19 August 2026
Very few things in life rival that feeling of cracking open your first drink upon arrival at a festival site. It’s just gone past 6PM, and as I step onto the Winchester soil for my third Boomtown in four years, that moment has arrived swiftly, prizing open the ring pull of a lukewarm tinny that not only feels like a necessary rite of passage, but almost like a welcome back. Chapter 5: Radical Redesign is officially underway, with over 75,000 people gathering to turn the Matterley Estate into a metropolis of music and sound system culture celebrations for the weekend.
Quickly dropping my bags off at the tent, I make the trip downhill to the Nexus stage just in time for Irish five-piece Gurriers at 8 PM. Having featured them in our Mixtape Madness preview, I had high expectations, and their set is absolutely blistering – there’s no doubt in my mind they’re set to be the next big band to come out of Ireland.
It’s been two years since I last found myself on the Matterley Estate, and to be honest, it feels unreal to be back. Though I arrived and am camping alone this year, I set my next mission to locate some friends in the Hidden Woods, some of which I had not seen in more than a year.
And with surprisingly minimal struggle, the mission was accomplished. Mind you, with Thursday’s lighter schedule, the Hidden Woods ended up way more rammed than normal. Nevertheless, it’s the perfect way to ease into things, the decorative elements of the forest stage stirring up a wave of pure nostalgia under the canopy, giving us just enough time to soak in the classic Boomtown magic before Thursday’s sharp 12 o’clock curfew pulls the plug.
Friday
Friday is underway, and what a beautiful day for it, with the sunshine blazing at close to thirty degrees. It’s opening ceremony day, and that means a swift midday start down at Hydro for the annual confetti cannons and big opener, this year coming in the form of Groove Armada.
Madness opens the Lion’s Den stage at the same time, although having seen them a couple of weeks prior on Brighton Beach, Armada got the priority. I’m armed with booze (of course), nestling as many Thatchers Haze as I can into my tardis-esque man bag, which finds itself acting as a self-service bar for the next couple of hours. Basking in the midday heat while thousands got their ‘groove’ on to a whole range of modern and classic anthems, it didn’t take long to prove we’d made the right call.
We then head swiftly over to Grand Central, where the mood becomes a lot more emotional with Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn’s set. Knowing that their final upcoming album, Goodbye For Now, marks the closing chapter of a 15-year journey makes the set feel even more special.
“Thank you so, so much – this might be the last time we ever get to do something like this,” Frankie Stew tells this crowd whilst relishing in every opportunity to get the crowd to make some noise for Harvey Gunn, “the man and the brains behind the music”. It’s their last scheduled festival date ever, a sad time for absolute legends in the game – and legends of their craft, but an amazing way to round it all off if it is the last time we see them.
After an afternoon spent discovering and refuelling, I take a cold shower at Skylark to then realise I now unfortunately look like a prawn, having burnt unevenly in the midday heat. Cameras will most likely be avoided for the rest of the evening, unless anyone would be kind enough to apply a black and white filter. With that being said, we head back out for the heavier end of the spectrum, with the sunsetting, and my burn thankfully becoming less obvious.
Ross from Friends b2b EFFY is right at the top of the agenda, and a massive sea of bodies has flooded in to witness it.
Ross’s emotive synth textures fuse with EFFY’s brutal, high-BPM weight to hold us spellbound from the opening drop, with welcome features of Ross’s ‘Love Divide’ and EFFY’s weaponised ‘iluv (VIP)’ sounding ever so great on the huge speaker system. A great set.
Of course, we stay at the Hydro XL stage for something heavier… 999999999 are up next.
And “heavier” is an absolute understatement. It’s very bloody heavy, and very good, don’t get me wrong. The Italian duo give us zero room to breathe, hammering the stage with an uncompromising barrage of 150-BPM acid techno and chest-caving industrial kicks. If you’re an out-and-out techno lover, there’s no doubt you’d be in awe of this set…
The night has taken a bit of a curveball. We’ve swapped the intense techno for something slightly lighter, dancing in one of the sites more lowkey areas, bobbing around in what we’ve come to refer to as “our own little bubbles” for A For Alpha b2b Dani Whylie. A recovery sit-down on the neighbouring hill paired with a nostalgic, alcohol-induced chat about life follows, something I’ve found to be quite the custom at any weekend festival with music ongoing until sunrise.
