30 Mar 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Rhythm and Vines Review

07 Jan 2013 // A review by River Tucker

There’s something very special about the Rhythm and Vines music festival held during New Year at the lovely Waiohika Estate Vineyard, just out of Gisborne.

Rhythm and Vines celebrated their ten-year anniversary with an unprecedented level of professionalism and 31,000 music lovers partied with them on New Years Eve.

The establishment of more onsite camping, five stages, better facilities and a cleverly designed site layout all helped to ensure the event ran like clockwork, attracting record numbers despite the increased competition from other festivals over summer.

The accident involving a truck, carrying mainly sound equipment for the festival, caused large delays to PA installations onsite but overall sound quality issues on the first day did not greatly detract from people enjoying the music. 

Day one of the festival kicked off with Unknown Mortal Orchestra playing some nice laid-back psychedelic rock at the impressive new Vines stage. Singer Ruban Nielson’s effective use of harmonizing techniques and a tight rhythm section proved the bands recent critical acclaim is well deserved. It was a good way to welcome people to a party packed full of tasty audio and visual treats.

The Black Seeds then opened the main stage with a tight set of well-rehearsed material that many within the steadily growing audience knew off by heart. With some masterful trumpet and sax solos to really put the icing on the cake, The Black Seeds warm sound is just what's needed for summer fun.

Up next the hard-hitting Home Brew silenced critics with expert rhymes that were lapped up by an enthusiastic audience. Their massive funk and soul infused rap, solid rhythm section and the effortless technical brilliance of Home Brew’s MC’s cemented the Rhythm stage as the place to be.

The supremely talented Kimbra captivated the audience with a number of powerfully delivered hits. Magnificent lighting set the scene with rich ambient hues perfectly matching Kimbra’s exhuberance. It was an impressive and expressive performance with the divas wonderful dynamic range filling the natural amphitheater.

Hugely popular Netsky worked a capacity crowd at the Rhythm stage with some cross over favourites to get the party really started. A satisfactorily worked sound and clean visuals on all three big screens perfectly complementing the liquid funk style of his crisp drum and bass.

Over at the Vines stage Tame Impala belted out some smooth psychedelic rock with a distinct Beatles influence. The Australian band has a cool English 60s sound, helped along by their vintage equipment. The counterpoint of minimalism and warmth was particularly effective.

The drum and bass outfit Knife Party kicked things up a notch with transcendental beats perfectly matched with powerful graphics and a light show from out of this world. Their industrial edge suited the replacement PA system down to a T and Knife Party wasted no time in fully utilising it. 

Booka Shade, along with a number of other excellent DJ’s on all five stages, raised the roof until the small hours of the morning. It was a spectacular start to what promised to be an amazing and eventful three days.

Day Two began with a relaxed set from The Wyld that had beautiful vocal counterpoints and meaningful rhymes interspersed within a fusion of delightfully effective sounds. Their cover of The Black Keys’ A Broken Heart is Blind was extremely cool.

Then it was another tough choice between AHoriBuzz on the Vines stage and the supremely talented Chali 2na on the Rhythm stage. Thanks to some excellent stage management changeovers all ran smoothly and on time. After catching the first half of an outstanding set by AHoriBuzz, it’s a quick hop skip and a jump to the main stage to check out Chali 2na’s rhymes. He’s a former member of the hugely successful group Jurassic 5 and brought all the skills to set the tone with an effective and smooth rapping style. The masterful counterpoint of a soulful falsetto was a cross genre experience not to be missed.

Giving the dance crowd just what they ordered, DJ Breakbot Live set about lifting people’s spirits at the Rhythm stage with a lovely amalgamation of expertly tweaked samples. His clever use of old disco classics with more cutting edge techno was a wonder to behold.

Then, over at the Adidas Originals Cellar, Danny Daze took the robot theme to new heights with phat bass lines to really get the PA pumping. It’s a non-stop roller coaster ride of incredibly good music into the early hours of the morning.

With picturesque blue skies most suited to New Years Eve celebrations, day three of the Rhythm and Vines festival was looking fantastic! Early arrivals to the main event were greeted by the sweet reggae sounds of Soul Society, warming up the Vines stage. The Auckland based eight-piece band cleverly mixed it up with some nice ska and calypso rhythms.

Over at the Rhythm stage The Nudge put on a powerful performance of bluesy goodness. A Hammond organ and rare Gibson guitar added vintage warmth, while a couple of well-recovered drum stick fumbles and clever guitar string resonance techniques added to the overall showmanship.

Ruby Frost put on a stellar performance with lovely clear tones and a cohesive two-piece backing band. The small audience responded well with a number of production and carnival performers coming out to enjoy the atmosphere.

Dave Dobbyn belted out a nice short set full of his iconic and well-loved hits. Accompanied by Lucid 3’s Victoria Girling-Butcher on vocals and guitar, his four-piece band shone with absolute professionalism.

