Boardmasters 2023
Posted on: 2023-08-17
Our rating:
What a weekend!
What a weekend! From the sparkling sea views to the stunning line-up, Boardmasters offered a spectacular summer escape – even if we were the oldest people there by about a decade.
We arrived on Friday in time to soak up the sunny atmosphere (so many burnt teenagers) and assess the range of food options. Churros! Pad Thai! Pizza! The possibilities were endless and reasonably priced by festival standards.
The first act we caught was Ben Howard, who charmingly crooned out a couple of his acoustic classics alongside some of his newer material, dressed head to toe in cream linens. That night was headlined by Lorde, who blew us away with easy stage presence, contagious dance moves and a handful of absolute bangers. We loved her.
Liam Gallagher drew a giant crowd on Saturday, and lived up to expectations, but for us, he was eclipsed by the deadpan bops performed by Confidence Man on the main stage earlier that day. Bear’s Den was another highlight, bringing a smaller, noticeably calmer audience to their show – which was a set full of indie folk nostalgia – and included the only trumpet I saw all weekend.
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The festival closed with a dreamy but chaotic Florence set, since the sound seemed to be affected by the bad weather. Anyone who didn’t fancy huddling in the rain to see her ethereal magic could head over to watch Four Tet at the same time, who pulled a killer set in the cosy respite of the Land of Saints tent, where the atmosphere was deliciously mellow and bass-y.
Apart from the drizzle, the only real downside of the weekend was the shuttle bus. As non-campers, we journeyed from Newquay into Boardmasters and back again each day, but on the last night – no buses turned up for hours – so hundreds of chilly, damp and in some cases already-hungover people queued in a muddy field.
Oh well… don’t look back in anger!
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Keen to attend next year? Head over to the website to sign up for 24-hour presale access for Boardmasters 2024.
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Alys is a full-time copywriter, avid reader and podcast enthusiast currently based in Henleaze. As a recent transplant from the North, she’s keen to explore everything the South West has to offer, but is especially interested in exploring the food, art and culture scene in Bristol.
