Boomtown Chapter One: The Gathering 2022
at Matterley Estate in Winchester, UK
words by Dan Tsourekas

You wake up in the morning. You wash your face, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, get dressed and set out to go to work. If you drive, you get into your car and get from point A to point B. If you don’t, you pay an extortionate amount via local transport and get from point A to point B. You work, go on a lunch break, work again until you finish, and then maybe meet your friends for a drink and a chat. It’s an unbreakable loop created by the socioeconomic constraints placed by today’s society. The people who don’t fit in are usually creatives, yet even though they bend the rules of a usual nine to five, still find themselves lost in their own loop to make ends meet. No one truly discovers themselves until it’s too late.

A mysterious city appears in Temple Valley, Winchester this year. It’s only apparent for five days before it disappears. It’s called Boomtown, and it seems to be a gathering of creatives and people who want to escape this vicious loop they are in even if it is only for a week. It calls to the people who aim to gather an understanding of themselves, yet it masks this under a diverse line-up of artists, actors, and astonishing stages. It is a living, breathing representation of a microcosm in a made-up city, in the middle of nowhere. If it sounds that wild to you, it’s because it is.

Arriving on the Wednesday, an extra paid day with very few venues open, it was easy to understand that it served more as an early set up day for the campers that were eager to have everything ready before the true fair began. However, the attendees were allowed to walk around each campsite, viewing the city from above as the final constructions and details were being added to this behemoth of a festival. The two districts that were open to the public came in the form of Tangled Roots and Hidden Woods, two breath-taking stages hidden deep within forests, where the trees were dressed head to toe in multicoloured lights, strobes, and sand just above their roots. It directly connected people to their natural side, a side which the last few years seems to have been lost. And subconsciously, this is where the early steps of reflection kick in. Why have we lost connection with nature? Is it due to the constant appeal of the megalopolis, which ties us to it in order to work, make money and survive? Or is it due to the lack of nature, common courtesy of climate change? Regardless, one day in and there’s a general feeling and atmosphere of something very special brewing.

The city opens on Tuesday. It is a sight to behold. Whether it be through the fascinating ‘Letsbe Avenue’, filled with satire of modern life’s responsibilities. Attendants swarmed to the ‘Jobcentre 2.0’, the ‘Post Office’, the brilliantly thought out ‘Inconvenience Store’, and many more stalls. It quite cleverly exposed peoples need for real life responsibilities, even throughout a five-day festival, which is supposed to serve as an escape. And that’s where Boomtown’s hidden genius lies. Each district is its own wake up call. A small tap into each person’s mind and soul. Most of the days were spent researching and understanding each district for what it truly represents, while dancing and enjoying each ones accompanying soundtrack with fascinating musicians. ‘Letsbe Avenue’ signalled the starting point.

Reaching the end of the avenue, explorers were treated with two paths. One led to the dust filled, brown tinted ‘Copper County’, a district filled with inventions, free reign, and imagination. Firebreathers, jugglers and steampunk characters roamed the streets, while the main stage ‘Engine House’ hosted a brilliant mix of artists rooted within traditional African music, and jazz and funk fusions. It represented an era of intuitiveness and creativity, much like the music it highlighted. It was the group of people that prioritized evolution over anything else, and that very much showed with its dry, dusty backdrop that was very much fitting to the scorching sun that had placed itself above Boomtown.

The second path led to the exact opposite. Arriving at ‘Botanica’, it was clear to see the district’s community had prioritized nature over invention. Everything felt primal. ‘The Vault’, this lawless jungle’s main stage had an interesting mix of hip-hop, jazz, funk, and jungle music. Music genres that were considered just as lawless as the atmosphere of ‘Botanica’ when they first emerged. Diving into this district furthermore, a storyline could be unravelled, with the ‘Children of the Seed’ and the ‘Temple of Zero’ highlighting with a hint of irony, how society perceives the lack of technology. Despite all that though, the community found a way to connect with each other, a network beneath the ground, with an edible Wi-Fi password gave an interesting take on connectivity and an inventive way of looking at the internet. Truly a standout district.

