Sunday brought the best weather of the festival — genuine summer heat finally arriving in Wainui after two days of drizzle and cloud. It called for a slower start, and the morning delivered one: repeat performances from Guerre, Wintercoats and Brian Borcherdt providing a pleasant backdrop to a leisurely breakfast. Watercolours — the performing name of Chelsea Jade, one of the voices behind Auckland indie-folk trio Teacups — was an unfortunate miss, the mid-day slots providing a necessary restorative break before the afternoon ramped up.
Afternoon: Usurper, Sexy Merlin, Bare Grillz and Sleepy Age
Perth three-piece Usurper of Modern Medicine described themselves as post-rock, which was perhaps a stretch, but their big bass-grooves were enjoyable in the noisy room. Solo drumming act Sexy Merlin had a few technical difficulties to get going in the forest but managed to find his footing. Newcastle power-trio Bare Grillz, arguably the festival’s greatest discovery, returned for their repeat show on the lawn stage in the full glare of the sun — every bit as relentless as they’d been the day before.
The afternoon act that couldn’t be missed was Christchurch’s Sleepy Age. A fairly packed room saw the indie-pop four-piece deliver a solid set including the disco-tinged single ‘Décor’ and a handful of songs showcasing frontman Josh Burgess’s falsetto — polished, warm and exactly what a sunny Sunday afternoon called for.
Orchestra of Spheres, Kirin J Callinan and Ipswich
The afternoon opened into a pleasant stretch of wandering, the tongue-in-cheek hair-metal of Razorwyre echoing around the campsite from a distance. Wellington’s decidedly quirky Orchestra of Spheres impressed with hand-made instruments and outlandish costumes, and guitar virtuoso Kirin J Callinan received a rousing reception from a large lagoon crowd, his playing as technically assured as it was emotionally direct.
As evening approached, the renegade room delivered some quality indie-rock. Auckland’s Grass Cannons played to a packed crowd — bassist Paul Brown somehow sustaining his performance despite a broken arm suffered earlier in the festival. Christchurch’s Ipswich had to call on Rueban Winter to fill in on drums for the absent Jamie Larson, giving the group a sloppy, intense energy that suited them well.
Prince Rama
As night fell, US duo Prince Rama took the big stage for a theatrical, percussion-driven set that was heavy on atmosphere — the kind of performance that works best when you’re standing in a dark field watching it unfold.
Baadd and the Dan Deacon Ensemble
Sydney duo Baadd warmed up the lagoon crowd with dancey songs and gleeful screaming, their philosophy stated plainly: ‘You don’t need musical talent to form a band. Just wear a leotard, jump around and scream a lot.’ The crowd responded in kind. Then came the headline event: the Dan Deacon Ensemble, the American composer and musician whose live shows are legendary for their participatory intensity. Watching the crowd ripple back and forth following Dan’s dance-move instructions and pulsating sound was one of the festival’s genuinely unforgettable sights. An over-excited crush at the front eventually caused havoc, the crowd surging forward faster than its own feet — a testament to how completely he had the room.
Late Night: $noregazZm, All Seeing Hand, BMX Rapists, Tommy Ill
The night blurred into an excellent run of late sets. US dance act Publicist brought trance energy back to the forest. $noregazZm played their repeat show in the noisy room — just as chaotic and giddy as their Day One performance. All Seeing Hand returned at the new ‘screen’ stage, a projection screen set against the hillside backed by native bush, a genuinely surreal setting for their bombastic improvisation.
The festival closed with the incredible — and incredibly vulgar — BMX Rapists and popular hip-hop act Tommy Ill, both lighting up the noisy room with enthusiastic performances well into the night. Three days, four nights, 70 booked acts and an unknowable number of renegade shows. Absolutely brilliant. Already looking forward to next year.
