Last weekend I was exposed to the weird and wonderful world of the BoomTown Fair. Set amongst the rolling South Downs, in two natural amphitheatres, this feel-good fictional town has to be one of the most unique events in the festival calendar. Reggae, ska, drum and bass and hip-hop, was the soundtrack to an unforgettable weekend. The organisers must be beaming with pride as this festival goes from strength-to-strength.

I set up camp in Downtown after what feels like a mammoth walk from the car. With no previous experience of this festival, or knowledge of the best place to camp I feel my selection did me proud as Downtown felt centre of the action. Unlike many other festivals I have experienced, at BoomTown when it comes to setting up camp it seems this is a free pass with many festival goers seeing this as an opportunity to get as close to the stages as possible. With music scheduled from midday – 4.00 am over the coming weekend, they were in it for the long run; there would be no escaping what was to come.

Facilities were interesting… citizens were encouraged to ‘fill a cup’ of compost upon entering the toilet/cess-pit cubicle and cover their deposits ready for the next visitor. ‘Humanure’ as it was pleasantly called will hopefully not be used to fertilise next year’s crops! That being said what a fantastic idea; the whole dreaded necessity was dramatically improved due to the easy maintenance of these facilities.

First stop, Chinatown Courtyard to see up and coming ska band, Bigtopp. Sunshine and cider accompany me on an excellent live performance which gets a great reception from a bouncing audience. We leave the oriental inspired surrounding and begin to explore what else Downtown has to offer.

One of the main stages in Downtown was Boombox, a giant 80’s style ghetto blaster with the tape deck housing the DJ, the whole arena enclosed by stacked shipping containers which encapsulated the sound, one of the many ideas to keep the neighbours happy. A couple of acts in particular capitalised on this. Mr Scruff and Norman Jay (MBE) completed a marathon 10 hour set that proved to be one of the main highlights of the weekend.

The most work had clearly gone into the Bang Hai Palace stage which climaxed with performances from Noisia, whose midnight set on the Saturday ruined my ear drums, plus LTJ Bukem and D&B royalty, Goldie. The presence of this stage could be seen and heard across Downtown, especially from my tent.

I struggle up the Hippy Highway straight into Uptown. Man-made streets are filled with many enthusiastic residents, whose colourful costumes and fancy dress compliment their environment. None more so than in the Wild West when I was confronted by cowboys and Indians patrolling the streets as other festival goers make their way to the next stage of their choice.

The most anticipated act for me was Shy FX who were playing at sunset in the Lion’s Den. The stage, a gigantic temple which looks like a prop from an Indiana Jones movie, stands alone in the very bottom of the basin. You could not build a better venue. The atmosphere was electric as a huge crowd gathered for nightfall. The following day I was keen to catch another act at the den and decided upon New Zealand’s hardest touring band Katchafire. Their roots reggae style brought its own weather as Boomtown was drenched in sunshine. 

Immediately after the band left the stage, brave/mental revellers were invited get involved in a paint fight that from afar made an excellent video on my phone. A long countdown led to a cloud of paint lingering over the crowd to the sound of MC Hammer’s 'U Can’t Touch This'. Watching people emerge from the wastage was equally as enjoyable.

The Halfway Woods provided us with a quicker way back to camp afterwards. Organisers might want to think about improving the flow of traffic in this area as it was heavily congested at peak times. A minor blemish on the town’s well thought out infrastructure.

The Mouse Outfit opened the Town Centre Stage at midday on Saturday. Unquestionably one of the greatest hip-hop bands this country has ever seen, fronted by some seriously top-notch rappers. The atmosphere that was created, especially at that time of the day, was remarkable. Plus a memorable, two-hour, audio-visual set from DJ Yoda had drum and bass fans enjoying another masterclass.

This chapter of this diverse festival was a resounding success, dodging a bullet with the weather obviously improved the atmosphere but rain or shine this is a must for any would-be festival goer. BoomTown is the fastest growing festival in the UK and it’s easy to see why, an incredibly surreal experience, which leaves me wanting more. Chapter 8 what will you bring? I’ll be there.

Review: Claire Rodgers 
Photos: courtesy of BoomTown Fair.

BoomTown Fair will return for Chapter 8 on 11^th – 14^th August 2016 at the Matterley Estate, Hampshire. Tickets go on sale on 3^rd November.