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Boardmasters Festival Review

Benedict Watson

Sun, sea and great music, what could be better! Boardmasters 2022 was a huge

success, with the large crowds enjoying the star-studded lineup and Newquay’s coastal

beauty writes Benedict Watson.


The early draw on the Friday afternoon was Cassia, whose tropical indie-pop sound was the perfect fit for the weather and the festival! Their 45-minute set really got the festival going, alongside strong sets from Daisy Brain and Folly Group, which kept the energy high. The Lathums had the early evening slot on the main stage, and saw perhaps a surprisingly small crowd for an band with a number one album last year. Nevertheless, they delivered a fantastic performance, with a couple of solo acoustic songs from lead singer Alex Moore really showing off his expansive voice.


"Idles was as intense as expected, with 27 people going over the front barriers..."

Mr Jukes and Barney Artist delivered an uplifting set of jazz-tinged hip-hop on the tented Land of Saints Stage, with both artists really seeming to enjoy the atmosphere. Mr Jukes is the pseudonym of Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman, and it was fascinating to see him perform in a completely different environment to a Bombay show. Whilst he did look a little out of place, and the crowd did seem more enamoured with Barney, Steadman got into the spirit of things and had strong chemistry with Barney.


Idles headlined the tent on Friday, whilst George Ezra closed the main stage. Idles was as intense as expected, with 27 people going over the front barriers, and I managed to catch some of George Ezra too, hearing him charismatically play hits Paradise and Budapest.


Saturday’s early afternoon was a little weak, however from 3:15 onwards there was an onslaught of artists I was very excited to see! Swim School rocked the View stage, Sam Ryder delighted the large main stage crowd with Eurovision hit Spaceman, Thomas Headon brought his charming brand of Harry Styles-inspired indie- pop to an excitable audience and Rae Morris calmed the mood with some beautiful ballads.


As the sun set over Newquay, an incredible Saturday night of music got underway with a hour-long set from Declan McKenna. Early hit Brazil got the best reaction from the crowd, with some sporting Brazil flags and face paint! Bastille followed on the main stage, however I did find lead singer Dan Smith‘s stage presence a little disappointing. I’ve always considered him to be a creative and experimental artist, but unfortunately his performance transcended into lots of him jumping up and down with one hand in the air to songs which sounded much more pop-dancey live than they do in the studio version. I left Bastille’s set half-way through to catch the end of Pale Waves, a band who I’ve been hoping to see for a while. Whilst I missed my personal favourite Television Romance, I really enjoyed their high energy set, with debut-album-hit There’s a Honey sounding fantastic.


I’m quite an obsessed Bombay Bicycle Club fan, so seeing them headline the Land of Saints stage was a real treat. They sounded incredible, with a packed stage that included trumpeters, a keyboardist, a backing guitarist and a backing singer. Surprise inclusion of the folky Ivy and Gold in the setlist produced an exuberant reaction from the crowd, and fan favourite Always Like This suitably closed the set.


Sunday was a day to spend on the main stage, with the stunning Palace playing there in the afternoon and a knockout combo of The Wombats, Tom Grennan and Kings Of Leon closing the festival. The Wombats played all the hits in a fun-packed set, whilst Tom Grennan started strong with Found What I’ve Been Looking For and Royal Highness, however the second half of his set was more dancey which wasn’t so much to my taste.


Boardmasters certainly kept the best till last, with legendary American rockers Kings of Leon headlining the Sunday night. Starting with classic The Bucket, KoL kept the energy high throughout the set, whilst including some emotional peaks in The Bandit and Revelry. It did seem like a lot of the crowd were waiting for the 2 big songs though, and KoL cooperated, telling the crowd to ‘get their phones out’ before playing Use Somebody and finishing the set with Sex on Fire.


I had a great time at Boardmasters, and am intrigued for next year's lineup. Thanks to The Mic and Boardmasters for the wonderful opportunity!



Benedict Watson

 

Edited by: Caradoc Gayer

In article video courtesy of YouTube. Images courtesy of Will Bailey and Jame North via Boardmasters Gallery.

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