Fat Freddy’s Drop
3rd January 2019
Toll Stadium, Whangarei, New Zealand.
Review and photography by Doug Peters.
It was a bit of a shock to the system stepping out of my (nicely air conditioned) car at Whangarei’s Toll Stadium – the moist humid air hitting me square in the face as I tried to orient myself to this unfamiliar structure. Having road-tripped up from Auckland for the purpose of checking out Fat Freddy’s Drop on what was the first date of their expansive New Zealand summer tour, I was excited to kick off my first concert of 2019 in a new environment.
Media & Photography pass picked up I was ushered through the entry gate and found myself standing in the middle of said stadium, a medium-ish sized stage (however one punter I talked to commented excitedly on how this was probably the biggest stage Whangarei has ever seen – another reminder that I certainly wasn’t in Auckland anymore) placed mid field in front of the grandstand with none other than MC Slave / Loggcabin on the decks spinning a good mixture of funk, reggae and other summertime tunes to keep the crowd festive. There were food trucks to the left, the bar was to the right and the sun was trying to break through the clouds at every possible opportunity, the atmosphere of those who had turned up early one of relaxation and good times.
The first act to hit the stage was the multi-talented musician and actor Troy Kingi, and he had brought along his band the Galactic Chiropractors for the ride. This Kerikeri based larger than life personality recently dropped his sophomore album ‘Shake That Skinny Ass Down To Zygatron’ – a funkadelic 70’s soul mixed with galactic Sci-Fi extravaganza that was the perfect sound to serenade the small but growing by the minute crowd.
Next to hit the stage was an absolute treat in the form of possibly the world’s most respected and popular DJ – Norman Jay (MBE). Co-founder of the legendary “Good Times Sound System” as well as the popular London dance music station KISS FM, Norman threw down a fine mix of funk, soul, hip hop, jazz and 60’s mod music that had many in the crowd on their feet and grooving. Even Mother Nature herself seemingly approved of the set, the sun breaking through the clouds and shining hot and bright as Norman mentioned how beautiful he thought the venue was.
By now the space in front of the stage was packing in tighter, anticipation building for The Black Seeds. Also themselves on a summer tour of New Zealand, they’ve teamed up with Fat Freddy’s Drop for a couple of shows and luckily for all in attendance Whangarei is one of said shows. The sun is still beating down upon the crowd (and the stage, the obligatory rockstar sunglasses being more a necessity than a fashion choice) when Barnaby Weir and friends materialise on stage and hit those all important first chords. The last time I caught The Black Seeds live was at a headlining show in the Square in Palmerston North over ten years ago, that gig seemingly being lightshow and spectacle over actual performance. It seems in this time the tables have turned with The Black Seeds now being a pretty damn spectacular set of performers who brought their own special brand of arena reggae to the dancing masses in front of the stage.
After shooting a few images I took this opportunity to find a bit of shelter from the sun in the grandstand and grab some food and drink while I sat back and let The Black Seeds performance wash over me. Everyone in the crowd looked to be having a great time, and it was awesome to not see any noticeably drunk and obnoxious patrons as I sat and people watched and chatted with the various people who came to chat with me as I sat in the stand. Security definitely had a strong presence around the site, and it left me wondering was it because of security that any outburst or indiscretion was swiftly and privately taken care of, or were there more security staff than were actually required – either way thumbs up!
Finally darkness had settled over the site and it was time for the Fat Freddy’s crew to entertain the crowd. And entertain they did! The eight piece band hit the stage to thunderous applause and cheers that seemingly didn’t let up for the whole set. Standing in the photo pit shooting was an exhilarating experience, the energy from the crowd mixing with the energy from the stage ensuring a heady rush of adrenaline for those of us caught in the middle. MC Slave kicked off the set before Dallas “Joe Dukie” Tamaira then took the reigns leading the rest of Fat Freddy’s Drop in a spectacular set that ebbed and flowed with their special mix of reggae, dub, funk and jazz. All too soon the set was over, leaving the masses to stream out of the gates and into the night, happy but exhausted from the highly enjoyable and relaxed day.
If there was anything I took away from this experience was that if you get the opportunity to catch this show in a town or city near you then take it with open arms – even if you’re not necessarily a fan of this style of music. You will get the chance to hang out in the sun with a few thousand mates, a few drinks if you’re that way inclined and you’ll be treated to some of New Zealand’s best musicians and performers – you just can’t get much better than that!
Were you there at Toll Stadium for this relaxed summertime gig? Or have you seen Fat Freddy’s Drop somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.