The Others Way Festival
30th August 2019
Karangahape Road, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Richard Myburgh.
Now into its fifth year, The Other’s Way Festival is the gift that just keeps on giving; K’rd and surrounding streets bursting into life with a wide array of people and colour for one alluring evening of music. Guaranteed to offer up something of interest for everyone the festival is a fantastic chance to check out some new haunts and immerse oneself amongst the best that New Zealand music has to offer both fresh and established.
In a move that should always be commended, The Others Way kicked off early over at Pitt Street Sunday School, the all ages stage offering those not quite old enough yet to step inside the bars but who are just as invested in music as those twice their age, the chance to check out some of the crème de le crème; Wellington Taite Music Prize nominees Mermaidens no doubt inspiring hearts and minds. The absolutely divine Being (aka Jasmine Balmer) soon followed closely behind with her own unique brand of buoyant indie-pop; both artists performing not once but twice at two separate venues which gave their fans an excellent chance of catching them at least once.
For those with a few more years under their belts, Galatos was the place to be as Cortina fronted by the ever eclectic and boundary pushing Bek Coogan played to a tightly packed room. Trucker caps were the order of the day as they delivered a song about the Bermuda Triangle whose sound was reminiscent of Headless Chickens. Formed while hitch-hiking to Whanganui, it seemed rather appropriate that Coogan announced that a song dripping with innuendos was actually about a river. The Whanganui one. Coogan absolutely killing it as she growled ‘Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me’ into the mic.
Mass exodus soon occurred as punters made their way back up and around the corner to one of the biggest venues of the evening; The Studio who was hosting three of the more historic acts of the festival soon seeing a long line of patrons form outside who were all needing their fix of Dunedin band The Chills led by Martin Phillipps; an early arrival of ‘Pink Frost’ on the set list happily seeing a sea of heads nodding from side to side.
A quick dash down the road to Auckland’s favourite dive bar Whammy! saw another long line, this one a little more desperate to get in however as one of the hottest acts in town were whipping the crowd into an absolute frenzy. Miss June – who it should be an actual crime not to see at least once in a lifetime – are at the top of their game at the moment. Featuring not only one the best frontwomen in the scene but a drummer that matches her in sheer intensity, Annabel Liddell and Tom Leggett often make the brain argue with itself as to who to watch more of. About to release their debut album entitled Bad Luck Party their show next Saturday at Galatos will be the last chance to catch them live before they once again disappear overseas for an extended period. You have been warned.
Back to Galatos for a dose of the ethereal thanks to sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon who perform as Purple Pilgrims, it was the perfect spiritually infused comedown that calmed the body and mind before once again hitting the footpaths and making for one of the oldest venues on the roster. Mercury Theatre played host to yet another dose of sibling power, this time in the form of Wellingtonians, the delightful Hans Pucket. Featuring twin brothers Oli and Callum Devlin, the trio appeared to be overwhelmed by the fact that in the space of one year they had the privilege of being upgraded to a far larger room for their Others Way appearance; anyone who may have been questioning the need for such an upgrade only having to watch the crowd’s reaction when ‘Comfort’ filled the air. Bringing along a few special guests for the ride, the stage was soon populated with a four-piece horn section for ‘Old U Vs the New U’, a definitive highlight from their 2018 debut Eczema. Over at The Studio, Blam Blam Blam were owning the stage that was decorated with long white mesh tubing that hung from the ceiling, the effect rather intriguing thanks to the use of some decent lighting. This would be the band’s second performance over two nights, their headline show at Neck of the Woods on Thursday ensuring that schedule clashes could be minimised for those who just couldn’t miss them; the 1981 classic ‘No Depression in New Zealand’ however devastatingly more relevant than it’s ever been.
Starting to creep into the later hours, Auckland’s ever changing weather patterns decided that a steady layer of drizzle was just what the doctor ordered for the busy streets, many of those still determined to make a mad dash from place to place to cram in as much as they could grumbling in disagreement. A late cancellation of American composer John Maus brought disappointment for many, however for fans of Wax Chattels it meant the chance to pile into Galatos and let off some steam in a mosh pit that rivalled Miss June’s.
Featuring the mind-blowing talents of Peter Ruddell – who earlier had performed over at The Thirsty Dog as Sulfate, a solo project that is a beautiful juxtaposition – Amanda Cheng on bass and Tom Leggett, the trio who perform ‘guitarless guitar music’ in their uniform of matching black tore a hole through the very fabric of time. The post-punk trio are best viewed up close and personal as tracks such as ‘Stay Disappointed’ threaten to melt your face, each of the members so intense that for a split second it almost feels overwhelming to be in the presence of such greatness. This is an act that are consistently on form every. single. time. Finishing – all too soon – with ‘Concrete’, it’s synth-tap intro saw the audience prepare themselves for the incoming wall of noise napalm. If anyone was starting to feel flat as the night stretched into the final hours, Wax Chattels were like a shot of adrenaline.
Back onto the streets and the ambitious and fleet of foot would have managed to catch a triple dose of alt-rock, punk and melodic grunge. Straitjacket Fits were up first, bringing The Studio to a close with their iconic Dunedin sound, front man Shayne Carter ever the intriguingly magnetic watch. Dashing back down K’rd and a couple of flights of stairs, Hamilton punks Contenders headed by the electrifying Cilla, were destroying Whammy!, the band introducing new track ‘The Heat’ – which addresses climate change – to the ravenous audience while encouraging all to do what they could to try and save the only home we all have; earth. Thanks to the joys of Whammy Back Room being just a couple of metres away, patrons had the chance to also catch a few tracks from yet another Wellington trio, Linen. Proving a popular choice, contortionist efforts were required to gain entry, tracks such as their debut single ‘Three Hail Marys’ making it well worth the effort to do so.
The Others Way was by now drawing to a close, all but two venues calling it a night. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t finish on a high; and if there was an act to do it, it was always going to be Church & AP. The rap duo consisting of Elijah Manu and Albert Purcell are the next big thing in the New Zealand hip-hop scene, even the uninitiated who attended last night looking well pleased with their choice. Under a veil of red-light Church & AP soon saw the entire room asking in unison ‘Why they keep on talking like they next’. ‘Magic Johnson’, ‘Ready or Not’ and even a bit of new material for the definitive cherry on top ensuring that everyone left happy.
Five years in and The Other’s Way continues to prove itself to be one of the unmissable calendar events of the year.
Being:
Ben Woods:
Blam Blam Blam:
Church And AP:
Dateline:
Gary War:
Hans Pucket:
Miss June:
Moon Children:
Purple Pilgrims:
Richard Maybe:
Soaked Oats:
Straightjacket Fits:
Wax Chattels:
Were you there on K-Road in Auckland for this magnificent celebration of Music? Or have you seen any of the artists somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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