Click photo to enlarge
Tiki Taane warms up the crowd during his afternoon slot at
Rippon in 2008. Photo by Matthew Haggart.
Got your groove on for the Rippon Music Festival?
Wanaka reporter Matthew Haggart gives a rundown on the
homegrown bands lining up for today's Waitangi Day concert.
A sold-out crowd for the eighth the Rippon Music Festival
will party on the vineyard hills above Lake Wanaka this
Waitangi Day to the sounds of some of New Zealand's best
performers.
Iva Lamkum
First act is 22-year-old
Wellington singer/songwriter Iva Lamkum, a rising talent in
the capital's's music scene.
Lamkum released her six-track self-titled EP last year - a
debut heralded for her rootsy, soulful voice.
The Slur-Tones
Wellington indie band The
Slur-Tones are no strangers to Rippon, with former Wanaka
high school band-mates Fabian Shaw and Yannick Weasteil
returning after their main stage debut in 2008.
The pair won a bet with their old Mt Aspiring High School
music teacher and Rippon Festival founder Lynne Christie to
play at the last festival, after they won the Central Lakes
regional rockquest finals for the third time and progressed
to the national finals under their former name The Strutts.
Shaw and Weasteil were joined by drummer Alastair Mawhinney
shortly after Rippon 08 with the trio forming the Slur-Tones.
The group decamped to Wellington to pursue tertiary studies
last year and released their debut EP before undertaking a
national tour.
Electric Wire Hustle
Another
Wellington-based Rippon act, Electric Wire Hustle describe
their sound as "future soul".
The trio released their debut album last September,
developing their own twist on modern hip-hop and psychedelic
soul music.
A tour of Europe followed and the band has played at a number
of festivals on the New Zealand music circuit, this summer,
including the Big Day Out.
Opensouls
A band fronted by the big voice
of lead singer Tyra Hammond, Opensouls have garnered
attention for their multi-instrumental sound and spirited
live performance.
Formed in 2002 Opensouls have released two albums, the second
of which, Standing in the Rain (December 2009), received rave
reviews and climbed into the top 10 album charts.
Opensouls takes to the stage about 2pm, a time when the crowd
really starts to turn up the heat.
The Mint Chicks
Based in the United States
since 2007, the Mint Chicks are renowned for their frenetic
live performance and the rocking power of their sound.
They once brought the roof down (literally) on their
audience, when two concert-goers at the historic St James
theatre complex in Auckland were taken to hospital after
chunks of plaster were dislodged by the vibrations of the
band's sound and fell on them.
Rippon concert-goers won't be affected by such happenings
given the open-air venue, but expect a powerful punch from
these veteran Big Day Out performers.
The Mint Chicks formed in 2001 and have played at New
Zealand's Big Day Out music festival in 2004, 2005 - when
singer Kody Neilson took a chainsaw to a corporate sponsors
sign, 2007, and 2009.
The band was first signed by Flying Nun records and won five
Tuis at the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards, including best
album and best rock group.
They have supported international acts, such as The White
Stripes and New York outfit The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Pacific Heights
A solo project from
producer Devin Abrams, Pacific Heights follows in the
footsteps of New Zealand drum and bass acts, such as
Shapeshifter.
Abrams regularly works and tours with the Australian-based
outfit and played at Rippon in 2008.
Pacific Heights is a regular visitor to Wanaka, and played
during the New Year at the Lake Hawea Hotel, fronting for
Tiki Taane and Shapeshifter.
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