Boomtown Chapter 11- No Time Like the Present
2019 is turning out to be pretty special for us. We’ve got so many festivals to blog about, we don’t know where to begin. This year is also our first time attending the magnificent audio and visual feast that is Boomtown Fair. We’re not sure why exactly it’s taken us so long to get involved in this absolute monster of an event. After all Boomtowns outrageously themed sectors and stages are the stuff, that most festival heads’ dreams are made of. What ever the reason, here we are and Chapter 11 will be our first experience of this immersive city. Check out our previous Boomtown Vibes post, where we have listed 5 reasons why 2019 is the time to hit the Radical City!
Stages are the Essence
For the majority of ravers the stages at a festival have a sentimental value. We tend to hold a special attachment to them and their legend lives on way after the festival is over. In fact every story ever told about a festival will almost always be centred around a particular stage and its name. “ We were walking past the ____ stage, when all of a sudden…” “We had just finished listening to TQD on the ______ stage when we bumped into _____” etc etc. We’ve all had those conversations. They act as meeting points, directional landmarks, chill spots or even a place to start or end the night.
One thing is for certain, the stages help create the very essence of the festival and its identity as a whole. They often echo the vibe of the music or the acts they host, making the whole experience even more immersive. They are objects of awe and another thing that’s for certain, we all have our favourites! Boomtown describe their stages as “mind blowing” creations and we can’t think of a better description for them. Each one unique and saturated in decor to compliment its theatrical backstory. Some are returning from previous years but there’s also quite few brand new ones for 2019 to keep an eye out for.
Banghai Corporation photo credit Mike Massaro
The Top 10
Our excitement for seeing and hearing all these stages with our own eyes and ears is unmeasurable. The truth is if we tried to write something about every stage at Boomtown Fair we’d be typing till 2020. So instead here’s a list of our top ten stages that we are most looking forward to seeing at this years Boomtown in no particular order.
1) Relic
Location: Relic district
We may as well start with a big shiny new one. There’s not a huge amount we can tell you about how the Relic stage looks because nobody’s actually seen it yet. What we do know is that this stage has risen from the ashes of the old Bang Hai HQ and will play host to some major players, both in Drum and Bass and Bass music.
Find us skanking out to:
Black Sun Empire, Break, Total Science.
2) Hanger 161
Location: Diss-Order Alley
Try to Imagine a punk orientated squat party inside an ex military building and you’ve got Hanger 161. The towering mortar damaged walls are as intimidating as the music they contain inside. Hosted by punk rock reprobates The Last Gang In Town you’ll find a mix of hardcore, Hip-Hop and punk from around the globe.
Find us head banging to:
The Dub Righters, Nova Twins, Moscow Death Brigade, Matilda’s Scoundrels.
3) The Grid
Location: Area 404
Following the demise of BHI at the end of Chapter 10, Chapter 11 is all about survival! If Boomtown is to survive over the coming years, it needs to change its consumerist and environmental ways. Sustainability is the key to the latter. The Grid, a brand new stage for 2019, will highlight that with its salvaged goods and otherworldly plant formations.
Find us head nodding and bopping to:
Congo Natty, Rodney P & Skitz, Nookie, Dj Zinc.
4) Poco Loco
Location: Barrio Loco
We were sold on this one, the moment we saw pictures of Poco Loco. Two Graf’d up structures, and a train with its very own full colour panel, make up this stages’ backdrop. The Boomtown team have declared that this stage will be newly expanded for the 2019 instalment of the festival. We’re not sure how that will effect the aesthetics, but we’re hoping it means more examples of our favourite “Art’ form. With a line up that boasts the undisputed pioneers in every genre, and sub genre of Bass music imaginable, its going to be a struggle for us to not end up spending the whole festival at this stage.
Find us pointing our guns fingaz in the air to:
(Too many to mention) Flava D, Sir Spyro and D Double E are an absolute must!
Nothing beats partying in the trees – photo credit Garry Jones Boomtown
5)Tangled Roots/Hidden Woods.
Location: Forest Parties
We were struggling to choose between these two stages, so we decided to combine them into one. The fact that they are both located in the Forest Parties district will hopefully mean we get to spend time at both. Tangled Roots enticed us with it’s big bad and heavy Reggae and Dub lineup. Not to mention one of the most jaw dropping rigs on the sound system circuit. All surrounded by lush towering trees in a forest alcove.
