They are the perfect band for this event. I’m not a psytrance fan, but I went last year and found the festival quite amazing, by far the most international event I had ever attended. I was at the Roundhouse on the 30th - sure there may have been a few issues with the sound, but the set list was great, the musicians were amazing, and Manu Delago was sublime. I took a friend who doesn’t like trance either but he thought it was one of the best electronic music events he’d ever seen. Shpongle go somewhere beyond music almost into the realms of magic. And to transform the incredibly intricate production from the records into a viable live performance is no mean feat. It was a joyful event.

Last Boom (2008) Star Sounds Orchestra opened the first day, and Gocoo the second - SSO were fine, but Shpongle would blow them away with a gig half as good as the Roundhouse. Gocoo you can’t compare to anything else, check them out (live) and you’ll see what I mean. They were probably the highlight of the entire festival. In fact, bands who featured live instruments generally made the most impact. Shpongle’s more ‘organic’ sound would surely find its natural home in Boom. And based on the 30th Oct gig, the band are at the top of their game - don’t change anything. And next Boom is not until 2012, so don’t miss this one!

To experience Shpongle together with 26,000 people in the beautiful environment of Boom in Portugal, in mid-August 2010, well… if there’s anything I can do to help make it a reality, let me know.