Electric Avenue 2021

Words by Hannah Powell. Images by Tom Fisher and Fran Scrimgeour.

With four stages, 34 artists, and a whopping 25,000 attendees, Christchurch festival Electric Avenue put on one hell of a show. It’s first selling out since it began in 2016; this year’s event was huge. Here’s how the day panned out for Hannah Powell.

Auckland singer/songwriter PRINS kicked off the day over on the Lake Stage, with Ultraviolet bringing in the morning rave in the RDU Rave Cave. Christchurch sweethearts There’s a Tuesday followed suit over on the Park Stage, playing alongside alternative pop duo The Response on stage Cosmic. Midday was filled with some of New Zealand’s freshest talent, with the likes of RIIKI, The Leers, CHAII, and ASHY playing the stage with sounds that ranged from pop to hip-hop to rock and roll. I arrived in time to see Mild Orange, a special moment between my friends and me, as we’d seen them two years previous at their first stint at Rhythm and Alps. Only onwards and upwards they have gone.

I wish I could give a rundown on every set, but unfortunately, there aren’t four of me. Who I did have the pleasure of seeing was Dunedin’s Wax Mustang for the very first time. A virgin attendee like myself, I had a great time at the Cosmic stage. Christchurch-born Ladi6 was a joy to see, as was Fat Freddy’s Drop playing a beautiful set. Highlights include one of the members wearing a pair of silver stubbies and a cape, as well as Ladi6 and Joe Dukie’s duet on Fat Freddy’s Drop track ‘Roady’. Benee was great; Scribe and P-Money ripped up the Park Stage in the evening while I was in the RDU98.5FM Rave Cave bopping to Headland. Once we emerged out of the tent, it was a case of ‘what next?’

By 8pm, my friend and I were running low on hype. Over the number of people already, we headed past the masses at Netsky towards the Cosmic stage. Playing a bit of Russian Roulette with the line-up, we rocked up to this set with nothing to expect. Netsky was on the line. The vibe for the remainder of the night, up in the air. I had no idea who Deadbeat was, but hey, it turned out to be the highlight of the night. A bit of a performer is he, Shelton Woolright combines a drum and DJ set with his face painted up like a skull. Kudos to him for giving the set a bit of edge and theatrics, especially with the visuals at the back

Shout out to them for selling out, but there was one thing where I saw room to improve. With 25,000 people drunk and milling about, chill out spaces were a must. It sucks when the only breather you get is in the line for the portaloo. With a few anxious friends swallowed up by the crowd, the sheer amount of people was overwhelming in a space that often hosts a few thousand less. I felt like the festival hadn’t quite prepared for the capacity attending – a fair mistake considering it was the highest number to date. Doesn’t help when you get a COVID alert halfway through Shapeshifter too. 

Aside from that, Electric Avenue did a sweet job at providing a variety of genres, and legendary Kiwi sets – admittedly, a more challenging job being on the tail end of summer. The line-up remained to have a point of difference to the major festivals from New Year, and there was something for everyone. The food on offer was affordable, the drinks over-priced as usual, but fresh water was a plenty by every stage. The day was supercharged with a bit of Ōtautahi energy, sending off the summer with the infamous fireworks display.