Photo Credit: Jack Delve and Caitlyn Ebsworthy
The smell of the sea hits as soon as you get our the car, the salty air pulling you into a warm summer haze. It all feels familiar and yet new at the same time, maybe it’s the sense of anticipation, of knowing what’s to come, but the excitement of how it will vary from previous years being a thrill still to seek. Much like the ocean, of which the festival cast its anchor all those years ago, the uncertainty of what lay ahead was enough to have us hyped as we scooped up our accreditation for Boardmasters 2024. We were ready and waiting to seek the treasures beneath.
Last year’s festival could have been a wash out, but Florence + the machine ensured her ethereal set only added to the pathetic fallacy, she closed with one of the most memorable performances to date and set a precedent for this year. 2024’s headliners were a change in tone, Friday night opening with Chase & Status, Saturday with Sam Fender and closing on the Sunday, Stormzy, with a whole heap of talent across multiple stages throughout the weekend. This year saw an influx of EDM and DJ sets that we personally didn’t get around to catching much of, however we delved into an array of music from old favourites like Declan McKenna to new acts currently taking the scene by storm like Corella.
Friday
As we usually find ourselves doing, it was straight into the Land of the Saints tent. The sheltered second stage of Boardmasters. We’d heard a of hype about the band playing and ensured we got down there early so not to miss a thing. Corella, a northern based four piece, quickly becoming everyone’s favourite little secret, won’t be a secret for much longer. They can be found on most festival line ups up and down the country, and for good reason. They certainly woke the festival up, the crowds poured in song after song with the tent almost full by the end. Their set comprised of all the big hits of their discovery with songs such as Bloom, and Lady Messiah getting the audience jumping. It’s obvious these boys are on a huge upwards trajectory, no doubt they’ll be amongst the mainstage acts in a few seasons time. 8/10 (CE)
We didn’t have long until the next act hit the stage coming in the form of NewDad, the Galway-based band delivered a set in a dream-like fashion. Tracks like Drown and I Don’t Recognise You, resonated deeply with the crowd, people swaying back and forth, already looking as though they were day three deep into the festival vibe. Their stage presence is calming, almost mirroring the audience, fully allowing the music to take centre stage, drawing the audience in with haunting melodies and introspective lyrics. Their sound reminds us of early 2000’s angsty albums, perfect for the teens in the audience perhaps experiencing the freedom of a festival for the first time. The band are making their way around the festival scene off the back of their rarely reviewed album MADRA, proving themselves to be another huge triumph for Ireland. 7/10 (CE)
If you don’t know Good Neighbours, get to. The London alt duo brought a bouncing energy onto mainstage. They reminded us initially of Glass Animals with their electro infused pop/alt sound. Vocally excellent and full of energy, we want to catch these guys again immediately. The audience really seemed to get into the set, featuring Home and a cover of summer and viral hit Espresso, by Sabrina Carpenter. Their song Daisies is the perfect festival number, it had a euphoric vibe that really lent well to the sun beaming down on the main festival site. It made us feel like we’d just got in the car after a long day at the beach in a Mediterranean country. Good Neighbours are a truly exciting band with a lot to offer, a great stage presence, excellent live sound and songs that play as well live as they do on their records. 9/10 (CE)
A rising indie star, who we thought should have had a much larger audience but did pull a fairly large amount of people considering the relative early time of the day, Master Peace enticed the land of saints crowd as soon as he burst through the stage mist. Traditional elements of 2000s punk and rap were incredible features of the set. Master Peace seemed like he was genuinely excited and loved to be at this festival. With constant audience interaction, to the point of getting down into the pit and getting up close to the dedicated fans who had come to see him. 9/10 (JD)
With Tom Odell, you know what you’re getting, a seasoned professional who gives it all during his set. We’ve seen him previously at his headline show in Brixton, but here on a huge festival stage he really shines. Piano led songs are always a bit special, so hearing Can’t Pretend on the side of a cliff with the setting sun really hit differently. Over the years Odell’s voice has matured and this has only elevated his unique sound further, the power he performs with is riveting. In addition his showmanship at the piano feels like we’re watching the last performance he’ll ever play, he gives his all to every set. Closing with the song that made him famous, Another Love, he was joined by a chorus of voices from the audience. The song now eleven years old, feels like yesterday since we first heard it, going by the response, it remains one of the best songs of the 2000s and will probably be regarded as such for a long while more. 8/10 (CE)
The Courteeners took to the sunny main stage with an exceptionally excitable audience. Frontman Liam Fray came running and jumping out overlooking the crowd and immediately got stuck into the set. Mainly playing the bulk of their 2008 St. Jude, no doubt due to the fifteenth anniversary of the record being celebrated last year, the band’s atmosphere lit up the festival goers and caused every single portion of the band’s set to be immensely enjoyable, even if not everyone knew all of the songs! 8/10 (JD)
