The wonderful time of year has once again snuck up on us – it’s time for Boomtown Chapter 3 – Revolution of Imagination.
As always, the event is promising a massive lineup – plus all of the immersive world building that has made Boomtown a highlight on the festival calendar.
Few festivals boast the attention to details that Boomtown puts on its events, and it pays off every year.
The festival site is so full of life that you really could spend the whole weekend exploring, and that’s before you see any musical acts perform.
So what’s in store this year?
The Story
One of the key things that sets this festival apart is its ever-evolving story, played out across the streets of the city where you can search for hints and clues and try to solve the many mysteries that Boomtown has to offer.
In previous years we’ve seen an evil entity known as AMI (Advanced Machine Intelligence) take over the city, before being shut down – but last year a new figure emerged, Elen.
Some revered Elen as a hero, whilst others portrayed her as the villain (and the cause of the 2 year ‘dark age’ that would see the city gates closed for over 2 years!)
As you can see nothing is left to chance and if immersive storytelling is your thing you’ll have many a rabbit hole to go down in search of the truth at this year’s event. If you choose to follow the path you’ll find what you’re looking for on posters, billboards and in the festival’s own newspaper the daily rag.
On top of this you may encounter strange going on in the streets of Boomtown, but how is it all connected, well that’s up to you to find out.
The music
If you’re somebody who prefers a good dance, then the good folks at Boomtown have got you covered too! This year, the lineup feels rich, and expands across a whole range of genres including punk, techno, funk, grime, DnB and of course Reggae. The full lineup is out now on the Boomtown App – but here are my personal highlights from the world of Reggae and drum and Bass.
A special 10 years of Jungle Cakes set at the monolithic temple of Drum and Bass Origin, this is sure to be a heavyweight set full of good vibes. Opening Origin this year are DnB favourite – King’s of the Roller’s. A massive way to open the weekend, which is sure to be a highlight for many as the part gets underway!
Other highlights on the Dnb side of things include Break and Pendulum so there is no shortage of music to skank the night away too!
In this selectas humble opinion reggae fans are being spoiled this year with some massive names joining the lineup from all over the world. Damian Marley is a name I’ve been wanting to see on the lineup for years and finally we get to see him head to the matterley estate and shell down a massive set.
He’ll be joined by Protoje alongside the InDiggNation, another spectacular Jamaican collective. If that sounds up your street then you also need to check out Mungo’s Hi-FI VS David Rodigan (Boomtown exhibition Soundclash).
What needs to be said about Sir David Rodigan that hasn’t already been said, and he’ll be going head to head with Scotland’s finest soundsystem Mungo’s Hi-Fi in a soundclash. A proper nod to the soundsystem culture that paved the way for an event like Boomtown to blossom. This is an early pick for the best set of the weekend, expect dubplates galore and plenty of stories from the Reggae connoisseur’s lifetime of experience in the world of music. Finally I had to give a very special mention to Fat Freddy’s Drop who are going to be playing at Grand Central, a collective from New Zealand who showcase a mix of Reggae Dub Blues and Funk, this one will be a proper jam session so be sure not to miss it.
This year I’ll be on site to bring you coverage of the event and, as always, Insanity Radio’s weekly Reggae and Drum and Bass show Peace Love Reggae Dub will be hosting preview and post shows on 103.2 FM, on the Tuesday before and after the event.
Tickets are still available from Boomtownfair.co.uk along with all the info you need to have a great weekend.