The unstoppable force of BoomTown Fair has now announced its full line-up consisting of over 300 of the best, bonkers and boom-tastic acts this planet has to offer!
With the first line-up announcement consisting of heavyweights such as The Parov Stelar Band, Ozomatli, Toots and the Maytals, Mad Caddies, Arrested Development, Richie Spice and Collie Buddz, new headline acts include Bad Manners and Gentleman and the Evolution. Also freshly announced are an abundance of acts that may not be on the usual festival goer’s radar but are guaranteed to provide some of the most magical moments at BoomTown 2013! Taking place over 8th – 12th August in the Matterly Estate, Winchester, BoomTown will envelope its residents in a handpicked world of ska, punk, bass, folk, gypsy, swing, reggae, roots, jungle and drum ‘n’ bass, for four days of unadulterated escapism and musical indulgence!
Bad Manners will once again be gracing the streets of BoomTown after their high octane headline performance back in 2011, the ska legends will be taking to the Town Centre (Main Stage) ahead of The Parov Stelar band on Sunday evening to ramp up proceedings, ensuring that the festival is seen out in true BoomTown style! Whilst over in TrenchTown, BoomTown reggae fans will be treated to the sublime roots reggae delights of Gentleman and the Evolution to guarantee the sunshine vibes are blasted out good ‘n proper!
Although BoomTown packs in some superstar big hitters from ska, reggae and bass cultures, they also dedicate a big chunk of their line up to the lesser known, grass roots talents that make the scenes they celebrate so loved throughout the globe! With an abundance of acts on the bill for this year, it is hard to know where to start when faced with such an impressive range of top-notch international acts from a vast spectrum of awesome genres. To help with this, the Mayor of BoomTown has picked out a selection of acts from each of the seven districts as top tips to keep an ear out for – this is just the tip of the iceberg but we’ve got to start somewhere!
TrenchTown boasts the best in dub, reggae, dance hall and ‘Jungle-is-massive’ sounds throughout its three unique venues; The Lion’s Den, Aztec Bar and the Hidden Woods. A selection of the esteemed guests heading in from the various corners of Europe to visit this district include; Swedish reggae superstar, Million Stylez, the Polish reggae and hip hop mashups of Dreadsquad, the versatile and unique approach to all sub genres of reggae & bass music from Croatia’s Balkan Hi-Fi, Radikal Guru’s combination of dubstep with roots reggae and UK dub, French heavyweight crew Dub Inc’s combo of dub, reggae, ska and rap, and mega stars within the German-speaking reggae scene, I-Fire; plus one of this country’s own bonafide reggae legends, the mighty Jah Shaka, will be bringing his full soundsystem and hosting a massive street party.
DownTown hosts some of the most popular venues for late night shenanigans including Arcadia, BoomBox – where the infamous Dance Off can be found, The Bodyshop, and the ever debauched Asbo Disco. Keep an eye out for; The Outside Agency, hailing from Holland, they fit the bill of The Bodyshop perfectly by delivering a perfect blend of dark and industrial elements at almost every conceivable speed, covering everything from old acid to breakcore and anything in between! Lady Waks, a one woman industry: a promoter, producer (winning best breakthrough producer in Breakspoll 2009) and DJ (nominated Best Breakthrough DJ at Breakspoll) she is at the top of her game for anything she turns her hand to and one to experience live! Also be sure to watch out for Riddim Fruit Records, they will be taking over the Boombox with some of the most exciting new names in ghetto-funk, breaks and general big chunky beat bumping goodness!
El Barrio Loco, one of the new districts for BoomTown 2013, showcases dirty bass in its multitude of venues including Poco Loco, Circo Baile & Samedia. The Major’s picks for this district include a globetrotting array of bass junkie, hip-hop, jungleist stylers; French DJ quintet and hip-hop masters, Chinese Man; The Bristol / Trinidad carnival connection of Jus Now whose sound, which mixes up UK bass and Caribbean Soca, has been tearing up the clubs and radio airways recently and are certain to do the same to the streets of BoomTown; UK hip-hop super-group Problem Child will be pumping out their glitched up beats to bring a refreshingly futuristic take on the formula, whilst rappers Dubbledge, Dabbla and Illaman manage to drop some seriously good rhymes without taking themselves too seriously!
The Town Centre is the epicentre of all things ska, party and fun! Known for the being the hub of the action, this stage has welcomed the likes of Gogol Bordello, Jimmy Cliff, Caravan Palace (to name a few) over previous years and will be the backdrop for headliners: Toots and the Maytals, Arrested Development, The Parov Stelar Band, Mad Caddies and Ozomatli this year. Also under the famous Town Centre orbit, keeping the party swinging and the knees skanking, will be massive Scandinavian bands such as: Hoffmaestro, the Swedish ska, electronic and alternative pop band who dare to go where few have been before, mixing up ska with reggae, techno, New Orleans-funk with a dash of country, and Ska ‘N’ Ska, who know how to get things started and make that BoomTown feeling run through the veins! Plus from France, uber cool Parisian sextet - Les Yeux D'la Tete and Bordeaux’s Les Hurlements D’Leo both blend gypsy rhythms, traditional melodies, jazz leanings and rock sensibilities into musical journeys of love, humour and party madness!
ChinaTown, another new area for 2013, picks up from where OldTown feared to venture, filled with the most ‘avin it levels of punk: ska punk, rockin punk, folk punk and polka punk, as well as a healthy dollop of ‘hell jazz ‘n’roll’ thrown in for good measure! The venues include the ChinaTown Theatre and Devil Kicks Dance Hall, where top spots for the weekend include; the anarchic and often comically political German ska-punk RotFront and folk-meets-global-gypsy royalty - Crash Nomada, who project a unique hybrid of folk music from around the world, supercharged with electric punk-rock energy, this truly international folk-punk outfit from Stockholm have been labelled as Sweden’s best live band numerous times over the years and BoomTown can’t wait to ensnare them in the city walls and keep them forever!
OldTown is filled with Balkan, gypsy, pirate and skankin’ beatz; The Fat B*stard Gang Band - this mighty fine French Balkan Electro Punk band are known for blowing their audience’s away with their all powerful brass ensemble and a fat rhythm section... Another act to keep an eye for in the heart of OldTown is Räfven, at first glance seemingly a collection of eight odd ball Gypsy Punks, but once on stage they morph into one single organism that delivers a frenetic and untamed mix of music that's guaranteed to send people just a little bit silly!
Mayfair Avenue is the hub of high class - its swanky electro swing clubs and live swing bands venues include; The Fitz-Sloane Manor, The Bank, The Park Hotel, Bump (Roller Disco), The Bling Bar and Last Aid; acts to watch out for amongst the BoomTown glitterati are: Swingrowers, a young, dynamic Italian duo from Palermo in Sicily, who have taken vintage swing and buffed its spats up to a dazzling shine, then thrown a glitter ball in for good measure, resulting a respectful update of a beloved genre that has seen them tour with the likes of Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace! And finally, Mac Abbé et le Zombi Orchestr a French rock’n’swing outfit that have a striking stage presence and put on one hell of a show!
These are just a tiny splattering of all that is on offer at BoomTown Fair, see below for a full list of the booked line-up for 2013 and head to the website to start looking into who might be a personal highlight for this year’s global phenomenon that is BoomTown Fair!
Published on 15 March 2013 by Wayne Feltham