Both pathways led to ‘Metropolis’. This could signify that no matter which direction humanity chooses to head towards, it always ends up with technology taking over. This district took technology one step further. It highlighted what could be our society in just a few years. Massive billboards spreading comforting messages of peace and love, credit scores forgotten, and self-expression promoted with utmost passion and importance. Following the futuristic theme perfectly, an astonishing line-up of DJs, house music, dancehall and D’n’B flooded the sound system. It felt like a utopia yet was bearing a harrowing atmosphere. Each step moving forward felt like a step into the future, with the layout of the districts proving that. However just before the final two districts, Boomtown’s mammoth stages appeared opposite each other.

Following ‘Copper County’, the first gigantic stage emerges. ‘Grand Central’ was the culmination of all the inventiveness its previous district had created. It felt like the true polished steampunk stage that its predecessor ‘Engine House’ was trying to achieve. With brilliant performances from Bob Vylan (who were so good they played twice), Nova Twins, Koffee, Kool and the Gang, De La Soul and Four Tet, the stage promoted a delightful mix of heavier sounds mixed with funkier and dance orientated sounds. On the opposite side, the biggest stage of the festival could be seen from even the furthest distance. Futuristic yet rooted within primal history, the true evolution of ‘Botanica’ could be seen with the ‘Origin’ stage. Stone, trees, and waterfalls cascading in the backdrop of this massive stage added to the atmosphere of jungle, dub and all subgenres of D’n’B, with legends the likes of David Rodigan, Shy FX, Noisia’s last DJ set in the UK, and A.M.C taking the visuals and production value to a whole new level. Both stages seemed to be a culmination of their side’s district mixed with Metropolis’ technological breakthrough. However, the final two districts on the map served as a harrowing yet brilliant warning.

What could be seen as the final glimpse into societies future came alive within ‘Oldtown’ and ‘Area 404’. ‘Oldtown’ being a familiar friend to many visitors, brings Boomtown’s history to life, through back alleys, hidden doors and venues, once again delving into its punk roots, with a western backdrop, gothic actors seen within ‘Traumaville’, and many hidden secrets to explore. ‘Area 404’ on the other hand brings the lack of law to a new level. Its focus on punk, ska, metal and hardcore created a new chaos through the rubble and destroyed glimpses of humanity. It is Boomtown’s rawest district and can be viewed as a very eerie wake up call. I view these districts as the peak of humanity. Evolution reaches a point in which so much damage has been created that humans either go back to what they know and are comfortable within, such as ‘Oldtown’, or delve into chaos, losing their sense of identity and becoming an even more rural version of the tribalism that existed before them, such as in ‘Area 404’. Boomtown’s map is a perfect precursor for reflection and self-discovery. Each step taken was a journey through past and present, and a disturbing glimpse into the future that awaits us unless this discovery is met and come to terms with. There is a reason the natural stages such as ‘Tribe of Frog’, ‘Hidden Woods’, and ‘Tangled Roots’ are placed outside the city. Perhaps it was a signal that no matter how much humanity chooses to evolve, nature will always be there to remind us of its importance until its uncomfortable demise. The entrance starts with the past, the last districts end with the future, in an ironic, twisted alternate dimension of a city that bears messages for our reality. Each venue, stage and actor played a tremendous part in the realisation of this message and moving forward it is enthralling to see what Boomtown has in stall for us in the coming years.

Outside of the city, each campsite was a comfortable reminder of community and love. Whether it be ‘Downtown Village’’ slate stone carving campsite run by the talented SlaveNationArt, promoting togetherness, creativity and passion, or ‘Temple Village’s ‘Jam Tent’, which allowed anyone to jump on stage and express their creativity. There was always a sense of understanding, knowledge and sympathy waited to be discovered, overshadowing the corporate prices of vendors, and festival necessities that exist these days.

Boomtown Fair is an experience that everyone must have at least once in their lifetime. It allows people to view the world in a different perspective, and much easier in a way, due to the layout of the story, the underlying messages if one decides to explore beyond the music. It allows to make the first step towards self-discovery and realisation of how small one truly is. It is the most unique festival in the UK, and even possibly the world. Returning, you wake up in the morning, and instead of going straight to brushing your teeth, you take a few seconds to breathe, and remind yourself that you are breathing.

BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL 2022