By Paula Yeoman
It’s a dilemma music lovers face every summer -- how do you manage your festival schedule? And what happens when there’s a clash like there is this weekend with Auckland City Limits and Womad?
If I could, I’d clone myself and be at both. But life’s hard though. We make tough decisions and after much painful deliberation, I chose a chilled out three-day break in Taranaki for Womad over one hectic day at Western Springs for Auckland City Limits.
But the way I see it, you can’t lose. Here are a few reminders why you’ve made the right decision no matter which festival you've opted for.
The music:
It's about so much more than just music these days, but line-up is still the clincher. You could argue that two distinct festivals such as this would draw completely different crowds --hipsters with an alt-indie persuasion at ACL and world music-loving hippies at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth. This is true to some extent, but a genuine music lover will go where the music is best. And that's why this decision has been so problematic for me -- both line-ups have acts I love.
Think of it like a boxing ring. It’s the youthful, up-and-coming, Joseph Parker versus the highly respected, one-time heavyweight world champ, Lennox Lewis. In Parker’s corner, you’ve got the cool, indie factor with ‘man of the moment’ Kendrick Lamar, The National, Girl Talk, Modest Mouse, Jarryd James and Action Bronson.
There’s also a solid Kiwi line-up -- Naked and Famous, Broods, Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy’s Drop and the act I’m most excited about, the return of Ladyhawke.
Meanwhile in Lewis’ corner, there’s a rich and colourful mix of old-school big hitters such as De La Soul and St Germain, as well as masters of world fusion like Calexico, Lady Smith Black Mambazo and Songhoy Blues.
There’s also an equally wonderful local contingent -- Julia Deans, Tiny Ruins, Pass The Gat and Tami Neilson, who (lucky for me) is playing both festivals.
Just as a side note, at the top of my must-see list at Womad this year is DakhaBrakah, a Ukrainian quartet which blew my mind at a world music festival in Borneo a few years ago.
The food:
Forget hot dogs on a stick and punnets of chips. So amazing is the food at festivals these days, the same sort of strategic planning that goes into deciding what bands to see now goes into deciding what you’ll eat and when. That’ll definitely be the case at ACL, which is hosting the inaugural ‘Auckland Eats’, featuring tops chefs from restaurants such as Federal Deli, Mexico, Orphans Kitchen and Woodpecker Hill.
The food stalls aren’t quite as upscale at Womad, but trust me you’ll not go hungry. And for me, one of the festival’s highlights is the ‘Taste of the World’ tent, in which musicians swap their instruments for cooking utensils and whip up recipes from their home countries. On the menu this year are Colombian empanadas made by the Edmar Castaneda Trio, caribou stew cooked up by The Jerry Cans and kung pao chicken made by Tulegur.
Youth versus heritage:
There are many things that youth has on its side, and that’s true of ACL, which although inspired by the Austin City Limits festival in Texas, is new to Auckland. You’ll always be among the thousands who can sit back in their rocking chairs and say, ‘I was at the first-ever festival way back when’. Yes, there could be teething problems. There usually are at big inaugural events. But the man behind this festival, Campbell Smith, is a pro. He brought us years of the Big Day Out and he knows exactly how these things should run.
What ACL has in shiny newness, Womad makes up in history that stretches back to the early 1980s when singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel helped to establish the Womad movement and the first-ever festival in the UK. It’s now in its twelfth consecutive year in New Plymouth and it’s definitely one of the best run, most enjoyable events there is in the Kiwi festival calendar. It runs like clockwork. The crowds are chilled and yet the vibe is electric. There are no massive queues for the loo because there are loads of them. And that’s a massive tick in my book.
The location:
If you’re a Jaffa, you’ll be pleased to escape the hustle and bustle and spend three days in beautiful Taranaki. One of big draw cards is that the Bowl of Brooklands is only a 10-minute stroll from New Plymouth’s CBD. And wow, what a venue. The main stage sits on the other side of a duck pond at the foot of a natural amphitheatre. There are trees for shade, green grass and lots of it. At night when the music’s over, the walk home through Pukekura Park is magical. I promise you will never feel so relaxed about trying to squeeze out of a venue packed with 10,000 plus people.
Western Springs doesn’t quite provide the same picturesque, relaxed setting. But it is a million times better than the concrete jungle that is Mt Smart. I know this because after years of schlepping off to Penrose for the Big Day Out, it was almost life-changing to spend the last BDO in 2014 at Western Springs.
I’m yet to visit the newly renovated venue, but it too has plenty of trees and grass.
It’s a hop skip and a jump from the bars and restaurants of Ponsonby Road and there are free buses from the CBD and free train travel if you have your ACL ticket.
Womad kicks off today and wraps up on Sunday night at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth. Auckland City Limits is being held at Western Springs in Auckland tomorrow.