Gabriella Old
Freelance content creative and copywriter from Cornwall. You’ll either find me on the outskirts of a mosh pit or surfing waves out back. Most likely shitting my pants in both instances.
Boardmasters is over but the unforgettable scenes from Sunday will stick with us far beyond the festival
Boardmasters 2024 has come to an end in the most spectacular way imaginable. The sun showed up in full force and the sets were just as powerful as the UV.
Devon indie band TORS drew an early-afternoon crowd at Land of Saints, describing it as a “dream comes true to play this stage”.
English Teacher took to the same stage later that afternoon, delivering a set that was nothing short of spellbinding. Lily Fontaine’s vocals, held the crowd in a trance – a crowd that, frankly, deserved to be larger for a band of their caliber. The ever changing pace of the set kept us hooked, shifting seamlessly between stripped back moments of electric piano, cello and softly spoken verses, to full throttle heavy guitars and strobe-lit drum crescendos. It was the kind of set that covers you in goosebumps.
Kate Nash exceeded expectations with her unforgettable set which she spent almost entirely in the pit or actually amongst the crowd, stopping only once to have her make-up touched up. It was a sight to behold as she scaled the barrier and weaved her way through the starstruck audience. Stopping along the way to sing face-to-face with lucky superfans, a life-affirming moment for some of the first time festival goers.
The Bitchos‘first words uttered to the crowd following their opening track were, “suck on that one bitch”. Just like that, the tone was set for a wonderfully fun and playful set. The all-instrumental setlist was packed with epic guitar shredding, groovy baselines and keys that got the crowd and bandmates dancing in sync. Not to mention the a synchronized bongo, snare and drum symphony between three of the five-piece. The band delivered a mix of old favorites and unreleased tracks from their upcoming album, all while having a laugh amongst each other. They wrapped up with a group hug, a fitting end to this joy set.
The band took their places, then in strolled Mike Skinnera seasoned pro – one hand in his pocket, the other gripping his mic as he performed opening tracks ‘Turn the page’, ‘Who’s Got The Bag’ and ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’venturing down to the barriers to get up close with fans. His laid back approach continued throughout the set, casually chatting and cracking jokes between tracks, offering pearls of wisdom to a crowd who for many were experiencing their first big festival. The set culminated with ‘Take Me As I Am’sending a ground-shaking bass throughout the mass of shoulder surfers.
Stormzy brought Boardmasters main stage 2024 to a close with a rousing set that took us on a journey through his ever-growing repertoire. From the moment his band kicked off with a cinematic intro – big drum beats and electric guitar – you knew you were in for a treat. I have introduced with ‘Big Michael’ alongside hype man DJ Tinyjumping across the full stage. As the tone shifted to play some more melodic tracks, some of the crowd were put off, but the masses who stayed were treated to the glorious harmonies of his gospel choir. And then, the moment everyone had been waiting for—‘Vossi Bop’. The crowd erupted, singing along to every lyric, before the stage flashed with impressive pyrotechnics. DJ Tiny got the whole crowd chanting “Hey, Ho,” before one final, euphoric chorus as the band went all out. Stormzy left the stage via the pit, running down front row to slap the hands of his adoring fans, proving that despite his immense fame, he remains as down to earth as he was back when he first graced Boardmasters with his presence in 2017.
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