Boomtown Festival 2015

[kerplunk]

Speaking of getting lucky - hardly any rain! We got there thursday evening so missed the earlier downpour and walking around the site late on thursday just wearing a t-shirt was an unexpected treat, the site was almost completey dried out by Saturday morning, and then the sun came out

 

...which is of course surplus information for those who didn't sell their tickets (heh).

Edited August 18, 2015 by kerplunk

[krisroe]

If you mean the Rusty Spurs that was a late booking due to a cancellation - these things happen.

 

We happened to pass by at the right time...

 

Ahh I see. I'd only heard of them from a recommendation on here but really liked what I'd seen of them. Saw everything else I wanted to watch though so wasn't a massive downer.

[frostypaw]

Damn so wanted to catch them! Oh well, far from the weekend's biggest loss

[ricorazzo23]

First timer at boomtown, what an astounding festival it was literally breath-taking at times, so furiously creative, and funny, and vital. can't imagine there's any other festival that comes close to it at the moment. Like being immersed in a steroidal punch drunk show for four days. Amadou and Mariam great, the mock gospel preacher at the Mayfair tavern at Saturday night, all the gypsy ska and swing, protoje and gentlemans dub club on the awesome lions den, pronghorn at rusty Spurs, the brilliantness of stomping around to a spiral tribe sound system again in the uk after all these years (not surprised they chose boomtown for their uk festival return, it has the anarchic spirit of the original free parties), but mainly the street theatre and the mad little things behind all those doors... Just brilliant. Roll on next year.

[tjamest]

Interesting Amadou and Mariam review in Financial Times of all places.

 

Tried to post link, but when you clicked in it didn't seem to work. Just google it

Edited August 19, 2015 by tjamest

[5co77ie]

Financial times often get good festival passes - we've been told no sorry the FT, and the Daily Mail are preferrential

[StLewi]

What a great 'little' festival, from which I'm still recovering. I loved walking through the streets at night, stumbling into mini-venues and dancing the night away. We also camped at the Lion's Den, what a fantastic stage and setting. We didn't have any issues with the security, but I think we were very lucky. Late Friday night, one of the security guards caught us doing something we shouldn't have been in one of the inner-city venues. He took us outside and told us to be a bit more discreet. From the reports of heavy handed security, it sounds like we were very, very lucky indeed.

 

Some gripes:

• Paying £7 for set times is wrong. Paying £7 for the set times to be wrong is criminal. 
• The Skints... what the f*ck? We were camped at Lion's Den and, as we were at a festival, weren't checking Facebook and none of us knew about them playing. The compère had numerous opportunities to mention it. Failing that, why couldn't they put it on the big screen?!
• The clueless, but polite staff - no one had a clue about anything. Every member of staff we asked where something was, they just shrugged their shoulders. 
• I can't really call the big hill a gripe, but it was a little bit of a pain, especially when hungover!

The clientèle was pretty young but, despite being 30, didn't feel old or out of place. Overall, I had a great time at really good venue and will definitely try to get back in the future. 

Edited August 20, 2015 by StLewi

[eFestivals]

 

• The Skints... what the f*ck? We were camped at Lion's Den and, as we were at a festival, weren't checking Facebook and none of us knew about them playing. The compère had numerous opportunities to mention it. Failing that, why couldn't they put it on the big screen?!

 

It was announced from the stage by compère Solo Banton just prior to Stephen Marley's set on Friday, and no doubt was on the set-changes boards at the info points (I only looked at the boards myself on friday on my way to the Lion's den, and it hadn't been announced then - it was what I was specially trying to find out).

[Matt42]

This is definitely on the cards for me next year

[StLewi]

It was announced from the stage by compère Solo Banton just prior to Stephen Marley's set on Friday, and no doubt was on the set-changes boards at the info points (I only looked at the boards myself on friday on my way to the Lion's den, and it hadn't been announced then - it was what I was specially trying to find out).

 

Gutted. We were just at the tents too, obviously mustn't have heard.

[StLewi]

Oh, one other gripe... why on earth did the Lion's Dean headliners only get one hour? I was so looking forward to Alborosie and the set was over in a blink. He should have got 90 minutes at least.

[man next door]

because then you'd have to pay him more, I'd have thought....

[man next door]

so, what's the score with Barrington Levy then? He's not played in the UK for years - and I gather is not actually allowed to enter the country .... and yet boomtown have, at some level I assume, had enough confidence in bringing him here to stick him on atleast two lineups (possibly 3, not entirely sure) and of course it's ended in a headliner no show.

 

Is it actually even possible that he can play a UK festival? are Boomtown blagging this one? It must be one of the names that would really shift a few tickets.

