Nobody can deny the attention to detail that organisers of Boomtown Fair put into creating this crazy town was nothing short of incredible.  This is a festival that has to be explored- there are so many things happening, but 4 days is probably not enough time to get around every nook and cranny. But I gave it a good crack!

A week ago, I was scared:

I’d done a bit of research and seen pictures of the largest collection of freaks and weirdo’s that I’d ever seen (yes, even more than you’d normally find at Endorse It In Dorset).  So, without my normal bunch of friends to care for each other, I was sceptical about this new town that would be my home for the next few days.  Luckily, a great crowd of friends were at the festival, so a camp was found and we were off.

I needn’t have been scared.  Every single person I met was so friendly.  Ultra friendly.  It was like living in a neighbourhood where everybody loved each other.  And my immediate next door neighbours turned out to be a troupe of burlesque dancers who insisted on sitting around topless all weekend.  (But, trust me, that part wasn’t as necessarily as good as it might sound – especially as they all started partying at 6am in the morning).

With the exception of a few of the acts, the music on offer was not normally what I’d call my cup of tea. Primarily reggae, ska, gypsy, dub with an added dose of hardcore techno thrown in would not normally attract me to a festival.  But I think I fell in love with every genre I heard at least one time over the weekend (even if by Sunday I was starting to hate some of it – purely because I’d heard it so much and my feet hurt from dancing).

For many (most?) the ultimate highlight of Boomtown was the Arcadia stage.  Anybody who has been to Glastonbury should be familiar with Arcadia and it’s giant ‘spider-stage’, with acrobats and the most spectacular fire show.  The Arcadia people have taken the stage (in smaller versions) to other festivals but they bought the full spider to Boomtown and its location in the centre of the Matterley Bowl made it even more spectacular than ever.  The added bonus of being able to watch the show from up on the hill (and away from the 5,000 or so punters dancing like crazy below) made it even more special.  The only downpoint for Arcadia (for me) was some of the repetitive music and MCs that seemed to be on loop.  It’s unfair to criticise it for that though, that’s my personal taste and thousands of people were having the time of their life.

Music wise, highlights for me were Freddy Frogs (a French DJ, with a blow up frog on his back who was playing an almost indescribable mix of hardcore techno with everything from Disney tunes to gypsy folk).  Like I said, it’s undescribable, so listen to this to get an idea (if you can describe it, please help!):

The Dub Pistols  showed that they’re really on top of their game (again) pulling one of the biggest main stage crowds on the opening day with a high energy set that refused to let you sit down for more than 30 seconds.  They also played a couple of DJ sets later in the day which were equally well received.  They’re putting in a good claim for more headline slots, so festival organisers take note – you could do a lot worse than put these boys on top of the bill.

Zion Train blew me away. Although, I was distracted for much of their set by what appeared to be bullying security tactics by two men in yellow as they emptied the entire contents of a girls handbag and pockets for the duration of the set – only to find a little bit of weed (that they looked intent on smoking as soon as they were out of costume).    The girl was in tears – the security smirking.

So many other acts left a big impression on me, but it was the appearance of Special Guest Jimmy Cliff  that was the icing on the cake.  Having seen him just two weeks earlier, I wasn’t looking forward to his set as he never impressed at all.  But the sound at Boomtown (unlike at Lulworth) was 100% spot on, and he played I Can See Clearly Now this time too!

There were so many other highlights over the weekend:  chilling in the hidden woods; watching Beans on Toast in an even more hidden (and scarily hilly) wood;  the carnival/parade on the Sunday; the silly protest on Sunday; the Jailhouse Rock bus (that really was rocking); The Police Rave Unit; the fire breathing dragon; the ASBO Roller Disco; the secret ‘safe’ area in the bank full of mattresses and money bags; the list could go on and on.  The non-appearance of Sound of Rum and Beany Man were disappointments, but they were soon forgotten.

Boomtown Fair is a festival like no other and I returned home (a 20 minute drive away) battered, bruised, full of aches and pains, no voice, a shrunken stomach; a jaw that aches from laughing so much and about 6 pounds lighter. But I’m no longer scared of returning to the craziest town to ever visit Hampshire.  In fact, I can’t wait to go back.  I just hope they don’t decide to change the venue again as the Matterley Bowl is the perfect home.