A band that largely cut its teeth at previous Rhythm and Vines festivals more than lived up to expectations. Six60’s Matiu Walters’ warm vocals and Ji Fraser’s soulful guitar solo’s morphed into a synth driven edge that was particularly effective. With great crowd participation especially for Don't Forget Your Roots, Six60 was perhaps the biggest draw card on the bill, and it was great to see them playing to their strengths.

Just as good as he ever was, scratching master P Money put on a grand performance to get the audience jumping. He warmed things up for The Presets who delivered a huge set of electronica to countdown into the New Year. Although there were a few minor timing issues, the computer controlled fireworks display was the best yet. Spectacular!

I also managed to catch some excellent, soulful and heartfelt blues by Louis Baker, some awesome laid back rapping by Coco Solid at the Red Bull Music Academy and an amazing dance performance on the main stage by Vospertron studios. 

The success of the Rhythm and Vines festival comes down to a magic venue, great promotional material and the hard work of dedicated professionals who ensure everybody has a good time. This was a well-organized, family friendly festival with good security, superb site maintenance and only a few arrests for minor incidents.

In all the years the prestigious event has been running there has never been a better lineup and with bigger and brighter stages and an expert selection of internationally and locally renowned artists, Rhythm and Vines was infinitely memorable. 

5/5

 

Other Reviews By River Tucker

Album Review: The Death Spell
12 Dec 2023 // by River Tucker
There’s a real whisky drinking, bare knuckle fighting edge to the self-titled debut album by The Death Spell, kicking off with Nail You Higher Than Before. Obviously, song lyrics are in your face on this track, especially for any Christians in the audience, but you couldn’t ask for a better intro to the musical style of this Auckland-based band.
Read More...
Beastwars - Gig Review: Reign of the Beast @ Whanganui Musicians Club, Whanganui - 13/10/2023
15 Oct 2023 // by River Tucker
If you're into metal music, the Musicians Club in Whanganui was the place to be last Friday night for a feast of auditory delights to satisfy even the hungriest of souls. Brought to you by Lost Art and Panhead beer, Beastwars and Shepherds Reign headlined an epic concert that was set to bring the house down on the first leg of their not-to-be-missed Reign of the Beast tour.
Read More...
End of an Empire - Album Review: Best Laid Plans
25 Sep 2023 // by River Tucker
It’s been a couple of years since End of an Empire released their favourably reviewed debut album, Within, Without in 2020. Since then, the Wellington-based four-piece have obviously put their time to good use by writing Best Laid Plans, which is arguably one of the finest Hardcore releases to come out of New Zealand this year.
Read More...
The Rising Tide - Gig Review: Inferno - Youth Rock & Metal @ The Stomach, Palmerston North - 5/08/2023
07 Aug 2023 // by River Tucker
It’s not often that you get treated to a mid-winter concert where nearly every metal genre is being performed. But that’s exactly what happened at The Stomach in Palmerston North last Saturday night where four bands gave it their all in a rip-roaring all-ages show that will undoubtedly leave the hundred or so people who attended with lasting impressions.
Read More...
Mammuthus - Album Review: Imperator
18 Jun 2023 // by River Tucker
If you like your stoner metal super-sized and embellished with a nice touch of doom, then Mammuthus’ latest release, Imperator, is definitely the album for you. Seven tracks of deliciously down-tuned, guitar-driven heaviness smash into your eardrums like a well-oiled and relentless steam train.
Read More...
1 Drop Nation - Single Review: I'm Home
08 May 2023 // by River Tucker
When it comes to reggae music 1 Drop Nation's latest single, I'm Home, hits all the right notes. Soulful melodies, tight rhythms, and on-point vocals impart a feel-good vibe that will get you chilling or up and dancing, whatever mood you're in.
Read More...
Gig Review: Devilskin @ The Royal, Palmerston North - 28/04/2023
30 Apr 2023 // by River Tucker
It was well worth getting in early to catch Devilskin’s exclusive VIP performance at The Royal in Palmerston North last Friday night. Following on from a successful show at Homegrown, Devilskin has embarked on their much-anticipated nationwide Let Me Breathe tour, brought to you by The Rock, after a short hiatus that, if anything, has made their current shows all the more sweet.
Read More...
Gig Review #2: Homegrown 2023 @ Wellington Waterfront - 18/03/2023
21 Mar 2023 // by River Tucker
The weather gods must really love live music because they fully turned it on for the Jim Beam Homegrown music festival in Wellington last Saturday. Not only were the tunes absolutely fantastic, the crystal clear blue sky followed by a twinkling starry night set a magical scene for thousands of beautiful party people to enjoy some of New Zealand’s biggest bands performing across five stages on the capital’s spectacular waterfront.
Read More...
View All Articles By River Tucker

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TEXAS HOLD 'EM
    Beyonce
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • PRAISE JAH IN THE MOONLIGHT
    YG Marley
  • CARNIVAL
    Kanye West And Ty Dolla $ign
  • SATURN
    SZA
  • LOVIN ON ME
    Jack Harlow
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem