Words by Zoë Harmony and Rachel June

This year was truly unforgettable, and it’ll stick with us, along with the dust we’ve accumulated in our suitcases! The sun beaming down definitely slowed us down, but that wasn’t going to stop us from seeing the best Boomtown had to offer. Radical redesign, we’re ready for you.

Throughout the festival, ASBO connected with some amazing artists up close and personal in interviews, including ZIMMA, Jamezy, Young Franco, LEXII, and Dee Montego. From our conversations with these artists, the care, passion and love for their craft really stood out. Read on to find out what they had to say.

Day One

We set up in the blazing heat, with Jessie, our artist liaison, becoming Bear Grylls as she impressively set up our gazebo to create some much-needed shade. Points to us for listening to our last-year selves, who spent far too much time melting away in the inescapable heat.

We headed straight for a dance in the Hidden Woods, making new friends whilst watching the breathtaking solar eclipse from the hill. It was a pretty magical way to start the festival. We spent time dancing in the sun to Dee Montego, and grabbed her for a chat after she played at Beatbox.

What kickstarted Dee in the industry was mentoring female DJs. “It just gave me the confidence boost I needed to get me into the scene”, she said. Dee warned us as we left, “What happens at Boomtown stays at Boomtown! Listen to the wise words! 

Day Two

Day two brought us everything we’d been waiting for since last year. Confetti cannons went off as people ran into the fair, Letsbe Avenue was popping off, and we headed straight for LEXII’s set.

Already in need of a good clean, we were washed from our sins at the Soapranos Launderette, where DJ LEXII had us stomping our feet and dancing with the rubber duckies. Naturally, we had to grab him for a chat. His advice to aspiring DJs? “Hustle, stay humble, and have fun.” He’s certainly following his own advice, promising, “You’ll be sick of me!”

So, get yourself down to one of LEXII’s sets. You won’t be disappointed. 

In our free time, we found ourselves at the Inconvenience Store, watching fellow Boom citizens battle it out in a Pot Noodle war. You truly can’t get this anywhere else. We danced at our fave venue Pomegranate Parlour and even had an early night. I know. But if you were there, you know Boomtown is a crazy workout wherever you go.

Day Three

On Friday, we had one non-negotiable: Young Franco.

We’ve been jamming to his music for six years, so finally getting the chance to pick his brain was a big one for us. But first, we went absolutely wild at his incredible set at Anara Forest. It was smiles all round as the crowd bounced and swayed to the beat. Young Franco brought a plethora of different styles together, including house, funk, soul, drum and bass, and dance.

Then came the moment that sent the crowd into another dimension. Young Franco brought out the legendary General Levy, who seemingly rapped in angelic tongues and exploded unreal energy across the crowd. They played their collaboration ‘Give Thanks, Give Praise’, sending us absolutely feral.

Young Franco understood his audience; he was partying alongside us! The feeling he created in that space left everyone dancing without a care, despite the heat. The crowd fanned each other and offered water to those who needed it, while smiles beamed from every face we made eye contact with.

We grabbed Young Franco backstage, where the Aussie artist was beaming about his first-ever Boomtown experience. He told us he’d love to play the Sydney Opera House one day and offered some advice to aspiring artists: “Whatever you’re drawn to most, follow that. Keep putting yourself out there and collaborate!”

We shared a tequila shot with Young Franco now that the work was done, and continued on our pilgrimage. The evening consisted of bopping around different venues and discovering new sounds. 

Day Four

Saturday arrived after a 5 am bedtime, so we spent some time at camp discussing the previous night’s antics before venturing back out.

DJ Jamezy and Haribo set the Jägermeister Platz venue on fire. The staff looked after us so well, giving us Jäger drinks backstage as we danced along to their epic set. We grabbed Jamezy post-set, where he told us: “My biggest piece of advice for anyone doing music is to make sure you are having fun. I never thought I’d have a career, but I had fun with it. Having fun is the key.” 

We then made our way to Folamour’s set at Hydro XL as he ignited feel-good energy across the sunny crowd. Luckily, we caught the Skinner Brothers at Nexus, an act that wasn’t originally on our radar but completely blew us away. They display passion and lyrical genius alongside mosh pits, crowd surfing and plenty of audience participation. These independent artists vocalised their opinions on society, politics and the freedom of having no need for a label.

The masks worn by the Skinner Brothers are a signature part of their brand, adding to the chaos. Energy flew from the stage, audience members catching it in a wave of dust, and passing it through the crowd like a virus. Watching this connection between people and artists was masterful to see. 