The Hidden Woods line up also packs a punch with their own Reggae and Dancehall selectors. Some might say theres no point in seeing two stages with almost identical music policies, but thats not the case. Both of them have their own unique vibe, which makes them stand out from each other. Plus with the addition of live Hip Hop bands, a beach bar and multi layered treetop walks how could we possibly resist the Hidden Woods stage? It’s a no brainer!
Find us doing the butterfly and dutty wind to:
Vixen, Part2Style, The Bug Ft Miss Red, The Heatwave, Daddy Freddy & Unit 137, Gardna, Timbali & Perppery, Ras Jammy, Marcus Gad.
6) Raucous Rascals
Location: Kidstown
With Emerson in tow at this years festival, we need to make his entertainment our first priority. It would be completely selfish to expect him to just go where we want him to. Let’s face it though a two year old always takes the lead when it comes to choosing activities anyway! We’re not even sure if we’ll get to leave the Kidstown district at all?!? There’s very little we can say about what you can expect to see at Raucous Rascals. That’s because once again this is a brand new stage for 2019! We’ll just have to keep our eyes peeled to the website for more details as they are revealed but rest assured…this new main stage will be in keeping with the rest of this incredible fun filled district.
Find Emerson doing his crazy one footed jig at:
Big Fish Little Fish (Obvs), Fun DMC.
DJ Archie Killing the dance floor at Kidztown – photo credit Boomtown
7) Dubtendo
Location: Metropolis
One third of Vibes Life Us is a self confessed retro gaming geek, can you guess who? The Dubtendo Stage is a little bit of heaven for anyone who enjoyed 8 bit button bashing in their youth (No, that’s not some kind of innuendo). Fully decked out in a retro gaming theme this digital utopia looks and sounds amazing. Previous years have seen the stage take the shape of an original NES controller or legendary Game and watch handheld. This year Dubtendo has been upgraded with later opening times and a bigger sound system. But by far the coolest feature of this stage is the retro Gaming comps which Run from 10pm till 2am.
Find us doing our best Mario power squat jumps at:
Subwork takeover, Born On Road Takeover, Danny Wav
– photo credit Sian Herbert Boomtown
8) Postal Posse.
Location: Old Town
Ever wondered what goes on at your local post office after the doors are locked? Us too! Well this is our chance to find out, and by the looks of things it can get pretty vibesey. Postal Posse is Boomtowns message centre, the last place in the city where freedom of speech is still possible. If your fond of bass heavy music and a little conspiracy theory theatricals this is the place to be. Turn off your smart devices and get involved in late night lock ins plus games and prizes.
Find us raving out to:
There’s no defined lineup for this street venue but rest assured whoever’s playing will be fully certi!
Its a Vibe at The Lions Den photo credit Jody Hartley Boomtown
9) The Lions Den.
Location: Lions Den
As you’ve probably noticed by our choice of stages so far, we’ve got a fondness for anything with a bassline. For that reason there’s one stage that we simply cannot afford to miss. The Lions Den is one of those “take your breath away sights” with it’s cascading waterfalls, lasers and flames. This absolute beast of an amphitheatre is the place to go for the best in Reggae, Dancehall, Dub & Roots.
Find us bawling for the wheel up at:
Supercat, Manudigital & Lt Stitchie, The Streets, Groove Armada.
10) Jobcentre
Location: Town Centre
Last but by no means least how could we not pay a visit to the Jobcentre. If we wanna call Boomtown our new home we really need to think about finding jobs. By day this ludicrously theatrical stage will use aptitude tests and biometric data to progress the careers of Boomtowns citizens. By Night we can expect some seriously bass heavy artists on hand to mash up the place. We can’t wait to get involved in the Jobcentres daily antics.
Find us throwing ourselves into our Boomtown characters and having it at:
Sample Junkie, Chip butty Takeover, K-Orse.
Photo credit Boomtown
Catch you in the Radical City
So, that readers is just 10 out of over 100 main stages and street venues at Boomtown fair. These 10 are the ones we’re going to do our very best to try and see, anything above that is a bonus. Notice I say TRY!! We’ve been to enough festivals to know that planning is a nice thing to do, but in reality it’s actually a small but exciting waste of time.
The truth is half way through day 1 the whole “plan” has gone out the window. You miss 1 set cause you’re queuing for beer, then 2 sets clash and bang the agenda is ruined. If there’s anything we’ve learnt its to just go with the flow and not stress about acts you might have missed. If you just forget all that, the majority of time you’ll be in the right place at the right time.
See you in August Boomtown Fair!
Pete. X
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