Camp may just be becoming too big a beast for Blink to handle. Way back in 2006, despite the success of the A Low Hum tours, people were hesitant to fork out for Camp 2007 which was, essentially, a mystery. Obviously, however, it was awesome, and the second camp only got bigger and better, yet somehow a completely different set of ideas to the one that preceded it. The same evolution applies to the third and final Camp A Low Hum, which happened last weekend, at Homedale, out in Wainuiomata. With NZ music’s biggest name ever making an appearance, a 3-hour spot on National Radio, and the mere fact that it sold out a month in advance, its getting pretty safe to say that the A Low Hum events have established themselves as must-sees of the NZ Awesome Music Calendar (which is a calendar that doesn’t actually have May in it). In any case, as long as Blink’s next evolution of the music festival doesn’t attract anyone who would otherwise go to the Sevens, I’m happy.

Described best by Blink himself as ‘a music camp for people who can’t handle regular music festivals”, there was as much emphasis on the nostalgia of an American summer camp as there was the music itself, a point underlined by the movie choices for the late night screenings (Camp Cucamonga, My Hot Wet American Summer). This sense of 90s nostalgia carried through all across camp. There was an Australia day featuring Nintendo Kiwii, covering classics like John Farnham. There were back-to-back Wrongo In The Congos, tribal bongo parties. There was a Baywatch party in the lagoon, which featured the best whirlpool since, well, probably one of the other Camps. There was the person going around selling juicies for a dollar, the wooden cabins that sold amazing hot meals next to people doing arts & crafts, the stages set up amongst the trees allowing for comfort in beds of pine needles, the mixtape swap, ‘BOXWARS’, even bunk beds. Camp 09 managed to take the best parts of an outdoor show, a summer camp and a Craftwerk day, and from that, made what should be the template for every musc festival ever to succeed it.

Blink mentioned in his blurb that with this Camp, he wanted to establish some solid trans-tasman connections, and I think it was an idea that was really well realised. By bringing over bigger names like Love of Diagrams and My Disco, Blink was taking somewhat of a gamble: he could just as easily have roped in Cut Off your Hands and Reduction Agents to play main stage sets, I’m sure. Fortunately, Blink has rad taste- not only were the bigger Australian names awesome, the smaller names like Crayon Fields and Ouch My Face totally brought the noise in soooo many ways. In addition to this, and apparently true to form, Blink saved the best surprise for last. Namely, in the form of Liam Finn, his little brother Elroy, and his dad, Neil. WTF?? They played a set that went through The Chills, Liam Finn, Betchadupa, and Neil’s entire career. It was the nostaligc set to end all nostalgic sets, and capped off a top-quality lineup that ran from the stalwarts So So Modern, and whilst big moments like these are the ones that make Camp the large(ish)-scale success it has fast become, it was the completely random ones that made it the lasting, amazing memory it is for those that were there. Things like telling everybody Big Flip the Massive are playing by the lagoon, arriving to find theres no power, so they set up in the lounge area at midnight and played there. Things like hearing My Girls between bands, and having instant dance parties that are just as good as the bands themselves. Things like conga lines. Basically, camp was awesome, everybody will tell you that, and if they don’t its because either they didn’t go or they are a noob. I think that the only way Blink can make this better is by having the next incarnation of A Low Hum as a boat cruise. THE A LOW HUM LOVE BOAT. Pencil it in, people.
James Beavis

Part Two still to come: INDIVIDUAL BAND REVIEWS IN HAIKU FORMAT