime-punk acts Bob Vylan or PENGSHUi both on Friday, or alternative punk acts Nova Twins or Snapped Ankles.
For folksier sounds, see Holy Moly & The Crackers, Cam Cole, or Hak Baker; Reggae-punk band The Skints close the weekend at 1pm Sunday, Grand Central.
Dub and big band
Main stages: Grand Central, Engine House, Shamrock
Dub and big band acts of almost every musical strain can be found at Boomtown. We recommend seeing dub acts Gentlemans Dub Club and the Dub Pistols; for every kind of large-scale band, consider catching Cut Capers, Dutty Moonshine Band, Slamboree, Chainska Brassica, Molotov Jukebox, and Mad Caddies.
Other genres to note
Garage
Main stages: Jager Platz, The Jobcentre, The Grid
Disco
Main stages: Twisted Time Machine (Grand Central), Stiletto Disco, The Red Rash Inn, Copper Feel Cabaret
Afrobeats
Main stages: Obsidian, Samedia Shebeen
Dancehall
Main stages: Obsidian, Samedia Shebeen
Psy-trance and hi-tech
Main stages: Tangled Roots, Hidden Woods and Tribe of Frog
Breakcore, hardcore, acid
Main stages: Broken Core, Hitechnicians, Acid Leak
Dubstep
Main stages: Obsidian, Sub-Lab