Time stands still for a second as said chat is interrupted by a singular BuzzBall rolling down the hill. I think it was a strawberry one, not that it matters to be completely honest. What does matter however, is, perhaps influenced by the warm cider count – I couldn’t help but think it was pretty poetic. Why is it poetic? I don’t know. But I’m adamant it is, as is the good company I find myself in.
Anyway, enough about that. I’m parched, and whilst it was a pretty relaxing watch, food, water and bed are on the horizon – ready for the next day ahead.
Saturday
Feeling a little bit worse for wear after a heavy Friday night, all spirits are very much lifted with a stunning set from Hak Baker over at Grand Central. Opening the 1pm slot, it’s a strong contender for set of the weekend.
“I’m way too sober for this”, Baker beams with an emphatic chuckle before swigging down some tequila straight from the bottle. The sauce has, dare I say, got him on even better form, the euphoria of performing at Boomtown to such a vast crowd tangible in the way he addresses the crowd with his casual, smiley conversation.
Taking us through all the emotions, it’s a set that alternates between stripped-back solo vocals at times, to full-blown performances with his score-worthy five-piece band, all elevated by his East London charm.
It’s a feel-good set that starts the day in the best way possible, erasing any prior knowledge of feeling a little bit rough and dehydrated.
Havoc of Mobb Deep is up next, drawing in a massive crowd as he arrives charged up on stage to ‘Survival Of The Fittest’, albeit a tiny bit late, going on to play some of Mobb Deep’s biggest tracks, including a high-octane closer in ‘Shook Ones’.
After a quick nap in Skylark, it’s time to get back on the wagon, and so across to the Lion’s Den I go…
“Ladies to the front – dudes to the fucking back… it’s a Shaggy show”. Fortunately for me, I couldn’t have been any further if I tried really, sat alone at the peak of the hill, mustering up the courage to keep sipping my stagnantly warm Kronenberg. It does admittedly become easier to drink with each gulp, made even more so by the performances of ‘Mr Boombastic’, ‘Angel’ and, of course, ‘It Wasn’t Me’ – which I now find myself wobbling my head to as the set comes to a close.
A swift link up with some friends later, and we’re all geared up for a big double header over on the Hydro XL stage. Floating Points live was up first with his touring AV set; most of the set is absolutely seamless, but as is the nature of playing a fully live set, moments do at times feel a bit sporadic and disjointed. The visuals go crazy, though – especially knowing everything is fully hydrogen-powered with no wasteful byproduct.
Somehow, I’ve ended up on my own for the following Four Tet set. I don’t quite remember how to be honest, but still, I find myself perched right next to the right-hand stage speaker. And it’s impossible not to have a f**king great time at a Four Tet set… A lot is going on at this point and it’s hard to take everything in – I’m covered in more dust than an asbestos removal man, but the party goes on.
Mid-set, Hebden spins an unreleased ISOxo & Dryden edit – ‘Pick Up The Pace’ – offloading a whiplash of jungle breaks on a drop met with thousands of screams and shouts in awe, a few textbook “fuck-offs” ringing around behind me.
It is, as expected, an absolute corker from start to finish.
I’d love to document the night further, but after catching a short bit of Brutalismus, I wander around on my own accord, not really knowing who I am seeing or where… which is sometimes completely the best way to do Boomtown.
Sunday
Unfortunately, due to travel and unforeseen circumstances, Saturday evening becomes my last dance. Those who go the distance get to relish in a closing set from Skrillex, who brings out Chase & Status, whilst KiLLOWEN headlines Grand Central and a whole barrage of other talent lights up the rest of the site.
Boomtown has never failed me personally. As somebody conspired during a brief conversation outside the Skylark camp, it’s an adult’s playground for the weekend. And to be honest, what better way to sum it up.
I think we’ve got into the habit of being too serious in this life. Or maybe we haven’t? Perhaps we should be? Who knows.
Whatever the outcome of the above rhetoric, this is exactly where Boomtown thrives. It’s an offering of all seriousness and routine responsibility to fade away for the weekend.
An offering of a new immersive city, different to one of day-to-day stress and worry – a safe haven to dance to your hearts content with a diversified roster of musical genres providing the ultimate soundtrack. And so it always comes back to the same thing… is there a better way to spend your weekend? We’ll be back again next year, Boomtown, that’s for sure.