DAZE IN THE SUN

MUSIC FESTIVALS have been a New Zealand summer rite of passage for over 50 years. Stunning locations in the South Island have offered the perfect setting.

By Gavin Bertram.

A midweek screening of the Woodstock movie 50 years ago proved to be the inspiration for the South Island’s first rock festival.

Held on the fringe of Christchurch on February 6 1971, the Englefield Rock Festival was a one-day event.

The gargantuan Woodstock Music and Art Fair in August 1969 had been a touchstone for 1960s counter-culture. Its “three days of peace and music” had also been the highwater mark for that generation.

In December of the same year the notorious Altamont Free Concert in California provided a dark counterpoint to Woodstock’s optimism. The Hell’s Angels hired as security ran rampant, and during the Rolling Stones’ performance one of the MC members murdered audience member Meredith Hunter.

No wonder Craig Calder, who’d conceived of the Christchurch festival, was fearful when the local Hells Angels’ chapter roared up en masse.

“I’ll never forget the feeling of them coming down Englefield Road, and thinking ‘how

are we going to deal with that?’” he says. “But we had appointed a liaison person, and they were generally well behaved.”

Although the gang attempted to ride onto the stage at one point, the ample female vocalist of Christchurch’s Blues Alley Spasm Band kept them under her control.

Calder and his fellow festival organisers Terry Connelly, Roger Scott, and Brent Crookbain had also been advised by the local constabulary to let the crowd have a good time with minimal intervention.

Christchurch's Englefield Rock Festival in 1971.

Photo: Christchurch Star

The 5000 in attendance were entertained by Dunedin’s The Inbetweens, progrockers Ragnarok, bluegrass group Stoney Lonesome, and other local acts. Charttopping Australian songwriter Russell Morris pulled out of the line-up at the last minute.

The suburb of Belfast was at that time on the outskirts of Christchurch, and only partially developed. Even so, the promoters engaged with the neighbouring residents, and gained their support for the event.

Held on Terry Connelly’s father’s property, the one-day Englefield Rock Festival was a success.

“We were 19 year olds with a vision and not a lot of business sense,” Calder reflects. “But we had a real drive to put on a rock festival. The profit out of it was enough for a deposit on a home for each of us. We could easily have tripped up along the way; there was a high degree of risk for all of us. But it paid off.”

While the North Island embraced large multi-day festivals like Ngaruawahia, Nambassa, and Sweetwaters in the 1970s and into the 1980s, for the South Island it was a long time between drinks.

For the fifth Sweetwaters Festival in February 1984, the promoters added a oneday event in Christchurch as a postscript to the three-day North Island extravaganza. Held at the now demolished QEII Park, the line-up for Sweetwaters South was truly world class. Talking Heads, Simple Minds, and The Pretenders were the big international visitors, with U2 also on the bill but eventually pulling out. London’s JoBoxers also played, along with locals the Dance Exponents and Netherworld Dancing Toys.

All had played at the North island festival before travelling south for the Monday show.

“For us it was just a great experience and a privilege to be asked to play, and to rub shoulders with some of those guys,” Netherworld Dancing Toys’ bassist Brent Alexander says.

Later, the well-oiled stadium dynamics of Simple Minds and The Pretenders’ tough rock were well received.

Having been touring all summer, the Dunedin band were in good form to warm up the slowly growing crowd.

But they were just an entree for Talking Heads. The New York new wave band had recorded their incredible Stop Making Sense concert film just months prior and were in stellar form.

“Talking Heads was another level again,” Alexander remembers. “That whole show of David Byrne in the suit with the wide shoulders - it was just phenomenal.”

David left the stage in the middle of the set. His excuse for leaving was he was 'sick of playing for people who had their feet in the mud'. He just didn’t want to do the band any more.

Talking Heads in 1984.

Photo: Sire Records/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images.

As it turned out, Sweetwaters South was to be Talking Heads last ever official show, other than at their 2002 induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. And while they gained glowing reviews here, the band don’t remember the show positively.

“The absolute worst gig ever was the last Talking Heads show,” bassist Tina Weymouth told The Guardian. “David had a lot of temper tantrums when he got to be a big star. He couldn't stop it; fame and the whole diva thing was just overwhelming for him.”

