Peachy Keen
3rd April 2021
Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand.
Review by Georgette Singer. Photography by Nichole Davis.
“You can’t beat Wellington on a good day!” is what I’ve been told many a time, and today Te Whanganui-a-Tara certainly showed me exactly why the locals love our capital city so much.
Peachy Keen promised to bring together some of Aotearoa’s best wāhine from each corner of our islands and put these musicians on one stage for a festival like no other. The line up felt like it was announced in response to too many other festivals and promoters refusing to give deserving women the chance to headline or even showcase their talent over the summer gig season. And after what feels like an eternity of indoor isolations and gig cancellations, the sun poured down on the Basin Reserve and Wellingtonians flocked to see their favourite women on stage accompanied by their bands for one last summer session. Amongst an array of incredibly talented artists, a few stood out for their energy, performances, and creative sets.
The lineup included some of the hottest new acts, including Kita, Paige and the magnificent Chelsea Jade, but my day started with The Beths, led by their strong and soulful frontwoman, Elizabeth Stokes. They rocked out and got the crowd moving with their indie-pop hits. Plenty of finger snaps from a trendy younger crowd were used to show appreciation at each song’s end. Their hit ‘Little Death’ got everyone jumping around, including Elizabeth and her band, as the sun continued to shimmer and the crowds began to gather.
Following The Beths, we transcended back to the early 90s with iconic rock band Stellar* led by one of the most talented and beautiful wahine in Aotearoa, Boh Runga. The band looked cool and sleek; Boh taking to the stage in a satin black and gold chain printed co-ordinated outfit with her hair pulled back, sporting white sneakers and a matching black satin necktie. Playing the opening chords to their smash hit “All It Takes”, an eruption of cheers and nostalgic yelps come from the crowd. “Some of you weren’t even born!” exclaims Boh as they launch into another one of their famous tracks from a time where admittedly, I was only nine years old. Stopping between songs to thank different people, Stellar* showcase their professionalism as true Kiwi icons, thanking ‘Sam’ the man who drove past and offered them a lift to the festival after their shuttle never arrived. I look across at my friend. We shake our heads and laugh, ‘only in Aotearoa!’
Boh adjusts her guitar strap and tells the audience, “We wanted to call this track ‘Bastard’, but the record label didn’t think that was a great idea. So instead, this one is called What You Do (Bastard)”. A small mosh pit forms at the front barrier. No one can deny the intensity of their songs that haven’t aged a day, with vocals still as clean and powerful as the original tracks. Hit after hit, they perform with such energy, followed by their ballad ‘Maxine’ – a tribute to Sharon O’Neill, then their empowering ‘Every Girl’ (lyrics fitting for the festival). Finally, rounding out their powerful set with ‘Violent’. Boh’s stage presence is unmatched as she climbs out onto the speakers, including every area of the audience and getting closer to the fans to hype us all up. Boh and her band are the definition of rock stars and did not disappoint. Don’t miss your next opportunity to see Stellar* live!
Foley followed a short time after, bringing fun and fresh vibes to the stage. You may be familiar with their popular hit “So Personal” on the radio currently or their song “Talk About It” from a few years ago. Lead singer Ash Wallace had amazing vocals, but unfortunately, it felt as though it really took them a few songs to get into the groove of things before they could take control of the stage. A younger crowd loudly sang the lyrics back to the duo and their band, with more energy towards the last half of their set. Gabriel Everett on guitar spun around the stage as he wore a white button-up shirt with large black spots, making jokes and boosting the energy. Overall, Foley was good, but I’m looking forward to seeing them again with more vibrancy.
I knew Ladi6 was going to be electric as they slowly changed stage sets to house a long DJ table, a single microphone stand at the front of the stage and two seats on either side for her dancers. Karoline Tamati, or as we know her, Ladi6, appeared on stage in a long pink floating kimono type shirt, a black fedora and performed whilst holding a traditional Samoan weaved fan. Her back-up dancers both wore bright orange two-piece outfits with Samoan prints on the fabric, and both also danced with weaved fans. This set was deliciously cool and as the sun set over the Basin Reserve, Ladi6 and her dancers set the mood for the rest of the night. Moving around the stage, Karoline’s vocals were super smooth, and the crowd loved grooving along to her popular catalogue of songs ‘Like Water’ and ‘Ikarus’. The melodic tunes carried our worries away, and Ladi6’s proud heritage was celebrated within her set as her dancers disappeared off stage, returning to wave large Tongan, Niuean, Samoan and Tino Rangatiratanga flags. Ladi6’s hip hop and RnB set was the perfect way to break up the mix of rock and pop, while showcasing some of Aotearoa’s finest indigenous songwriting beauty.