Then they brought out Ren.

Known for speaking freely through his music, seeing Ren perform live felt even more powerful than watching him online. He crowd-surfed and rapped with such force that it shot straight through you. The rap, rock and drum and bass combination had our faces melting and our feet hurting from bouncing around.

Later at Boomtown Bobbies, Jessie spoke with ZIMMA and you can watch the interview here.

The new Hydro XL stage blew our minds with 999999999’s exemplary set. The techno cityscape drew us in with its immersive lights, as bass travelled through our bodies, soaking up the heavy atmosphere. As self-confessed bass heads, even this set caught our attention as we felt enriched by the heavy beats and out-of-this-world music style.

Boomtown this year was undeniably heavy on techno. Speaking to longtime Boomtown goers gave us more insight into this. Some felt the festival's original styles of reggae, drum and bass and rock had been replaced over the years by techno, trance and the like. Although many of those classic themes still appeared, we struggled to find them in the usual spots. Techno was especially prominent throughout the weekend, and although enjoyable, we found ourselves yearning for more! Creative lyricism, bass-face beats and connection from stage to audience were what we chased.

But then, the evening supplied the drum and bass we’d been so deeply craving.

Andy C took our breath away as we X-stepped through his entire set at Lions Den. The combination of drum and bass and bright lights transported us somewhere else entirely. We made two new friends who stuck around after we offered them gum, and just like that, a new gang was born.

Ashnikko gripped us through her entire set. It was magical, and she brought star energy throughout. This is one we’ll be getting tickets for on tour.

We hiked through Boomtown, stopping at rave tents along the way before eventually finding ourselves chatting together until the sun came up.

Day Five

It’s Sunday, and none of us can walk.

We decided the smart thing to do was rest, spending the day sunbathing, working on our Boomtown tans and hanging out with our new neighbours. Eventually, we dragged ourselves back to Anara Forest for an explosive set from Skantia, who had us squealing when he brought out Bou, one of our favourite drum and bass DJs.

We later lay back and listened to the sweet Irish sounds of Graham Sweeney at Sibin Beag, Old Town. Graham is an amazing artist we’d made friends with at camp. His hilarious and intimate set of Irish folk music was exactly what we needed to heal, recharge and find the energy to carry on.

Our new friends introduced us to Spyro who played at Beatbox. His happy techno had RJ uncontrollably dancing to the upbeat sounds. He gave us a well needed dance after our laid back Irish folk experience.

FCUKERS were next at Lions Den, where we spent the remainder of our evening. Her angelic voice alongside dance beats had us singing "L.U.C.K.Y I'm lucky. Y.O.U are mine cause' I'm lucky". They know how to fcking party. We wandered around the smaller stages, grabbed some delicious and well-needed fuel, and then stood in amazement as Faithless took to the stage.

After the loss of their lead singer, Maxi Jazz, we didn’t know quite what to expect. But somehow, they brought him back to life. His voice and image shot through the crowd, with classics including ‘Insomnia’ and ‘God Is A DJ’. Faithless literally revived us from our slump and gave us a new lease of life. The power of music.

The closing ceremony was a little lacklustre, with the fire warning meaning no fireworks. But as we plodded back to camp, the night continued until the sun came up.

That's what Boomtown is about for us. Hanging around camp with strangers who become family is why this festival is, and always will be, so special.

The overall experience is one we’ll never forget. At every corner, Boomtown shows what life could look like if we all got along. In some ways, it feels like a taste of heaven.

Sadly, though, the organisation and staff training by Live Nation disappointed us yet again. 

We spent hours trying to find the welfare tent, only to discover that some staff didn’t know where it was either. It’s difficult to blame the staff themselves when they told us they didn’t have access to a map and weren’t paid particularly well.

Boomtown is built on humanity, creativity, community and expression, yet at times it felt as though those values were being overshadowed by financial return.

Luckily, the creativity, art and people make up for a lot.

Boomtown isn’t lost. It just feels a little misdirected, and we hope that one day it finds its way back to what made it so special in the first place.

This festival remains one of the best events we’ve ever experienced. The colours, the people, the atmosphere, the stages, the silliness and, above all, the community are what Boomtown is really about.

When reality has been hitting depressingly hard, there’s something incredibly special about being able to sit in a circle with new and old friends, laughing, dancing, engaging in complete silliness and forgetting about the outside world for a while.

That little taste of heaven is why we’ll be back. Next year, we want to get more involved with the secrets of Boomtown and dive deeper into the storyline. If you have any top tips, let ASBO know in the comments!

So, until next year, Boom.