November 28, 2025 • 6 mins
The days are getting longer and warmer and the festival season is set to begin.
Although a couple of major festivals have been cancelled, there’s still plenty of events to sink your teeth into this summer.
Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame for a chat about how the festival landscape is shaping up.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Downtown Jee seventy jet seventy Lad. That is Sharon van Dden.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
She is playing at the Other's Way the Evening that seventeen.
Chris Schultz music reviewers with us this morning, and you
reckon Today's the day, right, Today's the day. This is
a summer fisty season begins tonight.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Look at this grin. I'm sorry happy Chris.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
You literally came to the office and You're like, I'm pumped,
and I was like, what are you excited about it?
He's like, I'm excited. I'm not putting it on for
the radio. No, no, no, I'm thrilled to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
I've been waiting all winter for today. This feels like
the kickoff of the summer festival season. We've got our
first big outdoor show with Rufus Desoul at Western Springs,
and then the one I'm going to is the k
Road Festival The Other's Way, which is it's a bit
of a different music festival. They take over k Road
in about twelve venues around it. Basically, you've got to
(01:29):
wear running shoes and just charge between the venues trying
to get in to see your favorite access forty three
acts player and all of those venues they get maxed
out really quickly. But it's just so much fun.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
We've just got through this two week period where we've
been dining out on nostalgia. It's been Metallica and Tull,
Lenny Kravitz, all these acts from the nineties, and now
we get a chance to see some new stuff. So
I'm really really fizzing about that. It's an interesting time
note to sort of survey what's ahead this summer.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Year, because there have been some obviously been some like
on the downsides and big announcements. I mean, You've got
one Love has been canceled, Womad is taking a year
off officially, although obviously that you know, I think in
their announcement they said for Womad that you know, there
are just big financial pressures at the moment that they're facing.
They want to protect the future of the festival, but
(02:20):
I mean, you know, obviously there's a lot of pressure
on festival promoters and producers at the moment.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I see music festivals as my version of the housing market.
It's a bell weather for the economy. And if festivals
are popping off, if tickets are selling, if there's heaps
of them, the economy probably is doing okay. And when
things are tracking as they are now with people taking
years off listening is another festival that is often the
first big one of the summer that didn't happen this year,
(02:46):
then the thing there's probably you know, a problem, and
that one Love organizers did cite the economy not rebounding
enough for them to trust that they can sell enough
tickets to their big two day events, and Toldonger when
you add in Juicy Fests in liquidation, Timeless Tour in liquidation,
and Eden Festival also in liquidations, it is just it's
a little more constrained. But I would point out that
(03:08):
some of these festivals have the best lineups that I've
seen post COVID. I'm thinking about Laneway that's got Chapel
Rome that everyone's gone to. Lanmee Way is just fizzing
about that, Rhythm and Vines has Turnstile and Kid Cuddy
one of the best lineups that is almost making me
consider whether they can go and join the kids.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I know, what do you mean almost?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And then the big one, of course, Electric Avenue. This
festival in christ Church is just it's going off. It's
bigger than it's ever been. It's growing every year and
they've got the big booking of the some of the
first spit Ends reunion. So yeah, it's it's tricky things
that are working or working really well, and then other
things just aren't quite getting now.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, it's almost like the the two ends of the
market are doing well, like the absolute biggest ones being
Lameway's Rhythm and Vines and Electric av they're doing really well.
The small indie ones, you know, whether it's like even
having Sharon van En playing it the other's way is
amazing that that's fantastic.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Also sold out, by the way, yeah, nearly sold out.
