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Nostalgic Musicians Perform Fond Farewell For Homegrown
Krystal Gibbens, Journalist
Longtime Homegrown artists are finishing the Wellington festival on a nostalgic note.
After 18 years the festival is saying its goodbyes to its home on the Wellington Waterfront, with a future venue yet to be confirmed.
It comes at a time when several festivals have been cancelled and promoters speak about the difficulties securing venues or permits.
Wellington band Drax Project started out busking just metres away from the big Homegrown stage they would one day play.
Lead singer Shaan Singh said playing for thousands of people down the road now was surreal.
He said they were grateful to be a part of the festival's send-off.
The band was heading to the UK and Europe later in the year.
Band member Sam Thomson said they are writing a lot of music and plan to release some around the time they tour.
Singh said they will play some of these new songs for Homegrown fans during tonight's farewell performance.
Shapeshifter has been a part of Homegrown since the early days, band member Sam Trevethick reckons they have performed at 10 different Homegrown festivals.
He said one of the great things about the festival was that it showcased only New Zealand artists.
He said it was a shame it was ending, and hopes it pops up elsewhere or that another event like it replaced it.
Trevethick said the festival scene was struggling and post-Covid it was a "freaky" landscape
For Shapeshifter's next iteration, he said, the group was heading into a writing phase.
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