This week will see over 50,000 music fans of all ages descend on Watergate Bay and Fistral, Newquay for the biggest music and surf event on the Cornish calendar. From Wednesday, August 7, until Sunday, August 11, fans can party on the clifftop site, which has hosted the festival since 2005 when it was first known as Nokia Unleashed.
Were you there for that first one when James Blunt headlined off the back of recent hit You’re Beautiful? It’s got a lot bigger, rockier and dancier since then.
Personal highlights include seeing it grow into a mammoth event after attending the very first one back when Razorlight meant something. Other highs include the underground drag queen madness of Coney Island (a secret, naughty club in the middle of a festival is always a good thing), meeting musical hero Wayne Coyne who later rolled around the crowd in his inflatable ball when the Flaming Lips played, and seeing some of the more underground bands that Boardmasters’ always manages to attract such as America’s White Denim.
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Watching Stormzy attract one of the biggest crowds ever seen in Cornwall seven years ago was a game changer (he's finally back to headline this year), while the festival has upped its game in recent years with superb sets from Gorillaz, Idles, Self Esteem and, last year, The Last Dinner Party, proving why they have now become one of the most exciting British bands this decade. Here's a rundown of the high points (and a few lows) from the very beginning.
2005
It doesn’t seem that long ago but in 2005 Cornwall just wasn’t used to having a festival in a field on a clifftop overlooking the sea. Apart from the SAS Ball at St Agnes, there hadn’t been anything like it in the county for years, so there was some excitement for the first ever Boardmasters, although the music side of it was known as Nokia Unleashed back then.
With hindsight it wasn’t the most exciting line-up, but it was the start of great things. Joining James Blunt, fresh from the success of You're Beautiful and before he became the funniest man on Twitter, were Donovan Frankenreiter, Razorlight, Rooster and Dogs. Anyone remember them?
2006
The festival’s name changed to the catchy Ripcurl Boardmasters presents Rizla Unleashed.
It was a stellar year for local bands – Boardmasters has always given a stage to the very best South West talent. Cornwall’s Marvin & The Gayes, My Elvis Blackout and The Hitchcock Rules all played on the main stage. Those were the days. Higher up the bill were Feeder, The Automatic, Starsailor and a blistering set by Blur’s Graham Coxon.
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2007
Another name change to the snappily titled Ripcurl Boardmasters in association with Relentless. Ash, Funeral For A Friend, The Subways, Paolo Nutini, Guillemots and Scott Matthews were among the line-up, proving it was much more of a rocky affair in the past compared to the dance-centric event it is now.
2008
Groove Armada, The Zutons, Pigeon Detectives and The Futureheads were just a few of the names at a festival that was growing all the time but was unrecognisable as the behemoth of current times.
2009
The year it became the equally tongue twisty Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans. The Streets (who return to the main stage this year), Calvin Harris, Cypress Hill (who got the munchies for Cornish pasties in the media area backstage), Super Furry Animals and Roots Manuva were some of the bigger names.
2010
The year Leftfield headlined which many ageing danceheads still remember fondly. Newton Faulkner, Seasick Steve, Chase & Status (who return for a third time to headline on the Friday this week), Tinie Tempah, Plan B and Example proved that local bookers SW1 Productions were starting to get some big and varied performers as the festival’s reputation grew.
2011
Another eclectic bag with Fatboy Slim, Bombay Bicycle Club, Klaxons, Sub Focus, DJ Yoda and way down the bill, Ben Howard, who would return to headline just two years later.
2012
After wowing the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth early in his career, Ed Sheeran returned to headline alongside Dizzee Rascal, The Ting Tings (whatever happened to them?), Maximo Park and Zane Lowe.
2013
The year it got bigger when a third day was added. The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx and Ben Howard were the headliners. Everything Everything, Frightened Rabbit, Miles Kane, Delphic, Tom Odell, Grandmaster Flash and Benga were among those playing across the site.
2014
Chase & Status, Snoop Dogg and Bastille were the headliners while others billed to play included The Cribs, The Enemy, Palma Violets, Dead Kennedys and further down the bill George Ezra and Catfish and the Bottlemen, who would go on to bigger things.
Bastille and other acts due to play on the Sunday didn’t when ex-hurricane Bertha caused ‘carnage’. Who knew it would get even worse in years to come?
2015
The first year more stages were featured on the poster, including Unleashed, The Point, Mavericks, The View, Keg & Pasty and more. It was quite the line-up with Faithless, Rudimental, Bastille, returning after the previous year’s disappointment, De La Soul and Clean Bandit with the likes of Roni Size, Fat White Family and The Darkness elsewhere.
2016
Chase & Status returned to headline alongside Deadmau5, James Bay, Primal Scream, Kaiser Chiefs, Soul II Soul, Wolf Alice and a whole load more.
2017
Stormzy - who's back this year - lived up to his name and stormed the weekend, attracting a massive audience and he wasn’t even headlining, though Alt-J held their own in the unenviable position of following him. Others playing across the site, which grows incrementally every year, were Two Door Cinema Club, Flaming Lips, Jamiroquai, DJ Shadow, Armand Van Helden, Slaves, A Blaze of Feather, Frank Turner, Pete Tong and loads more.
2018
Catfish and the Bottlemen and George Ezra both returned to headline while Chemical Brothers played a blinder in the rain and Lily Allen packed out a tent. Years & Years, Nadine Shah, Rag’n’Bone, Gwenno, Confidence Man, The Horrors and Friendly Fires were also on the line-up.
2021
The year when it seemed like all of us who went got Covid ... but we had a good time despite that. After two years without a festival due to the weather and the pandemic, Boardies returned jubilant with what many believe was its best year up to that point. Gorillaz and The Kooks went head to head, and both won. Foals, Sam Fender, Jorja Smith, Holly Humberstone, Arlo Parks and Goat Girl also played memorable sets.
2022
The year it was as hot as Hades and, for me, the best Boardmasters since it began. There were great acts spread across all three days, from Moonchild Sanelly to headliner George Ezra, Disclosure - who also topped the bill - to Joy Crookes and Tom Grennan.
Eurovision sort-of-winner Sam Ryder proved a revelation while De La Soul were actually better than main stage headliners Kings of Leon, who seemed to phone in their set on the main stage on the Sunday night. Though there were still wonderful moments (Molly's Chambers and Sex On Fire, for instance).
The Friday featured two of the best sets I've ever seen at Boardmasters. Idles were at their usual blistering best, while Self Esteem was simply sublime, getting the crowd crying as well as dancing with her wry pop. Hard to beat.
2023
Last year was another beauty - Cypress Hill were absolutely brilliant on the Friday, proving stoner rap never gets old, while Lorde did her thing on the main stage. The Saturday saw Liam Gallagher try out a Cornish accent for a surprisingly young crowd who sang along with every word, while the Keg & Pasty venue was full of people chanting "F*** your second home" during a Jam & Meme set. Sunday was all Florence and the Machine's.
Standouts across the rest of the festival included Little Simz, Raye, Confidence Man, Bob Vylan, Yard Act, Nova Twins, Jockstrap and Squid, while The Last Dinner Party played the smallest stage in the middle of the afternoon. Anyone watching knew they were the best new band in Britain. No more small stages for them.
For details of this year's Boardmasters see the website.