Saturday
Rain truly dampened the start to Saturday. The View stage is beautiful and atmospheric in the sun, but clambering down the hill to it in the muggy rain isn’t quite the same. Unfortunately for BBC introducing act Citizen Papes, this made all the difference to the start of his set as only a handful of people made the pilgrimage to see him. A real shame as he’s an exciting prospect. What Happens Next and Gramophone have an American indie vibe to them, it’s exciting to hear an artist from the South West have a really different and distinguished sound from the usual beachy/melancholy that often artists can get loop holed into. We think his progression could be interesting to watch, particularly if you’re a fan of MAX or Lauv’s earlier work. 7/10 (CE)
Jalen Ngonda. Know the name. Goodness…What a voice. Unlike anything you’ll hear right now and perhaps not entirely suitable for the sound Bring the Noise normally reviews, but too important to not share. To try to describe his voice would only do him an injustice. His lyrics are contemporary but to hear his vocals he sounds as though he’s been ripped right from the heart of 60/70’s American soul music. His stage presence is calming, warm, daring you to do anything but fall into his sound. Elton John has already declared him as going to be a “huge star” and who are we to argue with Elton?! We would say for anyone who’s a fan of artist like Michael Kiwanuka or Olivia Dean, then you must get on his debut album Come Around and Love me. But to anyone reading, go and treat yourself, you will not regret it. He’s got a first class ticket to mainstage in the next few years for certain. A special thanks to our friends over at Clunk Magazine, the official media partners of Boardmasters, for the heads up on him. It’s now our duty to spread the word. 9/10 (CE)
Someone who has been popping up everywhere for the last few years being on the same ticket as acts such as Olivia Rodrigo, Kings of Leon, this year’s headliner Sam Fender and most recently at Wembley Stadium for the Eras Tour, Holly Humberstone was definitely someone that many at Watergate Bay was waiting for. Being understated and very relaxed is definitely part of Humberstone’s style as she and her band definitely didn’t bore anyone. As the sun came through the grey clouds, we saw the biggest outside crowd for the day up until that point. A mix of genuine fans and curious festival goers came to this set but although it wasn’t what we would usually go to see, we thoroughly enjoyed the singer-songwriter’s set as it brought heaps of positivity to the Boardmasters arena after a gloomy and rainy morning. 8/10 (JD)
Quickly becoming a Boardmasters regular, Declan McKenna was clearly eager to get on stage and start showcasing some of his newest album: What Happened to the Beach? Perhaps a symptom of currently being on tour and tiredness or just still being fresh in the live setting, songs such as Sympathy and Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine did sound unusual however form quickly returned on some of the more established tracks. With his trademark silliness, McKenna was all over the stage and even jumped into the pit to sprint up and down it and, at one point, roll around in it. The singer’s stagecraft is arguably incomparable and always brings endless amounts of energy to whatever stage he plays on, which is mirrored by the crowds, even if there may be some teething issues to some of the set. 7/10 (JD)
All day, black and white Newcastle United shirts dotted around the festival site, some hidden in ponchos to protect them from the rain but by night, dots turned into a sea of stripes as the pride of the North East, Sam Fender took the stage. He’s been away for a while, but that distinctive voice had gone nowhere. Not even three songs in and Fender paused the set to read a sign, a young teen wanting to play The Borders on guitar with him, after a few checks with the crew they got the lad up and plugged in an acoustic for him and he played along as if he’d been in the band for years. Large cheers erupted, the teen delighted, and he absolutely made the most of his chance. Up until this point Fender had seemed a little overwhelmed, the disassociation of being back in front of 50,000+ people quite understandably being a shock, but having this kid up on stage, living out a dream we’re certain he and many who’ve made it will have had at that age, was perhaps the thing he needed to drive him forward and put a smile back on his face. Fender has such a thrilling tone to his vocals, a Geordie Springsteen, the voice of the working class North Shields. His politically charged lyrics resonating with the Boardmasters faithful, up and down the coast the message still rings the same. While he still has some work to do regarding the general show set up, which we’re sure his team will get around too amongst the release of his new album of which he teased two new singles from, it was great to see Sam back on stage. A voice too important to be silenced. 8/10 (CE)
Sunday
