boomtown

Trench Town lineup announced for Boomtown

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For its penultimate Chapter 8 district line-up announcement BoomTown steps into TrenchTown, one of the festival’s most popular districts and the city hub of all things reggae, dub, dancehall and jungle. At its heart is the Lion’s Den, an ancient temple towering 40ft into the sky and the UK’s largest dedicated reggae stage.  Elsewhere in the district, the Hidden Woods stage is all about the beach party vibrations and deep into the woodland Tangled Roots celebrates sound system culture to the fullest, while all new stage The Windmill is the place to go to soak up laid-back folk, reggae, soul and funk sounds.

Topping Chapter 8’s monumental line-up are two acts who represent so much of BoomTown’s heritage and finally make their debuts at the festival; the legend that is Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley and New Zealand dub dons Fat Freddy’s Drop. Joining them is a collection of previously announced reggae and dub big hitters; Morgan Heritage, Inner Circle, Tarrus Riley, Junior Kelly, Channel One meets Mad Professor, Kabaka Pyramid & The Bebble Rockers, Little Roy and Mungo’s Hi Fi LIve, plus a fresh wave of additions that includes Pama International, Alaine and Dean Fraser with Blak Soil Band, Earl Gateshead, Kiko Bun, Hollie Cook andIQulah Rastafari.

Bashment fans will be getting their dutty whine on to dancehall queens Tanya Stephens and Soom T, The Heatwave alongside an explosive line-up of UK vocal talent including Big Narstie, Tippa Irie, General Levy, Flowdan, Rodney P, Demolition Man, Skibadee, Solo Banton, Serocee, Stush and Nadia Rose, plus Japanese soundsytem collective Part2Style and US producer6Blocc.

Repping the ragga junglists and dubwise DnB heads are the likes of Congo Natty feat Congo Dubz, Tenor Fly & Iron Dread, Benny Page vs Ed Solo, Aries, Dreadsquad & Blackout JA plus Uncle Dugs dropping a ‘Jungle Renaissance Rinse FM set’.

Full TrenchTown Line-Up:

Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, Fat Freddy's DropMorgan Heritage, Inner Circle, Tarrus Riley, Junior Kelly, Tanya Stephens, Kabaka Pyramid & The Bebble Rockers, The Heatwave presents Showtime feat. Big Narstie, Tippa Irie, General Levy, Flowdan, Rodney P, Demolition Man, Skibadee, Solo Banton, Serocee, Stush + Nadia Rose, Congo Natty feat Congo Dubz, Tenor Fly & Iron Dread, Little Roy (Battle For Seattle), The Skints, Mungo's Hi-Fi Live Band feat. YT, Charlie P, Eva Lazarus + more, Channel One Meets Mad Professor,Benny Page Vs Ed Solo, Zion Train, Prince Fatty & Horseman, Soom T, Pama International, Alaine and Dean Fraser with Blak Soil Band, Earl Gateshead, Kiko Bun, Hollie Cook, Wrongtom & The Ragga Twins, Dreadsquad & Blackout JA, Aries, Laid Blak, IQulah Rastafari, ManuDigital, Part2Style, Uncle Dugs ‘Jungle Renaissance Rinse FM set’, 6Blocc, Sticky Joe & Cheshire Cat, Stagga & Ras Robbie, Baby Dub, Skitz, Joe Burn, Jinx in Dub, The Resonators, onlyjoe, Eva Lazarus, Backbeat Soundsystem, Illbilly Hitec ft. Longfingah, Kelvin 373 + Born On Road, Delhi Sultanate & Begum X, Unit 137 Sound System + Lionpulse Sound System AKA Lion Unit, Fleck, Dope Ammo, AAA Badboy, Amabadama, Donette Forte & Urban Lions, General Roots, General Skank, Samsara, Dubheart, Disorda, Danny T & Tradesman, Jam Jah feat. Lion Art, Leo Samson, J-Man Selecta, CHIEF ROCKAS, Daddy Nature, Escape Roots feat. Tom Spirals, Mattykore, Fat Stash, The Mr Bassie Band, Captain Accident, Arrival Sound, Steel City Rhythm, Rubberdub Soundsystem, Countryman Soundsystem, Titan Sound, Kaotik Kartel, Prank Dancehall, Shanti Squire & MC Little Tree

Boomtown announce House in the Woods Stage for 2015

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With just under 30 days to go until BoomTown open their gates for what promises to be the biggest and wildest chapter to date, the UK's largest independent festival is about to get that little bit bigger with the announcement of yet another area, complimenting 24 stunning themed main stages across a huge festival site.

Located deep within the numerous woodlands spread throughout BoomTown, House In The Woods will encapsulate the innovators and dreamers behind the best in house, disco, techno and boogie with a curated line-up from four of the UK’s most influential tastemakers.