“David left the stage in the middle of the set, and I had to go get him and basically drag him back to the stage,” drummer Chris Frantz has said. “His excuse for leaving was he was 'sick of playing for people who had their feet in the mud'. He just didn’t want to do the band anymore.”

And unfortunately the 1984 Sweetwaters wasn’t as successful as its line-up deserved, with only 30,000 attending the North and South festivals combined.

Festival founder Daniel Keighley said holding Sweetwaters South “doubled the production and artist costs and halved the revenue”. It was the last Sweetwaters festival until an ill-fated attempt to resurrect the name in 1999.

The South Island also hosted smaller events with local line-ups, such as the 1982 Nile River Festival, and the 1983 Punakaiki Festival, both on the wild West Coast.

These proved a better template for later festivals, especially as a new vanguard of New Zealand acts gained wider commercial acceptance in the late 1990s.

“It was nice to be there and part of it when bands like Kora, Shapeshifter, and Fat Freddy’s Drop were kicking off, and being able to give them a stage,” Rippon Festival founder Lynne Christie says. “There wasn’t a lot happening in the South Island, so it was nice to have something in this part of the world.”

Kora performing at the Rippon Festival.

As Head of Music at Wānaka’s Mt Aspiring College, Christie wanted to give her students the opportunity to experience live music

The one-day festival began in 1998, on an outstanding vineyard site with spectacular views of the lake. That inaugural event had a quality line-up including Jan Hellriegal, Salmonella Dub, Pitch Black, HDU, and Chris Knox, performing to 1600 people.

Over subsequent years Rippon grew to host 5000 people. It became biennial after 2000, continuing until 2014, having moved to

another Wānaka site.

As a not-for-profit charity, Rippon existed solely for New Zealand artists, and any money made was given back to the community.

“But I think there’s no problem with people making a profit out of festivals, so long as the artists, the staff, the audience, and the environment are looked after,” Christie says.

The 1990s also heralded multi-day dance music festivals, with the biggest being The Gathering. Held in the Nelson region over New Year’s for six summers from 1996, it attracted well over 10,000 people at its peak.

The Canaan Downs venue at the top of Takaka Hill hosted this self-contained bacchanalia for the first four Gatherings. With different zones catering to various tastes, and an alcohol free policy, the event was a snapshot of the late 1990s electronic zeitgeist.

Appalling weather for the Millenium Gathering saw a site change to Golden Bay for the final two festivals. Financial issues with these ultimately spelt the end.

“The thing I remember the most was just the vibe,” Pitch Black’s Mike Hodgson said. “It was amazing to feel like you were there at a time when history was being made.”

Later festivals like Phat at Inangahua continued that vibe. Meanwhile Rhythm & Alps, held in the Cardrona Valley near Wanaka, is heading into its eleventh year this summer.

FESTIVAL SEASON

While it’s now half a century since the first big South Island music festival, they’re still as popular as ever. Here are the picks of this summer’s events.

Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert, Queenstown, March 26. With a later date than usual thanks to Covid, this summer institution at a beautiful Central Otago vineyard will still be huge. The line-up hasn’t yet been confirmed, but they’re always quality.

Golden Sounds, Blenheim, January 6. A one-day event in gorgeous Marlborough, Golden Sounds features a cast of heavyweight electronic acts, including the UK’s 1991, Australia’s Ekko & Sidetrack, Fisher, and Wilkinson.

Bay Dreams Nelson, January 5. Held at Nelson’s Trafalgar Park, Bay Dreams boasts an outstanding line-up of locals and internationals, including Chase and Status, Netsky, Tash Sultana, and Blindspott.

Twisted Frequency, Golden Bay, December 30 - January 3. Aiming to aid the growth of music and art across Aotearoa and the world, Twisted Frequency is a multi-day festival in the beautiful Cobb Valley, with a huge line-up.

Rhythm & Alps, Wānaka, December 29 - 31. For the eleventh iteration of this massive three-day festival in the Cardrona Valley, expect another stellar line-up including Andy C, L.A.B., Salmonella Dub, and Shy FX.