Cornwall’s neighbour, Devon, has provided the likes of Muse, Joss Stone and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, but making the rounds most recently are three piece Tors. The band are a mix of indie/alt/pop and are probably best known for their viral harmony videos on social media. They wake up a very sleepy Sunday Land of the Saints. The crowd a lot smaller than they’re used too, clearly still too early for the revellers from Saturday night. Regardless, Tors played as if it were to a full house. The boys have a few huge songs the audience probably recognise from TikTok, such as Miracle. They are a well-run machine by now, we caught up with them briefly as they were in the press tent afterwards and we noted that they seem to just constantly be touring having just returned from the US and now prepping to go back out on the road in Autumn. Overall it was great to see them back on a larger stage at Boardmasters, but we couldn’t help but think that the lack of audience may have left a slight damper on their otherwise fantastic performance. 8/10 (CE)
We previously watched Cat Burns when she supported Years & Years at Wembley a few years ago, she has since blown up and become one of the biggest new artists in the UK having just released her debut album, Early Twenties to rave reviews. Since we last saw her, she’s certainly changed in terms of her stage presence. We recall her being quite statutory by the mic but this time she is jumping and moving around for the entire set. It was really fun to see her getting really into the songs and interacting with the audience. It also seemed that we recognised every song, with almost her entire set list seeming to have had massive radio and streaming play. Go and Know that you’re Not Alone seemed to get a huge response from the audience, and rightly so, Burns is not only an exciting young artist but a huge voice for the LGBTQ+ community, her lyrics relatable to a young queer audience going through the challenges of their 20’s. We’re thrilled to see her grow as an artist and think she might just be on a huge upwards trajectory. 8/10 (CE)
Maisie Peters headlined Boardmasters second stage, Land of Saints, on Sunday night offering an alternative to Stormzy. This was a genuinely exciting set even for those who may not have heard of her before. Undeniably one of the UK’s hottest acts at the moment following last year’s The Good Witch album. Being the British answer to Sabrina Carpenter, similarities are there but Peters adds a layer of relatability to those who come to watch her perform. Unfortunately the crowd was not the biggest we’ve ever seen for a secondary headliner at the festival due to the main stage having such a dominant and more established artist performing at exactly the same time with no staggering. This did not, however, stop the performer because the energetic and anthemic music like Coming of Age and I’m Trying (Not Friends) caused the crowd to fill the tent with their voices and energy. A definitive stand out for us was Holy Revival which has genuine elements of traditional rock in a live setting that isn’t heard as much on the recorded version. An incredibly likeable and authentic stage presence, Maisie Peters was very welcome at Boardmasters 2024 and is an act that everyone should be keeping an eye on for her future releases. 10/10 (JD)
Stormzy, a household name and for good reason. Although we don’t tend to focus outside of our usual genres, it’s imperative we mention just how good the Sunday headliner was. Stage presence, charisma, live vocals, Stormzy has it all, and proves just why he’s broken through as one of the biggest names in the UK music industry. Performing hit after hit, he had the audience bouncing along with him for his entire set. He’s now headlined all the major festivals in the UK, so having him back at Boardmasters was a real coup for the festival, he treated it no differently to his other major appearances, giving it the same respect and standard as that of say his Glastonbury performance where he famously donned the Banksy bullet proof vest. Stormzy is an a bold, unapologetic persona on stage, able to have the atmosphere at a ten with songs such as Audacity and Vossi Bop, and then into a transform the tempo into something you’d expect from a power ballad superstar with Blinded By Your Grace, the level of which he has elevated himself and the grime genre will be historical. Politically and socially aware, using his platform for justice and for change in addition to be an incredible wordsmith and athlete of a performer, Stormzy continues to prove doubters wrong and shows just why he is one of the greatest rappers the UK will ever see. 10/10 (CE)
To conclude this years festival; it was a whirlwind. By day three it felt as if we’d only been there an hour. Day two, even though it was weather wise, the worst of the three days, had the most varied selection of music and was the day we found ourselves wanting to be at as many stages as possible. This year had a different atmosphere, with a notably mixed vibe felt all weekend between the younger and older crowds. We personally really enjoyed ourselves, but did find the increase in EDM and DJ sets a little disappointing, particularly when Boardmasters is great for championing so many new and upcoming acts within the indie/alt and rock scene. Corella are a perfect example of the way we want to see the festival go, to keep bringing in new and emerging talent. In terms of the headliners, almost spot on. We’d love to see a band on one of the nights and some women or non-binary artists given a slot too after how excellent Lorde and Florence had been the year prior. Overall, we had a super enjoyable weekend and can’t wait to see who is announced for next year!
Written By: Jack Delve and Caitlyn Ebsworthy
Photo Credit: Jack Delve (The Courteeners, Declan McKenna, Holly Humberstone, Maisie Peters, Master Peace, Wunderhorse) and Caitlyn Ebsworthy (Cat Burns, Citizen Papes, Corella, Good Neighbours, Jalen Ngonda, New Dad, Sam Fender, Stormzy, Tors)