Further igniting the house-heavy vibes on Friday will be renowned Bristol natives Shapes, who’ll be teaming up with underground trailblazers Flux to bring two legendary figures from the underground dance scene to the hallowed BoomTown turf. A Guy Called Gerald has continuously re-writing the rule book for dance music and will be showcasing his History Of House Set under the mesmeric woodland skies. The night gets even bigger with pillars of the underground dance world Horse Meat Disco stopping by to deliver a set of deep house nuggets.

On Saturday, it’s the turn of infamous Bristolian crew Alfresco Disco to take the reins for an unpredictable night of breath-taking beats. Alongside their acclaimed residents will be a unique headline set from Raf Daddy of The 2 Bears, who have set the scene alight in recent years with two acclaimed studio albums combining two step, house, hip-hop and soul. It’s a night destined to live long in the folklore of BoomTown.

After a weekend of rhythmic debauchery, it will fall to the mighty Electric Minds to shake House In The Woods one last time with a night bursting with mavericks of the underground dance world. Iconic Electric Minds boss Dolan Bergin will be on hand to oversee a line-up that includes the dynamic Amir Alexander, who will be transporting the loyal residents of BoomTown to the gritty sounds of modern America and celebrated “outsider” Pangaea appearing in the midst of a worldwide touring schedule that has seen his nostalgic drum and bass sound reach thousands. Topped off by an appearance from George Levings (Commix) new musical project Endian, The House In The Woods is likely to shake BoomTown to its knees.

Boomtown Fair 2014 SOLD OUT

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BoomTown Fair has sold out for the sixth year in a row! Even after increasing the capacity by over 20% to 38,000, this ever popular event has shifted all of the tickets to the annual Fair and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down! With an astonishing array of musical genres covered by the headliners alone; The Cat Empire, NOFX, Jimmy Cliff, The Wailers, Shaggy, The Skatalites, Tinariwen, Bellowhead, New Model Army, Alabama 3, Lady Saw, Raggasonic, Afro Celt Sound System alongside 400 more artists, this juggernaut of a festival truly does deliver across the board!

BoomTown Fair isn’t your average UK festival, offering its attendees or ‘residents’ a fully interactive pop-up city with boulevards of buildings to explore and various venues to get thoroughly stuck into. The fair has a hugely theatrical feel and delves into the attendee’s psyche to unlock the feelings of childlike wonderment and fantasy, and with the increased revenue from ticket sales being directly reinvested into the artistic and theatrical elements, BoomTown has further built upon its boundary pushing creative environment!! With hundreds of walkabout and sideshow performers, intricate and engaging sets as well as an ethical ethos and a disregard for the norm, over the past six years BoomTown Fair has established itself as one the UKs most spectacular events and unlike any other on the scene at the moment!

With the Fair a few days away it’s time to sum up what to expect at this year’s event, all the new areas, the old favourites and the stealthy shenanigans! New areas to keep an eye open for this year include the Wild West Street, which comes fully stocked with two watering holes, the Crazy Calamities and the Rusty Spur, a rogue Sherriff and some Hill-Billy Bluegrass bands on hand to provide the perfect soundtrack! Across the way in the OldTown district, the ginormous Pirate Ship, The Jolly Dodger has landed and will be the host of many a Pirate band including a full on Pirate Takeover on the Sunday of the festival. The Old Mines will be presiding over the wholesome Whistlers Green District with world class folk artists such as Bellowhead, Tinariwen and Afro Celt Sound System. As you might expect from BoomTown, nothing is totally traditional, much like the festival itself, the acts picked are known for pushing the boundaries and adding their own twist on things!!

BoomTown Fair will return to Matterley Estate from 7th – 10th August with a theme of Outrageous Carnival connecting the nine individual districts, the streets of BoomTown are once again going to be awash with amazing sets, colourful characters and creative communities!

Boomtown Fair 2014 headliners announced

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First up, is the welcome return to the UK festival circuit after a seven year hiatus, The Cat Empire! Other headliners of this incredibly diverse festival include one of the biggest names in Californian ska-punk NOFX, the most well-known band in the history of reggae The Wailers, another reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Grammy Award winning Mali musicians Tinariwen, eight-time winners at the BBC Folk awards Bellowhead and at the other end of the musical spectrum; queen of the dancehall Lady Saw, French ragga supremoes Raggasonic, the world debut outing of the UK Allstars, electronic mastermind Tipper and the raw electronic sounds of Boddika. This is one seriously hot initial line-up looking to set the summer on fire! BoomTown Fair is held over 7th – 10th August at the Matterly Estate, Winchester and caters for a huge amount of musical tastes from folk and world music, all the way through to the soul penetrating bass of ragga and jungle.

