Boomtown Fair breaks line-up silence and it was worth the wait!

Emie Grimwood on 31 July 2023

Whether you are an avid festival goer, attend occasionally or have never been, you will have heard of Boomtown. If you have not, then by the end of the week you will have done. This year’s line up encompasses everything I adore about the festival. As James Cousins, Head of Music at Boomtown said, “The line-up this year has been so carefully crafted to include artists that represent the unique personality of Boomtown. Whatever your flavour, you will find it at Boomtown, whether you are into the heavy-hitters or you want to explore new artists who are spreading through the underground. I am really proud of this line-up, we’ve secured artists that we’ve been trying to nail down for years, and there will be some really special moments.”

Last year was my first Boomtown. The experience was like no other, and that was at a time when they were operating at a lower capacity and a smaller set up post-covid. So, this year, with a 66,000 capacity, 12 main stages plus hundreds of smaller venues, I cannot quite comprehend what I am going to witness. What I am looking forward to is immersing myself in the stories Boomtown creates for festivalgoers. What sets this festival out from the rest, is how once you arrive, you are in an entirely new world. Nine districts, all with their own personalities and town trials and tribulations, audience members will be able to spend their days going back in time at Old Town or jumping to the future in the Betterverse, plus so much more. 

At no other festival am I able to interact with characters, play games, and create my own festival narrative, which might even feature in the daily festival newspaper! This year, for the first time ever, attendees are in complete control of the outcome of the closing show as we can interact with the storyline, voting via the Woov app. Festival apps can sometimes be known for their unreliability. However, Woov is a great app to make friends and join the communities, find your scene, and discover new artists. 

I were to mention every artist on this year’s line up, I would need my own magazine, rather than just a page. However, the highlights for me are Loyle Carner, who will take on Grand Central, alongside Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn, Nia Archives, Cypress Hill and The Prodigy to name a few. Furthermore, the biggest DJ stage, Origin, will host huge names such as Dimension and Andy C. 

As a bisexual, ADHD journalist, I am especially excited about Spectrum 360. A new stage in district Area 404, created by incredible queer DJ pioneer Mandidextrous, will be displaying the full spectrum of the harder style of dance music and serve as a brave space for ravers. It is so important to create safe spaces for all and Boomtown does just that. Boomtown acknowledges that like itself, we are all unique. Matterley Estate serves as a place for Boomtown to come alive and Boomtown invites us to breathe its air and feel free, let ourselves go and dance all day and all night. So, this year, be prepared to make friends, memories and discover more music than you can imagine.  

Boomtown runs from 9th-13th August at the Matterley Estate, Winchester. The full line-up is available on Woov. Final tickets are available here.

Boomtown 2022 Line Up Confirmed!

Fern McErlane on 9 August 2022

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

All the big changes you’ll see at Boomtown 2022

Fern McErlane on 9 August 2022

Returning to Boomtown – three years on

A behemoth rave-come-theatrical-performance hybrid, Boomtown is an experience that’s not for the faint-hearted. When I was lucky enough to attend as a reporter back in 2019, I approached this festival with an equal amount of excitement and apprehension – and did not leave disappointed. The Boomtown team now make a long-awaited return to the Matterley Estate, Hampshire.

Facing lockdown restrictions and COVID knockbacks, Boomtown 2020 (titled “Chapter 12: New Beginnings”) was cancelled to mass dismay. After a significant gap filled with plotting and planning, the festival team have made the decision to return to ground zero (or one) for this year’s instalment: “Chapter 1: The Gathering”.

With each return to the festival grounds, an ever-evolving musical city is constructed for revellers to explore, with dozens of stages and bars – but also houses, shops, banks, schools, and even a job centre. It’s inhabited by a motley bunch of residents who wouldn’t break character if you pay them, although they might pay you (in drink tokens) if you’re game enough to play along. Interested yet? Read on.

Changing stages, changing places

One very notable change is Boomtown’s choice to completely rehaul their previous festival layout, with a whole new map recently released. It’s sure to confuse regular attendees and old hands slightly, but the festival will now be condensed into a smaller area of the Matterley bowl – meaning less time spent trekking from stage to stage.

New headline stages Grand Central and Origin are replacing the former four main stages (Town Centre, Nucleus, RELIC, and Lion’s Den); promising to offer heavyweight artist appearances sure to impress – the line-up for 2019 across big stages included The Streets, Lauryn Hill, and Slaves.

A host of familiar and fresh zones can be found in the city, from Copper County to Botanica, all with smaller stages promoting up-and-coming artists. The ever-popular forest parties will also continue this year, with areas such as Tribe of Frog and Tangled Roots offering psy-trance, reggae, rhythm, dub, and everything in between. It’s impossible not to mention Boomtown’s secret venues, only accessible for those in-the-know (Dubtendo in particular promises to be a hidden delight).

A sustainable city

Previous attendees will fondly recall the three-bin recycling system, the ban on single use plastics – and perhaps less fondly look back on those compost loos. The events team are pushing for this year to be more sustainable than ever, committing to reduce fuel emissions and their carbon footprint. Even new stage Origin will be constructed from ‘real plants’ and recycled materials from previous years’ constructions.

Emily Ford, Boomtown’s Sustainability Coordinator, said: “We’re well aware that festivals do have an environmental impact and can be carbon and waste intensive, but they can also provide the best testing ground for collaboration, creativity and innovation, with lots of exciting opportunities to reduce our impact. Our aim is to not only reduce impact, but to leave the area in a better state than when we found it.”

But who can we expect to play? 

Boomtown 2019 featured a line-up of genuinely baffling proportions – over 1000 artists playing across 38 stages, spanning all name-able music genres (and even some which haven’t yet been coined).

This year, however, has already proven to be different. The festival line-up has not yet been released – and will only be posted days before the event. Despite confusing attendees, it’s for good reason:

“The complex process of releasing a music line-up with exclusivity deals, billing and escalating costs have led us to decide that this is the time to rethink the way we approach it and explore new ways of doing things.”

By avoiding bidding wars with other festival organisers, Boomtown aims to bring a wave of fresh talent to their stages – artists that “change lives”, according to festival heads Kaptin Barrett and James Cousins. 

Make sure to look out for line-up announcements in the run up to Boomtown’s gates opening on 11th August 2022.