Fatboy Slim, Taupō NZ, 2023

Fatboy Slim

5th February 2023
Riverside Park, Taupō, New Zealand

Review by Bridget Herlihy with photography by Doug Peters.

Summer can be a truly fickle mistress; one day the sun is shining down, and the next ominous clouds have rolled in and the heavens open. This weekend in Taupō has been no exception. Less than 24 hours after the curtains fell on the sun-drenched 2023 Summer Concert Tour in the lakeside town, the grey skies and precipitation returned as the venue opened for an evening that promised something very different from the previous day: the arrival of Fatboy Slim.

The gates opened at six pm on the dot, with an extremely eclectic crowd filtering into the amphitheatre. Rain or shine, the crowd had a spring in their step, clearly ready to dance their cares away. A few eager individuals assembled in front of the stage as the first DJ of the evening, Dick Johnson, started his set. Within a matter of minutes they were joined by dozens of others, warming themselves up for a night of non-stop music and dancing.

It was fascinating to watch the growing crowd and the range of ensembles on display; from groups clad in white with angel wings, sarongs paired with Red Band gumboots, a threesome dressed in various shades of fluorescent pink, a gentleman with the most magnificent mashup of punk and rave culture with the brightly rainbow coloured double spiked mohawk and of course the most popular wardrobe choice of summer 22/23 – the plastic rain poncho. As Johnson’s set progressed and the crowd on the field continued to swell, the sheer joy of the audience was obvious despite the odd shower of rain.

Manchester house duo Solardo, comprised of renowned producers Mark Richards and James Elliot was next up (although we only had only James appearing onstage tonight). Clad in sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt, bright graphics were projected onto the screen at the back of the stage; a small taste of things to come later in the evening. Playing a diverse set of mixes and samples from Abba to Michael Jackson to Florence and the Machine to Tears For Fears, the energy onstage was infectious, bringing a majority of the 4000 strong sold-out crowd to their feet.

As dusk began to set in the smoke machines came to life, and lights began to shine around the stage. The collective screams of a very warmed up and amping audience heralded the arrival of the man of the evening – UK DJ and producer Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook).

Cook has amassed a global following since the release of his first album under the Fatboy Slim moniker ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ in 1996, and his popularity has not waned. Judging by the crowd gathered to see him tonight a whole new generation of fans has emerged. His popularity has been more recently evidenced with his most extensive New Zealand tour to date, featuring seven shows across the country, many of which were sell outs.

The opening bars of ‘Praise You’ blasted through the PA, before the stripped back vocals of Freddie Mercury from the first verse of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ had the crowd singing back at Cook at the top of their lungs. And there was no stopping for the entirety of the set. Cook’s energy appears to be relentless, dancing and jumping about on his riser, instructing the crowd to wave their arms in the air, and of course the majority were more than happy to oblige.

Aside from being an incredibly talented DJ, Cook is an outstanding showman, feeding off the crowd’s energy – and vice versa. Some liken live music to a form of religious experience, and Cook embraced this in his set, explaining to the crowd “Let’s try something, everybody get down. Kneel on the ground, repeat after me: I am not a sinner, I am not a sinner, I am a winner“. With the crowd on their knees, they began chanting along with Cook, who, reminiscent of a pastor leading his congregation, was clearly loving having the audience transfixed on his every word and move. The light show became increasingly impressive as the set progressed, lasers arcing over the audiences head as they danced and raved in the evening drizzle.

The mood of the evening was one of pure joy, and although Cook didn’t play any of his ‘hits’ in their entirety – only mixing in brief samples – his performance was second to none. And for those who weren’t able to get their hands on a ticket to the show, apparently it could be heard clearly across the whole Taupō township. What a way to spend a Sunday night on a long weekend.

Were you there in Taupō for this magnificent outdoor party? Or have you seen Fatboy Slim perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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