A while ago I was lucky enough to photograph a music festival, held in Ye Olde Sports Oval of the local University. Lucky because it was was one of the best line ups I've seen when it came to Nu Zild choons. One of my favourite parts of the day was Fat Freddys Drop, who incidentally won two awards at this year's 2009 NZ Music Awards - Best NZ Roots Album and Best Producer. So nice work, FFD.
Now - FFD have had an amazingly polarising effect on NZ music, making what a friend of mine, the talented Ed Muzik calls 'barbecue dub', more mainstream. Now dub and reggae has been popular in NZ for years - the slow burning success of Herbs and then their modern successors Katchafire have had a presence bubbling away with the rare and occasional 'mainstream' hit on commercial radio, but FFD really took it to a new level.
Personally, I'm a fan because, like thousands of people under the Long White Cloud, my summer about four years ago had a soundtrack that was dominated by their album, Based On A True Story. And dominate it did. BOATS was more prevalent than political billboards two weeks before a general election - no matter where you went there was FFD. At BBQs, in cafes and from car stereos, you were serenaded by the Joe Dukey's silky voice and the unlikely accompaniment of a three piece brass section. I think they're exceptionally talented musicians with an amazing ability to jam through a gig as opposed to being bound to a set playlist, but hey, that's just me. Anyway - this weekend they're playing, and I'm photographing them. On both nights. And even better, I have a photographic pass for MSO, so she's not going to feel left out as well...
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