FLASHBACK to January 2012 — Ian “Blink” Jorgensen first started organising events, zines and tours under the A Low Hum banner in 2001, so the 2012 Camp A Low Hum festival marked his ten-year anniversary as one of the more quietly significant forces in New Zealand live music. The sixth such festival he had helmed, it was held at Camp Wainui — a Boy Scouts campsite set in native bush in Wainuomata, in the hills above Lower Hutt. Over three days and four nights, approximately 800 campers shared the site with 70 booked acts from the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, plus an unknown quantity of renegade performers who popped up across the grounds without warning.
Sets at Camp run to around 25 minutes, giving each act a short, focused window. Performers often play twice to accommodate schedule clashes, and renegade shows can materialise at any moment. Venues range from cramped camp rooms packed to the walls to a seated forest clearing and an open lagoon-side area capable of holding the entire festival crowd.
Day One: Morning
It was drizzly on the first morning, a breeze rolling through the Wainui hillsides as campers slowly emerged. The day opened with Wellington-based freestyle rapper Megalex improvising rhymes on suggested topics in front of the camp’s lagoon — a charming, slightly surreal start, the performer entirely at ease despite the chill. A particularly shy Emily Littler, better known as the vocalist and guitarist of Street Chant, followed at an intimate site called the Lawn, performing solo acoustic songs under her solo name Emily Edrosa. Melbourne violinist Wintercoats brought a more melancholic energy, her loop-pedal set drawing comparisons to Owen Pallett (then still performing as Final Fantasy) — emotionally driven and quietly devastating.
$noregazZm, No Art and the International Contingent
Things shifted up a gear when Auckland rap duo $noregazZm took over the lagoon, stepping in at late notice for an absent Spring Break (who arrived the following day). Their set was spastic, snotty and thoroughly energising — vocalist Lisandru Grigorut, who had previously appeared at Camp as part of Dunedin punk outfit TFF despite being conspicuously under-aged, working the crowd with gleeful intensity. From there the afternoon opened up into a pleasantly loose series of international discoveries: Sydney rock trio No Art, Auckland’s Lost Rockets paying homage to their Flying Nun Records forebears, kitschy Melbourne keyboard-and-loop-pedal soloist Kikuyu, and Newcastle, Australia’s Alps, a regular visitor to New Zealand whose personal brand of experimental pop had accrued a devoted local following over the preceding eight years.
T54, Bare Grillz and Ouch My Face
It felt appropriate that it was Christchurch’s own T54 — recently signed to Flying Nun Records — who opened up the bigger stages in the late afternoon. Their set was excellent: sharp guitar playing, pulsing rhythms and an unexpected guest vocalist lifting proceedings considerably. In the Forest stage, Melbourne trio Absolute Boys filled the slot vacated by an absent Glass Vaults, their minimal electronics swirling and pulsating in the idyllic bush setting.
One of the genuine revelations of the festival was Newcastle, Australia power-trio Bare Grillz — entirely at home in a house-party atmosphere, with a terrific drummer and two guitarists with equally terrific haircuts. Their aggressive, dynamic punk numbers were punctuated with anthemic shouting and a good dose of humour. Melbourne punk trio Ouch My Face followed on the main stage, making their second appearance at Camp in characteristically sassy, sarcastic fashion.
Evening: So So Modern
By evening the rain had strengthened, gusts blowing down into the valley and dark clouds gathering overhead. After dinner, Wellington trio So So Modern — now operating as a three-piece following the departure of fourth member Aidan Leong — closed out the night. Their set leaned on the punchy older material: bass-heavy keyboards, stinging guitar, sing-shout vocals and an absolutely ravenous drumming performance, all delivered with the energy of a band who know how to hold a stage. Wind lashed the canvas that covered the side of the stage, offering a little shelter as the band went full tilt. That was enough for one night. Day two approaches with a new plan and a pounding head.
Days Two and Three
The festival continued through Saturday and Sunday, bringing Spring Break, Dead, Dance Asthmatics, Terrible Truths, Jon Lemmon, Brian Borcherdt, Shocking and Stunning, Guerre, Rackets and many more. See Camp A Low Hum 2012 — Part Two and Part Three for the full account.
