NEILSTOCK – Music Festival
Are y’all going to the Big Day Out? Yeah, you are? That’s cool it will be wicked but if you want a festival that you can take your dog to, one without hordes of people but with a whole bunch of radical bands, NEILSTOCK on the Saturday the 23 November is the ticket.
Once famously billed as One Man, One Paddock, 16 Bands, NEILSTOCK is the brainchild of Neil Donald who by trade is a fashion cutter for the renowned Zambesi label.
The festival started at a micro level from an idea that it would be ultra-cool to have a laid back night with some beers, a bonfire and a band or two. Neil sheds some light on NEILSTOCK’s genesis,
“It seemed a good idea to have a few bands, light a bonfire and celebrate Guy Fawkes, and get out of Auckland really, a few people from Taranaki turned up after seeing the Twitch play in New Plymouth and hearing they were coming here they travelled up that day. I was pretty impressed.”
This year will mark NEILSTOCK’S seventh birthday, and will once again play host to a whole range of emerging artists from a variety of genres. There are some interesting band names in the mix too, the day kicks off with Bearded Walrus and taking the stage later are The Brightly Coloured Cocks and Karaoke Whorehouse. For a few of the bands it will be there second or third time playing at Neilstock – The Murder Chord, Invader Cain, Georgia Lines and Vessel all had the privilege of experiencing last year’s madness. Elmo Strauss from Vessel has this to say of the aura of NEILSTOCK, “It was hot as f**k, a really chill atmosphere with bucket loads of love, zero bulls**t and many shenanigans”.
Shenanigans aplenty NEILSTOCK is still a great atmosphere for families, young ones and furry animals. Hosted on Neil’s parents farm in Tirau the venue has all the charm that South Waikato has to offer and the view from ridge adjacent to the stage is idyllic. So for all you festival lovers, pack a tent, some warm clothes and some beverages for a trip that promises to be farmtastic!!! Join them on Facebook for more info.
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