Boomtown 2019: Chapter 11

[jimbarkanoodle]

4 hours ago, aidenlangan95 said:

Met my camp mates (who it would turn out to only listen to dnb for the whole weekend) afterwards and they said they said they were walking about for 5 hours after Relic got shut down trying to find dnb, whilst I had my favourite night at the festival!

They cant have been very adept at looking for things then, as each night at Boomtown there must be over 100 stages all playing Drum and Bass. Granted, the other of the big two (Nucleus) was techno this year, but almost every other stage across the festival will be playing DnB. Even the Lions Den was playing DnB that night!

[aidenlangan95]

1 hour ago, jimbarkanoodle said:

They cant have been very adept at looking for things then, as each night at Boomtown there must be over 100 stages all playing Drum and Bass. Granted, the other of the big two (Nucleus) was techno this year, but almost every other stage across the festival will be playing DnB. Even the Lions Den was playing DnB that night!

From what I could gather from what they told me, everywhere they went for DnB was packed until they found out that Lions’ Den had the Relic lineup. Honestly, don’t know how they were wondering for things to do for so long. 

I showed them what I would normally do when I wasn’t with them on the Sunday night and we decided to call it “microseshing”. Go into a bunch of small venues, enjoy a couple of songs and move on. Went from Lions Den down to Relic in about an hour via around 10 smaller venues. They loved it and wished they did that more for the rest of the weekend!

Edited August 19, 2019 by aidenlangan95

[vintagelaureate]

25 minutes ago, aidenlangan95 said:

From what I could gather from what they told me, everywhere they went for DnB was packed until they found out that Lions’ Den had the Relic lineup. Honestly, don’t know how they were wondering for things to do for so long. 

I showed them what I would normally do when I wasn’t with them on the Sunday night and we decided to call it “microseshing”. Go into a bunch of small venues, enjoy a couple of songs and move on. Went from Lions Den down to Relic in about an hour via around 10 smaller venues. They loved it and wished they did that more for the rest of the weekend!

What replaced 'Grandma's Living Room' in Old Town? 

We loved that last year but 'Grandma' told us that 2018 was their last.

[Neon]

Not sure why lots of folks call this a non commercial festival. i went for the first time this year. It was OK ish , but unsure about folks saying it is unlike the "commercial ones". I assume the owners and the hundreds of other companies involved all make a profit with many making what i would call a huge profit. ????

Or is it in reference to the music ? I just dunno ?

[stuie]

10 minutes ago, Neon said:

Not sure why lots of folks call this a non commercial festival. i went for the first time this year. It was OK ish , but unsure about folks saying it is unlike the "commercial ones". I assume the owners and the hundreds of other companies involved all make a profit with many making what i would call a huge profit. ????

Or is it in reference to the music ? I just dunno ?

It's usually light on sponsorship from companies and other organisations... for example, no Red Bull or Absolut stages etc.

[jump]

1 hour ago, Neon said:

Not sure why lots of folks call this a non commercial festival. i went for the first time this year. It was OK ish , but unsure about folks saying it is unlike the "commercial ones". I assume the owners and the hundreds of other companies involved all make a profit with many making what i would call a huge profit. ????

Or is it in reference to the music ? I just dunno ?

Are you sure you weren't just tricked into thinking Bang Hai is real

I think you're getting hung up on the idea of profit/commercialism rather than Boomtown being a unique festival with it's stage productions, immersive theatres, having an ongoing story which is very uncommon with the typical festival of field with a few tents and a main stage. I mean unless you want the organisers to lose money putting the festival on for the sake of it being independent enough it seems like a strange complaint, especially when festivals don't have that big of margin.

In fairness to them with their decision making it's not led purely by profit. You can just you look at the effort they have put in by trying to put out vegan options (my missus is vegan and was shocked by how much choice she had compared to other fests), banning single use plastic, having composting toilets etc.

[Tommy101]

The bars have to be run by an organisation, and things like that but it lacks endless advertising, sponsored areas etc. 

In fact the only thing I really noticed was some stall promoting a vodka with table tennis tables at the top of the hill by Mr Whompy. It looked pretty out of place to me.

[payneruk]

1 hour ago, Tommy101 said:

The bars have to be run by an organisation, and things like that but it lacks endless advertising, sponsored areas etc. 

In fact the only thing I really noticed was some stall promoting a vodka with table tennis tables at the top of the hill by Mr Whompy. It looked pretty out of place to me.

I also didn't see one person in there besides the bored looking staff the whole festival!

[Tommy101]

2 hours ago, payneruk said:

I also didn't see one person in there besides the bored looking staff the whole festival!

Whompy on the other hand was surrounded by a couple of hundred people whenever I walked past/dropped by!

Yeah I think that Vodka this was at the wrong festival. Quite rewarding that the Boomtown crowd ignored it, I bet they paid well and wont be doing again next year.

[jump]

31 minutes ago, Tommy101 said:

Whompy on the other hand was surrounded by a couple of hundred people whenever I walked past/dropped by!

Yeah I think that Vodka this was at the wrong festival. Quite rewarding that the Boomtown crowd ignored it, I bet they paid well and wont be doing again next year.

That Whompy van literally had a bigger crowd than a few of the bands I saw I at the weekend, I see a 50ft ice cream van replacing the Lions Den in the future.

