Swimming with Le Currents: The first stop on the Yo Vocal Tour
Words by Java Katzur. Images by Java Katzur and Kenzie Pigman.
Le Currents, located in beautiful Taupō at Riverside Park, was the first stop on the Yo Vocal Festival Tour. Java Katzur reports.
It all started in the morning when Kenzie, Raph, and I met up or a morning coffee and a team get together before we would make our way to the festival. We were amped for the day ahead. A morning hiccup when Kenzie left her ID behind was quickly solved, and we made our way to Riverside Park. The sun was shining, and although rain was forecast, we were lucky it only showered a little, how good? Pretty fucking good.
Walt, the lead singer from The Butlers and instrumental in establishing Le Currents, greeted us and we got set up. We put up the backstage artist portrait booth, round the back close to the snacks. We decided on this as a cool way to document artists and the festival in a more purposeful way; they would come to us either before or after their set to get their photo taken.
There was an exciting buzz backstage. As the festival running for its first time, everyone was fizzing to be there.
The first act of the day was Molly and The Chromatics; gracing the stage they truly started the day with a bang. Other acts took to the main stage throughout the day: There’s a Tuesday, the Butlers, Soaked Oats, Marlin’s Dreaming and lots more. There was a cohesiveness within the bands, and going from the Le Dance and the main stage you knew the vibe would be consistent.
Kenzie, Raph, and I ran between stages, into the crowd, and operated the portrait booth to get all the content we could. With so many epic acts, there was no shortage of things to do. Raph was on video duty, getting behind the scenes shots of us at the portrait booth, festival vibes, and of course, videos of the artists performing. Kenzie was on photography with me, and I was on social duty. It was epic to work with Kenzie and Raph for the first time (two absolute legends); somehow it felt like we’d been doing this for years.
Music filled our day, but this is a festival that has it all. The Mouthful art tent is a space full of expression; inside you get to create, enjoy, and of course, buy some art. Mouthful has expanded their production, with two tents to explore. Filled with art and a place to relax, it was a great getaway from the crowds, a place to slow down.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Le Dance stage stationed between the Mouthful tent and the main stage where DJs from around Aotearoa played all day, and of course, our mates from Two Minds were there making people dance - when Corban Tupou was jamming out so hard, he threw his shirt into the crowd, we knew they meant business.
To end the day, the boys from Mako Road took to the stage. The light show complemented their performance, and we watched from side stage reminiscing the days when we saw them play at flat parties down in Christchurch. These boys have come such a long way, and that was pretty special to witness.
Before we knew it, it was the end of the night, and as everyone went their separate ways, Kenzie and I turned to each other. Earlier on I’d seen a fair; you know the type with big flashing lights and lots of rides, ones you see in movies. “Odds we go on a ride,” I said to Kenzie “Out of 1,” Kenzie laughed. Quickly we dumped our stuff in the car and ran over. I got the tickets and Kenzie saved us a spot in the line. Ten minutes later, we were on the ride screaming and laughing our way around, the best way to end the day, and as we giggled our way back to the van, we reflected on the first of many epic festivals coming this summer. Thank you, Le Currents, we can’t wait for next year.
