Spring City Festival
24th November 2019
Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Chontalle Musson.
Now that summer is just around the corner, that means one thing and one thing only – Festival season is in full swing and we couldn’t be happier. Especially when brand new additions come to town.
After bringing Electronic Gardens to Ellerslie Racecourse earlier in the year, promoters Endeavour Live – reveling in its success – wanted to create something equally as engaging, and so Spring City was born. A one-day festival featuring some of the world’s top indie electronic acts.
New Zealand duet Foley kicked off the afternoon and welcomed us to Ellerslie Racecourse with an energetic set. Best mates Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett, joining forces after feeling unfulfilled from other projects to form Foley and we’re glad they did as they certainly knew how to get the crowd going, despite audience attendance being rather low on numbers just after gates opening. That didn’t faze the duo though whatsoever, who still brought their game.
Hit single ‘Settle’ demonstrated their fusion of genres, the classic pop melody catchy enough to have everyone singing along, while the heavy bass brought the funk vibes with it. ‘Cola’ escorted the party itself into Ellerslie Racecourse, while end track ‘Talk About It’ was the perfect introduction to summer 2019.
Attendance at Spring City had certainly picked up by the time Australian electronic three-piece Crooked Colours took to the stage. Unfortunately, their set started off quite shaky – through no fault of their own – due to poor sound quality; but as soon as that was fixed the energy kicked in and only continued to grow throughout their set.
‘I C Light’, ‘Do It Like You’ and ‘Lose Someone’, were some of the highlights, and had everyone in a trance like state with their low-key EDM tunes; the three-piece from Perth musically sharing similarities to German folk group Milky Chance and English indie rock band Alt-J; just with a more electronic focus. Crooked Colours are a summer vibe band, so it was a little unfortunate that by now the sun had vanished from the horizon, fans not letting it get them down though as they continued bopping and shuffling along to the mesmerizing beats of ‘I’ll be There’.
After a few changes to the stage and the sound (thankfully), the crowd, which had tripled in size, was amped for Australian electronic producer duo Flight Facilities. DJs, Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell certainly delivered the festivities, kicking off their set with much-loved track ‘I Need You’.
Rocking their famous flight outfits, the power duo alongside Owl Eyes brought a mammoth electronic dance set to the grass circuit that had everyone up on their feet, easily illustrating just why they hold such legendary status in the EDM scene. Their remix of ‘Crave You’ had to be the crowd favourite of the set as a sea of people on shoulders filled the air, swaying to the angelic vocals of Brooke Addamo, aka Owl Eyes. New track ‘Better Than Ever’ served up a heap of soul and had the audience feeling exactly how the track states; better than ever and raring to go for the last act of the night—Two Door Cinema Club.
We waited in anticipation for the Irish indie pop band, still buzzing from Flight Facilities epic set. Although the trio made a slightly late appearance, as soon as we heard the familiar beats of ‘What You Know’, all was forgiven. Instantly hands were thrown into the air, the crowd bouncing simultaneously to the poppy rhythm and we were reciting the lyrics word for word from start to end. The smooth transition into ‘I Can Talk’, soon reminded us all that after being in the music industry for over ten years, these guys were certainly masters of their trade; lead singer Alex Trimble displaying a suave, relaxed manner about him, which helped him command the stage alongside his unique vocal range.
As it was their first time playing in New Zealand, they performed a selection of golden oldies alongside some new tracks. Two Door had us hook, line and sinker from the very beginning with favourites like ‘Undercover Martyn’, ‘This Is the Life’, ‘Do You Want It All’ and ‘Someday’ – transporting us back to our teenage years, playing air guitar in our bedrooms.
‘Bad Decisions’ added a bit of funk to the set and showed those present a different side to the boys; while new song ‘Satellite’ brought upbeat riffs and a catchy chorus. It was at this point I wished I could capture the atmosphere in a jar, because everyone was lost in the music, grinning from ear to ear. ‘Something Good Can Work’ was a friendly reminder as to why we fell in love with the alternative three-piece in the first place; while ‘Sun’ was the perfect closing track to an evening of musical ecstasy.
I grew up listening to Two Door Cinema Club and they certainly didn’t disappoint. They made it ever so easy to have a good time and I think it’s fair to say we’ll be singing their songs for the next few weeks, that’s for sure.
So, thanks Spring City for kickstarting summer and putting some much-loved artists back on our radar.
Were you there at Ellerslie Racecourse for this indie electronic music 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!
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Fantastic event guys ,the cloud disappeared once the first act rolled out and we soaked in the sunshine rays to charge us up for a epic night ,the crowd was a perfect size where no one was packed in like sardines in a can and the vibe of the crowd was awesome, I saw flight at rnv this year and crooked at splendor last year, whoever organised these artists they need to be congratulated as it was a perfect start to the festival season
It was an amazing concert. Was gutted when I realised it was wrapping up… could have easily gone for another hour. Absolutely worth the 14 hour round trip to get there.