Edited August 20, 2019 by jump

[frostypaw]

11 hours ago, Tommy101 said:

The bars have to be run by an organisation, and things like that but it lacks endless advertising, sponsored areas etc. 

In fact the only thing I really noticed was some stall promoting a vodka with table tennis tables at the top of the hill by Mr Whompy. It looked pretty out of place to me.

Hahaha are you thinking of Nordic Spirit? It's snus.

They've been everywhere they can with their table tennis schtick, being ignored. Hence quite hilarious you thinking it's vodka

[Tommy101]

To be honest quite happy to be ignorant with this one. 

[payneruk]

10 hours ago, frostypaw said:

Hahaha are you thinking of Nordic Spirit? It's snus.

They've been everywhere they can with their table tennis schtick, being ignored. Hence quite hilarious you thinking it's vodka

I just had to google the meaning of snus & schtick 

[stuie]

10 hours ago, frostypaw said:

Hahaha are you thinking of Nordic Spirit? It's snus.

They've been everywhere they can with their table tennis schtick, being ignored. Hence quite hilarious you thinking it's vodka

Can confirm they were being ignored at Elrow last weekend too!

[Harry3]

On 8/19/2019 at 2:08 PM, FuzzyDunlop said:

There was a good rhubarb one. The first time I went in they told me they only had Somersby (I think) or Thatchers. One of those anyway.

Next time they had about 5 or 6 "proper" ciders on.

Think it was in 2013 they had a huge selection. Was the first time I tried Black Rat cider.

[Paul ™]

deffo had a great choice in 2015, my first year.. by 2017 it was poor

[payneruk]

23 hours ago, stuie said:

Can confirm they were being ignored at Elrow last weekend too!

I've just remembered I had a dream about them last night. I was trying to ask them what they were selling but they were all asleep

[dumski]

Only had a couple of days there, one of them sober  but particularly enjoyed Chronnix on Friday followed by Sevana in the hidden woods. 

Sunday funday was awesome, Garage, metal, jungle, grime, reggae, dancehall, DnB and felt more spacious to me (well maybe not Relic)  

Plus no queues at any bars I went to and security were good as usual. 

See you next year for a full 5 days of fun 

 

[Sawdusty surfer]

Here's the aftermovie

 

[jump]

Bit of a cheek to use Lauryn Hill in the vid since she took the piss coming on so late.

[jump]

I wanted to get a Boomtown hoodie but at the festival they had sold out of all sizes that weren't XS. I order it the week after and I've finally got a it's been shipped email this morning

Edited October 4, 2019 by jump

[Jimpsnl]

On 8/12/2019 at 11:23 PM, frostypaw said:

Fan-fucking-tastic. An absolute classic, if anything only helped by the weather making things dramatic and interesting

Helluva lot of good bands seen. Submotion Orchestra, Grouch in Dub, Xavier Rudd, Talisk, Infected Mushroom, King Kong Company, Bellatrix, Kosheen, Beans and Gogol Bordello all fantastic. Caught Kate Tempest again going with the group flow - had to swallow a lot of giggles at a bunch of younger citizens dragged by a mate and completely broadsided, busy apologising for needing to wait to stop crying before they could leave. Bunch of new proper fans made right there. Four Tet's set in the rain on Nucleus was everything I've hoped for from a Four Tet set that I'd felt denied, Alkan excellent after. The Saturday night at Relic from Chase & Status on was just gold, that whole day was pretty much two stages for me and glorious for it.

The layout and set upgrades were extensive - barely knew my way around Downtown and Metropolis's towers were as impressive in their simplicity as the massive murals in Barrio Loco. The New Town Centre was impressive but I sorely miss all the projection mapping. It made for a particularly unique and interesting centrepiece. The rear of the set was mostly dressed too so very little scaffold on sight which really added to the feeling it was all solid. Relic's collapsed and precarious looking state was just glorious with the design and lighting planned tightly together. You'll see a lot of videos, it's far better when it's quite so gobsmackingly large with an endless sea of raving people in front of it.

The sound was far far better and handled really professionally throughout, when it used to wander and get worse over the weekend seeming more like it was thrown together than properly planned. This was almost all tight straight away across the whole of the big arenas - and O M G the level it got to during the closing show at Relic - I can only assume everything else on that side of the festival had shut to make that OK. Genuinely one of the loudest outdoors things I've seen.

For years after it shuts down at midnight the end of the festival has been full of roaming hoards desperate for more, it seemed much happier this time. Even the campsites were relatively calm - while I still heard a few grumblers almost everyone I asked thought they nailed it.

Seemed like fewer food options? Urinals still not signposted in any way whatsoever and fenced off in the same style as everything else - they were essentially private facilities for the first two days. By Sunday it was hard to leave a busy one without a conversation and finding people sitting down in them - fecking boomtown.

The theatrics didn't really intrude into normal citizen's lives other than the shows and changes in AMI - felt a bit more distant but still there as something changing.

Despite that I think this one finally beat Behind the Mask. Really hope they'll put more into making the story intrusive for everyone as it was back then but otherwise sign me up now.

What's that Glastonbury? You've got Iicon now? Hold my beer....

I know I am late responding to this but I have to agree about relic! Jesus that sound nearly took my head clean of its shoulders.

 

i would have loved bass like that all weekend and I really hope next year we get it!!