Take one of the most picturesque festival sites in the UK – specifically, a sprawling green expanse, nestled in the heart of Cornwall, and enveloped by the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Throw in 58,000 rabid music fans, a selection of world-leading surfing competitions, and a musical line-up that’s so jam-packed, it’ll make you wonder how they managed to cram it into one weekend, and what do you get?
The answer, dear reader, is Boardmasters.
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Returning in style for its eighteenth edition, not even the occasionally inclement weather could dampen the mood of the attendees.
After all, how could it when they had so much to explore? Between the multiple main stages, fairground rides, and the all-new immersive Dockyard area (arriving complete with, bizarrely yet brilliantly, a drum and bass DJ set from TV legends Dick and Dom), there was barely a moment to waste in this sprawling pop-up paradise.
And that’s not even mentioning the rest of the line-up. Boardmasters is known as Cornwall’s premier musical weekender for one reason and one reason only: it really is the best of the bunch. Headline sets from Chase and Status, Stormzy, and a rapturously received Sam Fender – whose forthcoming single People Watching brought more than a touch of Springsteen-esque bombast to the fields of Watergate Bay on the Saturday night – brought a sprinkle of stardust to the main stage, while hit-laden performances from the likes of Becky Hill, Kate Nash, Declan McKenna, and rising rockers Wunderhorse.
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Particular kudos must go to The Streets’ Mike Skinner, whose sub-headline performance on the festival’s Sunday night was part indie disco, part performance art.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Poet Laureate of The Sesh’ by some members of Team One on One, Skinner somehow alternated between delivering word-perfect renditions of his numerous hits and delivering an extended, show-spanning monologue about the freedom of youth, blessing of opportunity, and his burning personal desire to go for a post-set dip in the Atlantic Ocean. If that’s not the mark of a true artist, then we’re not sure what is.
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But alas, dear reader, we can’t all be Mike Skinner.
What we can be, though, is Boardmasters-goers. And why on Earth wouldn’t we want to do that? They’ve got the songs, the settings, and the surroundings for a perfect weekend – all you need to do is rally the troops. So, save the date for next year and begin to plan your best festival outfits; for if we know one thing, it’s that you won’t regret heading down to Boardmasters