Great Sounds Great is fast approaching, and it’s gearing up to be a great success, featuring an amazing array of acts from Wellington's own punk royalty DARTZ to intimate solo sets with Tiny Ruins. Great Sounds Great is on its way to cementing itself in the Poneke music scene. Muzic.net.nz's Cuillin Hearty got the chance to chat with Ben Jones from the team behind the festival and ask some questions about how they dreamt up this event.

C: This is the event's second year, what inspired the concept for Great Sounds Great? What can people expect?

B: We were largely inspired by the fantastic Others Way festival in Tamaki Makaurau and had been discussing for a few years how it would be great to having something like that in Wellington, and how Cuba St/Te Aro is set up perfectly for a multi-venue festival with so many amazing venues within a small area. We also wanted to be able to celebrate those venues who have had a rough few years but who are so vital to the local music scene. We were stoked to be able to make this happen for the first time last year and that it was a success, so we're excited to be bringing it back this year while trying to grow the event by adding more venues and stages as well.

C: The event spans across 6 venues with 7 stages, that’s pretty impressive, how do you recommend people tackle the event? 

B: Ticket holders will receive a wristband which gets them full access to all the participating venues and they're free to come and go between them as much as they want throughout the night. However, this does depend on there being space and with so many incredible artists some venues will definitely fill up. So, we recommend if there are any acts that people definitely don't want to miss to plan on arriving at the venues a bit before their set starts to make sure they get in. Otherwise, if there isn't room in a particular venue, there'll always be at least two other sets happening at the same time so we encourage people to go and check out some artists they otherwise might not have seen.

C: The line up spans across a pretty eclectic range and there’s some crowd favourites there, but do you have any must-sees that might not be on people's radar? 

B: Of course it depends what you're into but artists like Vanessa Worm, PollyHill x Samara Alofa and Dale Kerrigan should definitely be on people's radars for something a bit different. There are also a bunch of awesome up-and-coming local bands who have come through our weekly Eyegum Wednesday showcases at San Fran who are on the line-up and who people may not have heard of before.

C: I’m sure budding artists would love to know. How do you go about selecting and booking artists and bands for the festival? What criteria do you consider in the selection process?

B: We aim to curate an eclectic line-up that caters to a bunch of different tastes, audiences and genres that represents some of the best independent music from across Aotearoa and in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. While there are no fixed criteria we do try and make sure our line-ups are diverse and representative, feature artists from both Wellington and other places, and include both established favourites and young, up-and-comers.

C: What do you see for the future of Great Sounds Great? Are you already plotting next year?

B: Our goal is that with people's support we can make Great Sounds Great a permanent part of Wellington's cultural calendar. We hope to continue to grow the festival to make it as exciting and sustainable as possible, while ensuring that it remains at its core a showcase and celebration of our great artists and venues.

C: Anything you’d like to say to people still on the fence about buying a ticket? 

B: I would say that they really won't want to miss out and as it is a relatively small festival tickets are limited and selling fast so best not to wait. Also, we are offering group discounts at the moment so get a crew together and come on down for what we reckon will be the best party in Wellington this year.

Great Sounds Great is coming to Poneke on Saturday 18th November, be sure to grab your tickets to this specially curated and eclectic festival. Tickets Available Here.

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