KFC Edgefest
5th November 2017
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
The first festival of the summer season kicked off last night as KFC Edgefest brought the party to Spark Arena for an evening of non-stop music and entertainment.
Kiwi pop-punk group Openside took to the stage first. They kicked off the night on a high, showcasing the crowds favourite power pop single I feel Nothing, which was the perfect introduction to summer 2017.
Auckland singer-songwriter Mitch James went from sleeping on the streets busking to get by to performing at Spark Arena in front of thousands of screaming fans. He has certainly made a name for himself – and you can tell why as his stunning vocal range and epic guitar ability command the crowd. Talent like that definitely shouldn’t be kept for the streets. His Ed Sheeran esque single Won’t Bother Me was a hit and he commanded the stage with his guitar in hand during Move On. Although he did struggle to hit some of the higher notes during that track, he was a trouper and laughed it off and carried on.
Norway’s pop princess Astrid S brought an incredible energy to the arena, which only grew throughout her set. The 21-year old and her band have ventured to New Zealand for the first time and you could tell that they were loving every single moment. Opening with Jump, the crowd did exactly that and jumped to the unique beat. The chorus states “Is anyone watching?” and the answer is YES, all eyes were on the singer as she paraded around the stage. For such a young age, she has great stage presence, when she wasn’t belting out her tracks she was bouncing with the crowd. Next up was High followed by Paper Thin, the contrast of these two songs was great as it showed off her vocal range. She can perform upbeat and poppy tracks but her voice is also suited to softer songs. Paper Thin brought a raw emotion to Astrid’s tone, the crowd responded to this by lighting up the arena with their torches on their phones, creating a pure magical moment.
New Zealander DJ P-Money turned it up a notch and brought a different kind of energy to the stage with his lively set. His scratching skills were on point and keeping the crowd entertained was never an issue for 39-year old hip-hop DJ. He played current tracks alongside some throw backs, which had the audience jumping throughout.
Kings made quite the entrance as he blasted out HYLMN (How you like me now) upon his arrival to the stage. The Auckland born producer certainly showcases the New Zealand talent and his is royal quality. He plays with the traditional RnB sound but fuses elements of electric guitar and keyboard, he is challenging how we see RnB music, which is why he is known as the King of RnB. He’s not just able to create great music, he is also a true showman at heart. He invited The Bradas – a hip-hop dance troupe onto the stage and they performed mesmerising choreography that was perfectly in sync with Kings upbeat tracks. He also brought Drake back to Spark Arena with his rendition of One Dance. ‘Don’t Worry Bout’ It’ was the perfect ending track, as it echoed throughout the arena the audience threw their hands in the air simultaneously and recited each lyrics word for word.
Samoan Rapper Savage brings peace and love to the start of his set as he talks about being proud of his heritage and culture. He turned the party up as audience members and the Edgefest crew joined him on stage for the ultimate dance off to hit track Swing.
Continuing the party was British DJ Jonas Blue who played hit track after track. Hey Mamma was a crowd pleaser while Perfect Strangers was a highlight of the night. His perfectly crafted pop-dance hits were a great introduction to the summer season and had the crowd geared up for Jason Derulo.
The crowd waited in anticipation for Jason Derulo to take to the stage. Just when we thought he was about to come on his DJ Jae Murphy jumped onto the set and played a variety of summer tracks to get the crowd warmed up for Derulo’s arrival. The anticipation was high as 25 minutes later we were still waiting for the king of pop to make his appearance. Personally, although Murphy was highly entertaining the lead up to Derulo’s entrance was far too long. After all, we had been waiting all day. Finally, he made his grand entrance (que screams), which to be fair was definitely grand. Kicking off with Wiggle followed by old-school track Watcha Say, Derulo flaunted his stuff alongside his dancers, showcasing that he hasn’t just got the voice of an angel but also the moves to match. Get Ugly was a crowd favourite alongside Swalla, while Take me to the Other Side had the crowd singing along throughout. The hip hop and R&B artist commands the stage and enjoys interacting with the audience. The set was electric from start to finish and as it came to an end many female fans were left pining for more (I know I was). So, Jason Derulo you left us waiting, but boy was it worth the wait!
Jason Derulo:
Jonas Blue:
Savage:
Kings:
Were you there at Spark Arena for this fun festival? Or have you seen any of the acts on the bill perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!