Anyone like a bit of ska and reggae? Like your music infused with the vibrancy of the Caribbean? Boomtown Fair is the festival of choice for you my friends. Held at a secret location in Buckinghamshire in August, the legend of Boomtown Fair is that it was once a prosperous retreat now changed into a lawless rebel land whilst town official’s work to restore its former glory. It seems like themed festivals are all the rage lately and a good thing that is too.
Boomtown Fair features the Town Centre Stage where the likes of Toots and the Maytals, Bad Manners, Dub Pistols and Smiley Culture will entertain you; the Lion’s Den exploding with reggae, roots and dub sounds; circus acts, interactive theatre installations, live music and DJs in the Invisible Circus; Downtown where ANYTHING goes; the Roadkill Casino featuring a traditional knees-up in an ASBO disco and pole-dancing ferrets and badger racing – I’m sure that is just marketing blurb, well I think so; Devil Kicks Dancehall which is an “unashamed celebration of bourbon trash culture on the rocks, dishevelled decadence, vintage glamour and dancefloor fever” that had me hooked on wanting to visit with the first few words; the Bad Apple Bar, an Old West Salon Bar brimming with ciders and perrys to make you salivate; a kids area full of fairground rides and bouncy castles and workshops ranging from story-telling to puppet shows.
The line-up includes the aforementioned reggae greats Toots and the Maytals, Bad Manners, Smiley Culture and Dub Pistols alongside Neville Staples of The Specials; fellow Specials member Roddy Radiation; The Wurzels – yes of “I’ve Got a Brand New Combine Harvester” and “I Am a Cider Drinker” fame; Ska and Ska; Gentleman’s Dub Club; Mad Professor; General Levy and banging dubs from the awesome Trojan Sound System.
It’s time to “Move It, Move It” and, after this festival, which is sure to get you up and dancing, you’re going to need a lie down and to put your tired feet up. See more at the event website.
