Live Review: BoomTown Fair 2013

Passing through the gates of BoomTown 2013 is somewhat surreal. Promptly after arriving and pitching up a tent wedged so tightly between two others, we were met by festival-goers in fancy dress, crazy stage set-ups and hundreds of people hula hooping – signifying the beginning of a brilliantly bizarre event.

The size of the festival, although larger than previous years, was miniscule. With two main areas named Uptown and Downtown there were plenty of spaces to explore, with what felt like hundreds of stages; some obvious and some hidden. Downtown consisted mainly of a Mexican, day of the dead theme meets post-space age apocalypse with a vibrant China Town thrown in too. Whereas Uptown, which was quite literally up a massive hill, was separated into the impressive Mayfair and the Old Town. 

Themes were heavily played on and executed to perfection whereby wherever you where in the festival everything was consistent making you feel as though you really had stepped into the town that time forgot (Old Town) or that city where the aliens had landed (Arcadia).

The music wasn’t as varied as the themes at BoomTown 2013 to say the least. A daily fix of Reggae Drum & Bass and Ska were a given but you’d be lucky to hear a smidgen of Hip-Hop or Gypsy-Folk-Rock. But variation was there, nestled deep, you just had to do a little bit of work to find it, as some stages such as The Bank in Mayfair weren’t listed in the programme.

On the first night we headed to one of the larger stages named The Lions Den to see legendary Reggae master Lee Scratch Perry who some years ago produced Bob Marley’s music. Although his vocal style reflected his age, his stage presence had the crowd transfixed. 

Breaking up the Reggae beats, Beans On Toast made a welcome appearance on day two. Playing on a bandstand situated in the middle of Mayfair, he spoke/sang honestly over simplistic guitar twangs, re-laying relatable past experiences to a growing crowd before downing a can of K cider.

One musical highlight were The Skints, who played an hour long set on the main stage, otherwise known as the Town Centre. The band were met with a huge applause as they strode onto the stage, and quickly began a set of reggae-rock tunes. Complete with a cover of Katy B’s track ‘On A Mission’ and Reggae classic ‘No No No’ by Dawn Penn, the band created a perfect mix of up-tempo beats, to keep the crowd engaged, whilst staying true to their favoured genre.

By nightfall, the place to be was definitely Arcadia. The Gigantic metal beast that watched over everyone and everything in Downtown spat huge fireballs, spread lasers and produced the loudest sounds. Arcadia featured some of the biggest DJs currently around, which is where Boomtown 2013 really came into its element. Acts such as DJ Die, DJ Zinc and Calyx & Teebee all whipped out their best tracks to keep the party vibe going for as long as possible in the presence of Arcadia. 

In the Circo Baile tent located Downtown, B-Traits created a lively set with some chart hits thrown in too but failed to interact with the crowd who watched her every move in the elevated DJ booth. Other acts to grace the Circo Baile space included the S.P.Y who’s set was undeniably one most energetic of the weekend and a special guest performance from Andy C.

By the end of the weekend it was more than clear that BoomTown wasn’t for the faint hearted. If you’re going to go, you have to really get involved and embrace the madness that is set to ensue – even if it means becoming a pro hula hooper by next year. The vibe of the festival was easily understood: this is a place where the madness happens, where people seriously let go for one extended weekend and where if you’re normal, you’re the minority.

Leaving the gates of BoomTown felt even more surreal than arriving as leaving the perfect fantasy world and returning back to reality was harder to accept than imagined.