I think there's the only main stage tickets for the
stage in k road leyt Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Right, So to have that doing super well, it's the
sort of in between ers. Do you think maybe that
you know, that's it's a confidence.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Game, right, that's what you know. If you're a promoter,
you've got to take a risk, you've got to be
a bit of a gambler. And I guess when things
are a bit tight, things are a bit gloomy, then
then maybe you're less likely to take those risks. Also,
as a consumer, you want to be guaranteed that your
event's going to happen, and when something like Juicy Fest
and Timeless to and Eden Festival, yeah, those go under
(04:45):
and people are struggling to get refunds for some of those.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
But it's not just that.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
It's also that if you're traveling for it and you've
got accommodation and all of that stuff, and you're flying
in an A three twenty, then you know it's a
it's a nightmare.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Some of these tickets are two fifty three hundred. So
one thing I would suggest that is new this summer
is that the NZPA, the New Zealand Promoters Associations, issued
a new vetting system and they've got this tech its
logo and if you see it attached to the festival,
you you want to buy a ticket for It means
the promoters have been vetted and approved and they've put
on events in the past, and that if something happens
(05:15):
to it, you're probably going to get your money back, right,
So you want to look out for that tic. I
think you can see it on the NZPA website.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It is good actually, just so you can have a
little bit more confidence in actually supporting these things. Yeah okay,
so how many are you going to do? You know,
if you've done the matter.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
As many as possible. I'm definitely going to the big ones,
Rhythm and Vines. I'm still like, oh, I don't believe.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
You are considering the Advines.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's amazing. Yeah, I mean, what was supposed to be somewhere.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Aren't we, you know, supposed to be with family Christmas?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They'll understand, No, no, it's a yeah. I mean Kid
Cutty would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
And tunstyle the hype kind of that's the first big,
like you know, punk rock act that that Rhythm and
Vines has ever had. Their super Hybrid's the only New
Zealand show they and Kid Cutty are playing. So I'm
gonna consider it. I'm going to definitely spend Christmas thinking
maybe I should get there.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah right, but those the big ones for sure, right,
yeah you'll be there? Oh oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
very good. Okay, thank you so much. It's gonna be
very interesting to see how it all goes. But thank goodness,
things are kicking off so tonight. Rufus Asolt is playing
Western Springs Day and and the others ways on k
Road of course, thank you so much, Chris Altz. You
can find him, of course, on his substack. Just search
(06:28):
boiler Room on substack and his name will pop right up.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks 'd B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Downtown Jee seventy jet seventy Lad. That is Sharon van Dden.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
She is playing at the Other's Way the Evening that seventeen.
Chris Schultz music reviewers with us this morning, and you
reckon Today's the day, right, Today's the day. This is
a summer fisty season begins tonight.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Look at this grin. I'm sorry happy Chris.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
You literally came to the office and You're like, I'm pumped,
and I was like, what are you excited about it?
He's like, I'm excited. I'm not putting it on for
the radio. No, no, no, I'm thrilled to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
I've been waiting all winter for today. This feels like
the kickoff of the summer festival season. We've got our
first big outdoor show with Rufus Desoul at Western Springs,
and then the one I'm going to is the k
Road Festival The Other's Way, which is it's a bit
of a different music festival. They take over k Road
in about twelve venues around it. Basically, you've got to
(01:29):
wear running shoes and just charge between the venues trying
to get in to see your favorite access forty three
acts player and all of those venues they get maxed
out really quickly. But it's just so much fun.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
We've just got through this two week period where we've
been dining out on nostalgia. It's been Metallica and Tull,
Lenny Kravitz, all these acts from the nineties, and now
we get a chance to see some new stuff. So
I'm really really fizzing about that. It's an interesting time
note to sort of survey what's ahead this summer.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Year, because there have been some obviously been some like
on the downsides and big announcements. I mean, You've got
one Love has been canceled, Womad is taking a year
off officially, although obviously that you know, I think in
their announcement they said for Womad that you know, there
are just big financial pressures at the moment that they're facing.
They want to protect the future of the festival, but
(02:20):
I mean, you know, obviously there's a lot of pressure
on festival promoters and producers at the moment.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I see music festivals as my version of the housing market.
