It’s that time of year again; the birds are chirping, the sun has his hat on and the pretty little animals are humping merrily producing cute little baby furry things. But most importantly, free from the gloom and chill of the winter months we can finally start looking forward to this years festival season. For us at Yack! that means one thing and one thing only, we need to start planning what awesome outfits we’re going to don for the maddest party in the calendar and our annual visit to the Boomtown Fair.
If you’re not already aware of just how beautifully deranged Boomtown can be we’ve already written a couple of articles on what to expect and how to behave which you can read here:
The Yack Guide To An Explosive Boomtown
It looks as if this year is going to be bigger and badder than ever, it would take a small novella to list everything we’re looking forward to seeing so what we will do instead is list one act from a few of the districts which we believe simply cannot be missed. Part of the beauty of Boomtown is the wealth of ridiculous and amazing sights and acts on offer. You couldn’t see them all unless you had a time machine and so organisation and prioritising precisely what is literally unmissable is the best preparation you can make.
The Old Mines
Afro Celt Sound System
Have you ever wondered what a combination of instruments from Asia, Africa and Scotland would sound like? Would a bagpipe work over the top of a Dhol drum? How about if you were to throw some Kora in there? Well spoiler alert folks, it sounds incredible! I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this incredible band live before and I can promise you it is an experience and a party like no other. You can sit in wonder watching this beautiful meld of world music, or you can let it flow through you and dance feverishly along with this exuberant and talented group of musicians. With the release of the hotly anticipated ‘The Source’ in April the band are bound to be bringing something new and special to this performance.
Devil Kicks Dancehall
The Dickies
As they do every year the Devil Kicks Dancehall team have a line up that is going to make it very hard for us to leave the tent at all. The Last Gang In Town are an incredible bunch and they impress us more and more every year with the selection and calibre of bands on offer. For us this year the crown on the roster however comes in the form of punk royalty The Dickies. Swaggering on to the American scene with their unique blend of irreverence and humour and blending it with incredible energy. It’s an excellent chance to catch this seminal punk band doing what they do best.
Chinatown Courtyard
Mad Apple Circus
To our shame we were introduced to this band at a previous Fair, we’ve since remedied that oversight, the self titled album has been on constant rotation in Yack HQ and we’re really looking forward to catching these miscreant mix of minstrels once again. Creating a gargantuan soundscape with their intricate and extremely well woven musicianship, the end product is incredibly infectious and is bound to see you moving your feet. This band are extremely at home on stage and the energy they put out is impossible to ignore. We’ll be joining MAC for a boogie in the courtyard, we hope to see you there.
The Jolly Dodger
Mr Tea & The Minions
Another band that bedazzled and put us under their spell during a previous Boomtown appearance and we’ve been utterly enthralled ever since. We can’t wait to pick up where we left off, furiously skanking along to this bands ear-worming, hand clapping, foot stomping revelry. A beautiful blend of genre’s coming together in a sound entirely their own and majestically uplifting. Look out for a selection of cavorting covers and addictive numbers from their own repertoire such as ‘Mischief’ and ‘Whoops’. They set the bar high with what turned out to honestly be one of the most enjoyably memorable sets from Boomtown 2015, we hope this year see’s them sky rocketing towards new levels of funky ecstasy.
Poco Loco
DJ Format & Abdominal
We don’t need to tell anyone to visit the Poco Loco stage to make sure they don’t miss the poetic prince that is Mr Pharoahe Monche or mention that he’s bringing along a live band to rock the place to the ground with in what is sure to be an unforgettable show. So we won’t. Instead we’ll remind you of this cheeky little duo. “If You Can’t Join Em… Beat Em” was a masterpiece, serving up beats, lyricism and flow in no short supply. If you’re not already in fevered pitches of anticipation for the dynamic duo to be getting back together we’re sure you’re going to be doing backflips when we tell you it’s even been confirmed that they’ve been in the studio recording a new full length LP. Expect heavy hitting classics and possibly more than a little sip of the new stuff.
Have a look through the line up yourselves and let us know what you think the unmissable acts are going to be. Is there something we should be checking out for sure? Disagree with our choices? Bring on the comments, we love a passionate discourse.
If you haven’t already done so get your tickets for this years Fair here, they’re selling out fast so be sure you don’t miss out on the maddest party of the year. We’ll see you there folks.
Words by Matt Miles
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