Accompanying the headliners The Cat Empire and NOFX on the ska, swing and punk stages are:  New Orleans Hot 8 Brass Band, bringing their version of the traditional marching band right up-to-date with bass, funk and hip-hop sounds.There will also be cheeky cockney chappies Chas n Dave with their special blend of ‘Rockney’; Hayseed Dixie will be bringing a unique take on AC/DC classics with their very own genre of ‘Rockgrass’.  The irrepressible[dunkelbunt] and the Secret Swing Society, five piece folk-punk outfit The Dreadnoughts; lost legend of Ska Freddie Notes, along with; Tape Five, Phoenix City Allstars feat Rhoda Dakar, Russkaja, Woohoo Revue, The Destroyers, The Trojans, Molotov Jukebox,  La Selva Sur, Babyhead and Horace Panter's Uptown Ska Collective.

In addition to very welcome return of Jimmy Cliff, the inaugural appearance at BoomTown of French trio Raggasonic and the first-lady of dancehall and GRAMMY winner Lady Saw, the reggae, dub and jungle stages are going to be shacking to the sound of some of the meatiest basslines in the world of reggae and dub! One of the most exciting acts to venture into the Lion’s Den, is the world debut of the UK Allstars, as the name suggests, this line up consists of the ultimate selection of originators from UK dancehall; Congo Natty, Congo Dubz, Tippa Irie, Top Cat, General Levy, Daddy Freddy, Sweetie, Irie, Tenor Fly and Nanci & Pheobe!!!  Also bringing the full force of their bass to the incredible Lion’s Den temple stage will be Warrior King, Easy Star All Stars performing the entirety of ‘Dub Side of the Moon’, Chronixx & Zinc Fence Redemption, Dawn Penn, The Skints, Mungo’s Hi-Fi Full Sound System, Macka B & The Roots Ragga Band, Benny Page, Raging Fyah, The Heatwave, Robbo Ranx & Stylo G & Sister Nancy.

With folk and world music a key focus for BoomTown this year and a dedicated brand new stage to host it all, there is set to be a huge influx of live acts to the festival with much more acoustic music available to soak up and chill out in one place; with international big hitters such as Tinariwen and Bellowhead the first announced headliners, along with global music movement Playing For Change Band, created to inspire and connect the world through music and with some of the most recognisable names in world music involved this is one collective of musicians not to miss! Mercury Award nominee Sam Lee and Friends, the incredible Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, the whirling dervishes of English folk 3 Daft Monkeys, BoomTown favourite Dub FX, along with Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, Eliza Carthy, The Bad Shepherds, Treacherous Orchestra, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Skinny Lister, La Chiva Gantiva and Beans On Toast.

Meanwhile, down in the depths of DownTown, amongst the Arcadia Spider BoomBox and the BodyShop is where the bassiest of bass and the most broken of beats can be found!! Confirmed so far are: Tipper, Boddika, Special Request, Hannah Wants, Dub Phizix & Strategy, Ms Dynamite, Mele’ & Slick Don, Friend Within, Rockwell, Stanton Warriors, Kahn & Neek, Proxy, Optiv & Btk, Black Sun Empire, Aphrodite, Bong Ra, Kry Wolf, Zed Bias, My Nu Leng, Swindle & Royal T, Altern8, Machine Code, Panachea, DJ Champion, Mouse Outfit, Jus Now,.

FULL LINE UP SO FAR:

SKA, SWING AND PUNK STAGES:

The Cat Empire / NOFX / Hot 8 Brass Band / Chas and Dave / Hayseed Dixie

/ [dunkelbunt] and the Secret Swing Society / The Dreadnoughts / Freddie Notes / Tape Five / Phoenix City / Allstars feat Rhoda Dakar / Russkaja / Woohoo Revue / The Destroyers / The Trojans / Molotov Jukebox / La Selva Sur / Babyhead / Horace Panter's Upown Ska Collective

REGGAE, DUB AND JUNGLE STAGES:

Jimmy Cliff / Raggasonic / Lady Saw / UK Allstars – feat: Congo Natty, Congo Dubz, Tippa Irie, Top Cat, General Levy, Daddy Freddy, Sweetie Irie, Tenor Fly, Nanci & Pheobe / Warrior King / Easy Star All Stars  / Chronixx / Dawn Penn / The Skints / Mungo’s Hi-Fi full Sound System / Raging Fyah / The Heatwave / Robbo Ranx & Stylo G / Jus Now

FOLK AND WORLD STAGES:

Tinariwen / Bellowhead / Playing For Change Band / Dub FX / Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit / Eliza Carthy / The Bad Shepherds / Treacherous Orchestra / Sam Lee and Friends / Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate / 3 Daft Monkeys / Dizraeli & The Small Gods / Skinny Lister / La Chiva Gantiva / Beans On Toast

BREAK AND BASS STAGES: 

Tipper / Boddika /  Special Request / Hannah Wants / Dub Phizix & Strategy / Ms Dynamite / Mele’ & Slick Don / Friend Within / Stanton Warriors / Kahn & Neek / Proxy / Optiv & Btk / Black Sun Empire / Aphrodite / Altern8 / Kry Wolf / Zed Bias / My Nu Leng / Rockwell / Swindle & Royal T / Bong Ra / Machine Code / Panachea / DJ Champion / Mouse Outfit feat. Dr Syntax & Sparkz