Crack

Friday night and I’m sat outside Milton Keynes train station, it rains as I watch as festival goers arrive and leave, I pick them out easily amongst the sea of trackies and 90’s emo kids. Concrete and glass surrounds, two and a half hours pass and finally a transit van comes hurtling around into the car park and into the bus lane. My suitcase is thrown in the back; a rum and ginger (heavy on the rum) is thrust in my hand and we’re off.

The festival; Boomtown Fair, the location; a field in the grounds of a classical show house built in the 1600’s, now home to Stowe School and a garden centre. We enter through an impressively long drive and there’s an obelisk in the distance. We’re ushered into park behind the Lion’s Den (reggae tent). In the van behind are Tom and Luke from Wales soon to be our wingmen for the weekend. Already a culture has been established, we trade cider for mushrooms and water for, well, other stuff. It’s a good trade and seals our friendship.

We are led into the night, I adopt the customary Friday night policy of getting totally obliterated sans supper, after my losing my mind in a dance tent post The Wurzels, I spend daybreak dry retching in the woods. Wide-eyed and belly aching we head back into town to explore the realities of daylight; failing to recover the brand new coat gifted to Lucy a day ago, she winces.

I get a call from Luke, a cute Manchurian with a penchant for backgammon, we meet him in aunties lounge, with the no shoes allowed policy and collect the phone he found that belongs to a friend and linger long enough to become sleepy. We take stock and head off in search of music, drugs and food. Ska, reggae, rockabilly.

Easing into Saturday evening - the main objective being exploration, highlights include the ‘town centre themed tents’ ASBO disco; with actual prams parked outside and leisure centre with comedy gym out back cue a dirty bass heavy dubstep, workout. My one gripe entertainment wise was the quiet sound level and unrealistically early curfew, perhaps in a bid to appease the venue, this left folk wandering aimlessly into the night in search of musical stimulation,

Sunday appears and the van is full of people. An impromptu party grows into a large gathering, we sit outside as the morning sun beats down, warming our bodies - life is good. Musically today is our most productive day we make it round many stages and catch the key acts.

Sunday, true to form, ends up the strongest day. We spend time at the main stage, engaging with Toots And The Maytals. His voice is deep, wide and raspy, recognisable over the band and backing track. The costing didn’t stretch to full brass section.

After we were accosted by Trojan Soundsystem who were out to gather troops for a backstage party, I sensed it was a girls only affair and declined. We headed instead to Devil Kicks, who presented a solid line up late into the night. A victim of its own success, it was jam packed throughout the festival and played longer than most other stages; which meant I probably didn’t afford it the attention it deserved.

My new experience of Boom Town were perhaps complimented by the additional luxury of sleeping in a van and the newfound culture and sense of community that accompanied it. Yet 2010 notably had more to offer inside the festival with larger tents and more stages, which ensured you left content savoring yet again the stripped down party ethos of Boom Town.



Words: Martina Randles

http://www.boomtownfair.co.uk/

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