Between sets, The Sweet Mix Kids kept the audience engaged and grooving to an array of music mixed on their turntables and electric drum kit. With 3 different flamboyant outfit changes during the night, I was both impressed and entertained by Sandon James and Chris Scott, although I was confused as to why Peachy Keen organisers hadn’t booked the likes of the Katayanagi Twins or Half Queen or any of the other popular Female DJs from around Aotearoa. However, The Sweet Mix kids did bring an incredible flair and knew exactly which songs to play to pump up the crowd. “Wannabe” by Spice Girls and plenty of ABBA tracks kept the punters pleased.
Ladyhawke played her popular hits ‘Dusk Til Dawn’ and ‘Paris is Burning’ whilst sporting her iconic long fringe, blonde locks, and an oversized grey band T-Shirt. Having been a massive Ladyhawke fan in my early twenties, I was slightly underwhelmed by her overall performance as she humbly moved from one song to the next without much audience participation or movement. Her vocals were sharp and clean, and her band really rocked, but I would have loved to see more dynamics in Ladyhawke’s performance.
The pick of the night for me was Gin Wigmore. She exploded on stage wearing an oversized bright pink jumper, light pink high waisted trousers, and white sneakers. The jumper only lasted the first song before being ripped off, as Gin ran around her bandmates and flirted with the audience. Now wearing a white crop long sleeve top that reads “I’ve been thru hell”, this rocker didn’t come to fuck around!
Audience participation was at an all-time high as Gin sang “Man Like That”, the crowd screaming the lyrics back at her. Gin’s female bassist rocked out mid-set waving her long hair around, with red lighting illuminating and strobing as each song played. A younger man with tattoos covering most parts of his body got up on his friends’ shoulders to rock out and waved to Gin. Taking notice between songs, Gin yells out, “The guy with the tats…. Yes you! Maybe I’ll have your babies someday, baby!” and the crowd can’t contain themselves. Gin and her band continued the high level of vigour until the very end. It was exciting to see young and old coming together, dancing and combusting with screams and laughter as the ever-entertaining Gin Wigmore shared her raw and unscripted thoughts. “This is the biggest festival in the world right now!!” she yells. “And it’s all women!”
Although Gin and her band were a hard act to follow, it’s undeniable that most of the crowd was patiently waiting to see the biggest star in Aotearoa right now, headlining act Benee. The barriers were now splitting at the seams as most of the audience had moved from the grass banks and come forward to experience Benee as a windy Wellington gale started to pick up. This wasn’t putting anyone off, as Sweet Mix Kids played a few newer pop tracks from Taylor Swift and alike to keep the energy levels high.
The lights dropped and the stage filled with smoke. A deep dark blue hue lowered from the lighting rigs and then a strong red range of lights shone upwards as the stage illuminated and Benee appeared. Starting her set with ‘Tough Guy’, the younger audience lose it and continue to scream as she bounces along the stage wearing a pink camo bucket hat, burgundy satin puffer jacket and black pants. “Is everyone ok?” Benee asks her fans, “I’m wearing a puffer jacket on stage because it’s so cold! I’ve never done that before!” Her hit ‘Find an Island’ makes us all forget how cold we are as we groove and move to the tunes in a sea of people all united by music.
Due to timing, an 11pm strict cut-off and prior acts running overtime, Benee’s act is cut short, but she delivers the news to her loyal fans with an opening for requests. Ending her set with ‘Soaked’ and ‘Superlonely’, we all pour out of the Basin Reserve with a longing for more. For a first-time festival, Peachy Keen did an incredible job, and their line-up of musical guests was superior. Next year, I look forward to seeing the possibility of a bigger event, and all going well, perhaps some international wāhine mixed in with our beautiful, talented Kiwi artists!
Were you there at the Basin Reserve in Wellington for this brilliant day in the sun with some of our greatest Kiwi artists? Or have you seen any of the acts perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: [AD] Peachy Keen provided passes to Ambient Light 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 affiliate links. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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great photos, fabulous review! well done guys!