Waikino music festival

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Photographer Gay Martyn
Photographer Gay Martyn

Waikino Music Festival was a 1976 music and alternatives event held on Bicknell’s farm in the picturesque Waitawheta Valley between Waikino and Waihi, New Zealand. The event was staged

Festival parking.
Festival parking.

by the Nambassa community run by Peter Terry. The Waikino festival was originally intended as an eight hour all day music and cultural event, however, a steady flow of bands, buskers and poets from around Auckland and the Waikato spontaneously rocked up to perform. Consequently the event ran non stop for 24 hours.

The Waikino festival broke new ground for the presentation format of open air concerts, by combining popular rock music and entertainment with cultural modules. Between band set ups; solo artists, poets and storytellers, comedians, yoga demonstrations and ravers would entertain, enabling the show to continue without breaks. These ideas were even further developed at the subsequent Nambassa festivals. Proceeds from the Waikino festival went towards the purchase of a winters supply of fuel for the predominantly pensioner community of the sleepy Waikino village. Nambassa later contributed towards the construction of a new Waikino community post office, which was washed away into the Karangahake Gorge during the great 1981 Ohinemuri River floods.

Contents

[edit] Entertainment

Ian Morris from Th'Dudes playing at Waikino Music Festival 1976
Ian Morris from Th'Dudes playing at Waikino Music Festival 1976
 Artwork Gunther Collins
Artwork Gunther Collins
1976 Waikino Music Festival
1976 Waikino Music Festival

Th'Dudes,[1] Living Force,[2] Hello Sailor,[3] Dallas Four,[4] Mommba, Norma Leaf, Steve Tulloch. A one-day festival at Waikino. Many of the bands who played Waikino as their first major gig, went onto become national New Zealand music stars. Headlining acts also included spontaneous appearances by the Country Flyers,[5] Rockinghorse,[6] and Ragnarok.[7] Also present were the up-and-coming Hello Sailor. Th' Dudes were so impressed with them that they became fanatical fans and even started modelling themselves on them. What they liked was the way Hello Sailor came across as being cocky, self-assured, dripping with talent, and with just a touch of decadence." [8]

Norma Leaf. Photo Gay Martyn
Norma Leaf. Photo Gay Martyn

[edit] Location

  • Franklin Road, Waitawheta Valley, Hauraki. Map


[edit] See also

[edit] References