Boomtown

Boomtown came together in 2021, bringing a group of musicians together from around Aotearoa in Blenheim or ‘Boomtown’ as it’s somewhat ironically (but definitely affectionately) known. The group was initially assembled for the ‘Summer Sounds’ festival in Marlborough but after an epic response from the attendees and decidedly good vibes all-round the crew decided to continue to make music together. Headed by industrious and energetic MC Big Sima, already an established artist on the live scene in his own right, Boomtown brings an eclectic mix of horn-driven funk, soul and hip hop layered under relentless rhymes and cadences from one of NZ’s best live Mcees. The band has a large sound, featuring between 7 and 9 members - the full lineup features 2 vocalists, drums, percussion, bass, keys, guitar and a horn section. The group plays a variety of original music along with interpretations of classic hip hop instrumentals with original rhymes over the top. In this sense, the band somewhat emulates the sound of a dj mixing different beats for an MC in the style of the original block parties. For the band this is a natural evolutionary cycle, as funk bands were originally sampled by hip-hop producers who are now having their sound reinterpreted by live bands such as Boomtown.