[eFestivals]

so, what's the score with Barrington Levy then? He's not played in the UK for years - and I gather is not actually allowed to enter the country .... and yet boomtown have, at some level I assume, had enough confidence in bringing him here to stick him on atleast two lineups (possibly 3, not entirely sure) and of course it's ended in a headliner no show.

 

Is it actually even possible that he can play a UK festival? are Boomtown blagging this one? It must be one of the names that would really shift a few tickets.

 

He was never announced, but he was booked as one of the special guests in 2013 according to what the press office told me at the time, tho he had already cancelled when they told me (on the Friday).

 

Presumably they had reason to think his visa application would be successful this time, and that's why they tried again.

 

I guess he's failing due to either crime or homophobia in his background (I've not looked into it, but they seem the most obvious).

[mr flow]

I know that each time Boomtown have booked Barrington Levy, they've actually booked him and they're not attempting to blag it. I'm not 100% sure what's the issue with the visa each time and Neil is probably on the right track.

 

Each time he's been announced, and also been booked as a special guest, they've certainly had it all agreed and signed off with his management and agent.

[loneskanker]

The set times at boomtown are always fucked up and need to b taken with a pinch of salt, I was a little disappointed with the volume levels at band hai at points but other areas were banging, the bass at the tangled roots stage almost made me mess my pants, thankfully I was lucky...

[Sweet_pea]

What a cracking festival! Only just starting to feel normal but I was seriously blown away by the sheer thought that had gone into everything!

I lost my sh*t at the Lion's Den, got well and truly dazed & confused in the Psychedelic forest, given a heart murmur by the bass in Tangled Roots and praised the Pope in the Opera House.

 

 

Does anyone know what was going on with the slide?

 

 

I was a little apprehensive, being the wrong side of 30 but everyone was just brilliant!

I am off to Boom in Portugal next year but I will definitely return in 2017.

[tjamest]

Glad you had a good time.

 

As an older person who felt a little past it last year I definitely enjoyed it more this year especially by spending more time Uptown with just the occasional forays Downtown and that was normally during the day to Hidden Woods or Chinatown

 

I saw somewhere that they were not allowed the 130metre slide they had last year and had the much smaller one which never seemed to be working, although apparently it was open on Sunday.

[frostypaw]

Yeah they sent a test item or two down and gave up... boo.

I've got some videos that I've given up trying to mash together and just playlisted

[krisroe]

Glad you had a good time.

 

As an older person who felt a little past it last year I definitely enjoyed it more this year especially by spending more time Uptown with just the occasional forays Downtown and that was normally during the day to Hidden Woods or Chinatown

 

I saw somewhere that they were not allowed the 130metre slide they had last year and had the much smaller one which never seemed to be working, although apparently it was open on Sunday.

 

A thousand times this. I'm just over 30 and could still the distinct age gap between uptown and downtown. It worked well for me though. I much prefer listening to uptowns music most of the time and mooching downtown when there was a band in devil kicks I liked. I preferred the Uptown districts as well, there was so much more to do in them I thought, though that may have been as I spent more time in them ...

[Flounder]

Yeah, the set times annoyed me as well. I couldn't see Showhawk duo anywhere on either set list (lanyard or booklet), we had to look through the a to z list, find what stage they were on and look back through the descritions of the bands under that stage. Then couldn't remember what time they were on when we were downtown and only had the Lanyard with us. Gutted to have missed them.

 

If you mean the Rusty Spurs that was a late booking due to a cancellation - these things happen.

 

We happened to pass by at the right time...

Yep - that was my booking. We had a few last minute ones pull - bands split, couldn't make it etc. This was after the whole thing had gone to press. Times and line-ups were outside the venue each day on the blackboard. Like Kerplunk said, these things happen, frustrating though it is

[joe111]

phewwwwwwwww! what a weekend! I think this may have been my favourite boomtown that ive been to so far - even though i worked this one so i guess i saw less of the festival than i would have liked to but i still had an absolute blast! didn't think they would be able to top the last position of the lions den but this was amaaazing!

 

cant wait for next year - who do we think will headline the lion's den????

[eFestivals]

cant wait for next year - who do we think will headline the lion's den????

 

I'm guessing that next year will be Marley-free, so it'll be Damian in 2017.

 

I reckon they should do an act of humanity and lift poor old (and slightly-mad) Junior Byles and his dad from poverty. (a mailer came round a month or two ago, they're living in one bare room in Kingston )

 

These are two top tunes!

 

https://youtu.be/lU-jR0wc1nY

 

[joe111]

I'm guessing that next year will be Marley-free, so it'll be Damian in 2017.

 

 

 

 

yeah, Damian is the only person I can think really of who could match/out do the headliners they had this year! looking forward to seeing him on the lion's den one day! 

 

thats the first i've heard of Junior Byles but sad to hear about that, liking these tunes !

[kerplunk]

Photos: http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/boomtown/2015/galleries.shtml