Wondergarden
31st December 2018
Silo Park, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Feature & Header Photograph courtesy of Connor Crawford. Photo gallery courtesy of Trevor Villers.
It is a worldwide tradition, the fare welling of the past year and the welcoming in of the next; New Year’s Eve a night where anyone and everyone can come together in the spirit of celebration. Nestled in the heart of Silo Park, Wondergarden delivered Aucklanders a smorgasbord of music, food and good vibes with which to see in the New Year; the family friendly atmosphere even including some roving entertainers that people of all ages could enjoy (giant bubbles? Yes please!).
Under the rays of the afternoon sun the sweet sounds of both DJ Tina Turntables and Australian duo Fortunes. began the main stage festivities, before the newest queen of hip-hop JessB tore up the early arrivals as only she can. With not only a remarkable year of live performances behind her but an astounding month – December seeing her support American rap superstar Brooke Candy as well as deliver sets at both R&V Festival and Northern Bass – JessB is an artist that is going places… and fast.
While those who wanted more of an indoor club like experience filed into A Silo Called Success to shuffle their feet to sets by Peach Milk and K2K, back on the main stage one of the hottest acts of 2018 were just warming up. Tom Scott is a name recognized by many, one of his more well-known acts being that of the infamous Homebrew making an appearance at Ohakune Mardis Gras earlier in the year; but for Scott his latest jazz-infused project Avantdale Bowling Club is where it’s at, his recently released self-titled eight track album heading straight to the coveted number #1 spot on the New Zealand charts. Avantdale Bowling Club impressed, the track ‘F(r)iends’ in particular hitting home as its lyrics spoke of supporting those in your circle that may need help the most. Without a doubt, Scott has created music that oozes originality while boldly walking to the beat of its own drum.
The evening sun was beginning to make its descent across the harbour as Matthew Young took to the stage, his cover of the Kate Bush track ‘Running Up That Hill’ absolutely exquisite thanks to his smooth vocals which perfectly suited the emotionally charged song. Leaving the ever-growing audience with ‘Fix Me Up’ from his latest album Fruit, Young’s performance was the ideal way to lead into what had to be one of the biggest sets of the evening.
Katchafire are a name synonymous with the New Zealand music scene; with a career that has now spanned just over twenty years, they are an act that can bring a room together as one in the blink of an eye, the crowd at Wondergarden soon heaving down front as the reggae legends hit them with a triple opener of ‘On the Road Again’, ‘Love Letter’ and ‘Colour Me Life’. This being their first appearance at Wondergarden, Katchafire were certainly a welcomed addition, the five-piece line-up once again expanding with a brass section that included easily the best dressed sax player in Auckland. Currently in the middle of their summer tour (which will also see them perform at both Bay Dreams events) the honeyed vocals of Logan Bell rang out across Silo Park as Katchafire dropped ‘Get Away’ and ‘Irie’ before ushering in some old school in the form of ‘Who You With’; lead guitarist Wiremu Barriball proving to all just how proficient he is with a set of strings. Closing their set with ‘Done Did It’ the feeling of love and unity was positively flowing throughout Silo Park; the preceding performances so good that the evening could have ended there…
But Wondergarden had so much more up their sleeve!
With a distinctly Talking Heads vibe to their set, Cut Off Your Hands brought a change of pace to the impending night air, the Auckland band obviously thrilled to be playing their first ever New Years Eve show in their own home town. Lead by the effervescent Nick Johnston, Cut Off Your Hands hit the audience with a taste of new music, both latest single ‘On The Sea’ and ‘Live for Each Other’ providing an exciting live sample of what is still to come from these post-punk alt legends. Tossing in an unexpected but delicious cover of the Grace Jones classic ‘Pull Up to the Bumper’ Cut Off Your Hands then serenaded their fans with some classics from their 2008 album You & I; ‘Oh Girl’, ‘Expectations’ and the boppy ‘Still Fond’ all sounding just as good ten years down the track.
Unfortunately, even the best laid plans never quite go the way they should and by now the timetable was running behind, set-up between bands obviously taking a little more time than expected. The somewhat lengthy gap between Cut Off Your Hands and Ladi6 however providing an excellent opportunity to check out the impressive selection of culinary delights on offer or grab a drink at one of three bars located around the venue.
By now darkness had well and truly fallen, the dazzling light display of the harbor bridge the backdrop for the gorgeous Ladi6. Sultry but with an edge that is both cheeky yet sharp, Ladi6 is a performer that commands attention. Weaving her magic on the crowd, Ladi6 was accompanied by not only her extraordinary live band which included Julien Dyne on drums (who had earlier in the night also performed a DJ set) but her dancers the ‘Sixes’ who made their debut during Ladi6’s support set for Jhené Aiko back in September. Wearing matching long-sleeved yellow tops and white-rimmed glasses, the Sixes synchronized moves added a physical visual element to a set that included stonking tracks such as ‘Ikarus’, a slightly revamped version of ‘Like Water’ and even a brand-new unreleased track.
Adding some serious international flavour to Wondergarden, Californian artist Dâm-Funk brought the beats with a solid set that kicked off with a distinctly West Coast feel; tracks such as ‘G’d Up’ by Snoop Dogg – an artist that Dâm has personally worked with – seeing the crowd break out the dance moves. Not only DJ’ing but rapping and even pulling out his ivory white keytar, Dâm-Funk threw down a set that had Silo Park pumping under the impending countdown to midnight, his mix of tracks like ‘Indo Smoke’ and 7 Days of Funk ‘Hit Da Pavement’ blending seamlessly into a retro mix of ‘Boys’ by Mary Jane Girls.
Taking Wondergarden home was none other than English DJ and EM Producer Nightmares on Wax. Accompanied by spectacular stage lighting, George Evelyn aka DJ E.A.S.E / Nightmares on Wax made sure that every person present from the fans to the crew saw in 2019 in style, his mix including the likes of The Machine through to Satorial, Selace and the hypnotic ‘Lobotomize’ by Sable Sheep. Pausing briefly to lead the crowd into the countdown Nightmares on Wax continued with his killer set as fireworks poured from the top of the Sky Tower overlooking Silo Park, the Harbour Bridge matching the explosions with a specially designed light show. What better way to see in 2019 as the sounds of Purple Disco Machine and Tiger & Woods filled the air at the hands of such an electronica wizard.
With something for everyone both young and old, Wondergarden was a fantastic way to see in 2019. May the good times continue for the next twelve months for everyone.
Happy New Year!
Were you there at Silo Park for this magnificent New Years celebration? Or have you been to Wondergarden sometime else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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