Major music events were magic

DJ Dai

An action-packed weekend - with no less than three major music events - saw top New Zealand bands The Black Seeds, Yurt Party and Young Moon, as well as Dutch blues trio My Baby, get feet a-tappin’ and people on to the dance floor for a boogie.

First up on Friday was the sold-out Framingham Harvest Concert, now in its 12^thyear, with 500 people along to celebrate the start of the harvest.

A warm summer’s evening in Renwick saw Young Moon take to the stage first. Band leader and songwriter Trevor Montgomery moved to Nelson from San Francisco five years ago and has continued his dream-pop band’s lunar traverse across the Pacific.

Their set moved from early songs to recent tracks released from his Whakatū recording studio. The other four band members are Blenheim-based and experienced musicians in their own right. Emma Toy’s solid drum foundation, along with hubby Jason’s forward bass, provide the perfect foil to Paul Robertson’s dreamy guitar licks. Long may their moon shine.

Yurt Party are a Christchurch-based Latin, Balkan and dub ensemble, with an infectious folk beat that gets under your feet. With fiddle and saxophone leading the melodic mashup, the six-piece play two sets as the sun goes down, much to the joy of the assembled wine workers. They’re heading off on a 12-date tour after an opening appearance at Electric Avenue Festival two weeks ago.

Saturday’s Havelock Mussel Festival came of age celebrating its 21^st birthday this year, which saw an impressive start with local Tom Knowles knocking off some classics.

It’s a brave vocalist that takes on 4 Non Blondes’ ‘What’s Up’ but Tom makes it look easy, his confident, fun approach immediately winning over the crowd, who sing along with gusto.

Just as headliners The Black Seeds arrive on stage the heavens open and the rain comes down, but with little effect on the band’s performance, which shone brightly through ninety minutes.

Opener Keep On Pushing sent exactly the right message to the appreciative crowd, as the Seeds powered though their hits and more, including Turn It Around, Cool Me Down and Fire. It’s been quite a while since they played Marlborough but on this energetic, winning performance they are welcome back anytime.

Saturday night saw My Baby make a triumphant return with a sellout show at 5Tapped. On their tenth tour of New Zealand, the trio deliver a hypnotic blend of psychedelic blues, swampy funk and trance-inducing folk, fused with elements of electronic dance music.

Singer Cato van Dijck’s soulful vocals soar above deep groove-driven rhythms and a mix of vintage and modern instrumentation.

The band has a hypnotic, ritualistic feel, combining bluesy slide guitar from Mainlander Daniel de Vries and pulsing beats from inventive drummer Joost van Dijck. The result is a unique fusion that feels both rootsy and futuristic, perfect for festival dance floors and more intimate settings like 5Tapped tonight.

All in all, a weekend of high quality musical celebration that launches Marlborough into its busy autumn of fruit gathering and winemaking.