It's a bell weather for the economy. And if festivals
are popping off, if tickets are selling, if there's heaps
of them, the economy probably is doing okay. And when
things are tracking as they are now with people taking
years off listening is another festival that is often the
first big one of the summer that didn't happen this year,
(02:46):
then the thing there's probably you know, a problem, and
that one Love organizers did cite the economy not rebounding
enough for them to trust that they can sell enough
tickets to their big two day events, and Toldonger when
you add in Juicy Fests in liquidation, Timeless Tour in liquidation,
and Eden Festival also in liquidations, it is just it's
a little more constrained. But I would point out that
(03:08):
some of these festivals have the best lineups that I've
seen post COVID. I'm thinking about Laneway that's got Chapel
Rome that everyone's gone to. Lanmee Way is just fizzing
about that, Rhythm and Vines has Turnstile and Kid Cuddy
one of the best lineups that is almost making me
consider whether they can go and join the kids.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I know, what do you mean almost?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And then the big one, of course, Electric Avenue. This
festival in christ Church is just it's going off. It's
bigger than it's ever been. It's growing every year and
they've got the big booking of the some of the
first spit Ends reunion. So yeah, it's it's tricky things
that are working or working really well, and then other
things just aren't quite getting now.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, it's almost like the the two ends of the
market are doing well, like the absolute biggest ones being
Lameway's Rhythm and Vines and Electric av they're doing really well.
The small indie ones, you know, whether it's like even
having Sharon van En playing it the other's way is
amazing that that's fantastic.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Also sold out, by the way, yeah, nearly sold out.
I think there's the only main stage tickets for the
stage in k road leyt Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Right, So to have that doing super well, it's the
sort of in between ers. Do you think maybe that
you know, that's it's a confidence.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Game, right, that's what you know. If you're a promoter,
you've got to take a risk, you've got to be
a bit of a gambler. And I guess when things
are a bit tight, things are a bit gloomy, then
then maybe you're less likely to take those risks. Also,
as a consumer, you want to be guaranteed that your
event's going to happen, and when something like Juicy Fest
and Timeless to and Eden Festival, yeah, those go under
(04:45):
and people are struggling to get refunds for some of those.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
But it's not just that.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
It's also that if you're traveling for it and you've
got accommodation and all of that stuff, and you're flying
in an A three twenty, then you know it's a
it's a nightmare.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Some of these tickets are two fifty three hundred. So
one thing I would suggest that is new this summer
is that the NZPA, the New Zealand Promoters Associations, issued
a new vetting system and they've got this tech its
logo and if you see it attached to the festival,
you you want to buy a ticket for It means
the promoters have been vetted and approved and they've put
on events in the past, and that if something happens
(05:15):
to it, you're probably going to get your money back, right,
So you want to look out for that tic. I
think you can see it on the NZPA website.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It is good actually, just so you can have a
little bit more confidence in actually supporting these things. Yeah okay,
so how many are you going to do? You know,
if you've done the matter.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
As many as possible. I'm definitely going to the big ones,
Rhythm and Vines. I'm still like, oh, I don't believe.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
You are considering the Advines.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's amazing. Yeah, I mean, what was supposed to be somewhere.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Aren't we, you know, supposed to be with family Christmas?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They'll understand, No, no, it's a yeah. I mean Kid
Cutty would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
And tunstyle the hype kind of that's the first big,
like you know, punk rock act that that Rhythm and
Vines has ever had. Their super Hybrid's the only New
Zealand show they and Kid Cutty are playing. So I'm
gonna consider it. I'm going to definitely spend Christmas thinking
maybe I should get there.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah right, but those the big ones for sure, right,
yeah you'll be there? Oh oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
very good. Okay, thank you so much. It's gonna be
very interesting to see how it all goes. But thank goodness,
things are kicking off so tonight. Rufus Asolt is playing
Western Springs Day and and the others ways on k
Road of course, thank you so much, Chris Altz. You
can find him, of course, on his substack. Just search
(06:28):
boiler Room on substack and his name will pop right up.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks 'd B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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