James Bay, Blossoms and Lianne La Havas shine at Boardmasters 2016 - Review

It might be tucked way, way down in the south west of the UK (Newquay’s Fistral Beach, to be more precise), but that doesn’t seem to be halting Boardmasters Festival from going from strength to strength.

That said, its semi-remote location did ultimately prove too much for Craig David, who was forced to pull out of his Saturday evening performance – his first no-show in 15 years - due to a cancelled flight.

Now in its ninth year as a dual music and surfing festival (though we left the latter activity to the professionals), Boardmasters has a knack for booking acts fast on the rise but just before they hit the real bigtime, and there were plenty on this year’s bill – including Blossoms, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Kano – to prove they’ve still got it in that department.

OfficialCharts.com headed down for our first time at the event last weekend (August 9 – 13), and the general response from the crowd was that this was its best line-up yet. Boardmasters has always thrown in a few dance-friendly curveballs (Calvin Harris in 2009, Basement Jaxx in 2013) amongst its mostly easy-going, indie pop line-up, but this year’s big-hitters of Chase & Status and Deadmau5 were the ideal injection of energy after soaking up the soothing sounds of Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka, Foxes and Jack Savoretti during the days.

Sunday headliner James Bay – the epitome of a Boardmasters act if ever there was one - captured the attention of the crowd and more than proved his bill-topping worth, while Friday’s headliner supporters Catfish and the Bottlemen told us they were genuinely amazed to already find themselves performing on the main stage at such an event.

“To see the crowds who come to see us growing like they have still amazes us,” Ryan “Van” McCann told us backstage. “When we’re writing and recording, it’s all done with the thought of how a crowd is going to react to it live – it’s great to see that paying off.”

Recently back in the UK after touring the US, the band also belatedly collected their Official Number 1 Album Award from us for The Rid, which topped the chart back in May. “We’ve had a plan from the band right from the beginning,” McCann explained, “but to get a Number 1 album at such an early stage for us is really incredible.”

Another act there celebrating success on the Official Albums Chart were Blossoms, who were performing the same day their self-titled debut entered at Number 1. We caught up with them at the Nandos stage, where we joined them to celebrate the only way we all knew how - with some PERi-PERi chicken.

"We're absolutely made up that the album has gone to Number 1,” the band told us. “From the scaffolding yard to the top of the charts, who'd have thought it? Viva Stockport!" They were just one of a host of acts who drew huge crowds to the Nandos stage, which also included DJ sets from Sigma, Krept & Konan, SG Lewis and Tiggs Da Author.

Boardmasters has just announced it will be back next year, from August 9 – 13th 2017. Click here for ticket info.