Ah Boomtown, you unpredictable beast. Following the silliness of last year’s lineup, which managed to blend the classic reggae, bass and hip-hop with the likes of Skindred, Sublime and Reel Big Fish, the tenth chapter has, incredibly, stepped things up yet another gear.
This time around, it seems like they’re almost directly playing to a very particular subset of people – those bridging the gap between generation Y and the earliest millennials – the 1985 – 1995 segment, if you will. Check it –
Acts like Gorillaz and Die Antwoord in the headline banner certainly kick things off on the right foot, and then you see that Limp Bizkit, Enter Shikari and, astoundingly, even Napalm Death are billed. This shift towards emo kid/metal-head sensibilities is indicative of something that’s always been percolating under the surface of Boomtown – a ska band here, a punk band there, but never a full commitment to this kind of heavier fare.
That’s not to say there’s been a complete shift, Jimmy Cliff is the big reggae name of the year, the usual complement of trance, jungle and drum and bass practitioners are present and correct and the UK hip-hop and grime crowd are going to be very pleased (Ghetts! Levelz! Lady Leshurr!). Additionally, the jazz-infused element which first emerged last year has grown, this year comprising of Mammal Hands, Alfa Mist, Too Many Zooz, Bilal, Nubiyan Twist, Blue Lab Beats and Sampa the Great.
Since the last chapter closed out, the festival have been promising to shake things up, and so they have. Talk of the festival site itself being reshuffled in the wake of dramatic events is still circulating, an ominous new trailer featuring the festival fictitious founder Nikolas Boom dropped shortly before the lineup.
Boomtown tickets are still available, get yours here.
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