It smelled homegrown. It sounded homegrown. It was authentic. Cheers to my first festival photo gig: New Zealand’s Homegrown 2013. Invited along by Alexander Bisley of The Lumiere Reader and asked to shoot an interview with Savage (you know that song ‘Swing’ from Knocked Up? yeah, that’s Savage), I was given an all-access media pass. I only had a few hours to roam the waterfront, but amidst the free Jim Beam and the rush of being backstage, I did my job.


Homegrown Festival 2013
Homegrown Festival 2013

To be honest, when I saw the line-up, my heart didn’t exactly skip a beat. It didn’t even speed up. The only band I actually knew was Katchafire (vaguely), and I had never realized they were a Kiwi band. I also didn’t know that my sparkly little, gold media-band was worth more than the crappy plastic and permanent marker it was made of. Anyway, I went into this thing blindly, and I was pleasantly surprised!

Turns out Homegrown is a pretty big festival for NZ, and it just so happens that the location is about 20 minutes from my apartment, sprawling along the Wellington city waterfront. With six different stages and room to run, this festival was nothing but smooth-sailing chaos. I can’t even make a guess as to how many people attended the festival, but for the size of the crowd, I’d have to say the waterfront seems to be quite the perfect festival venue.

Homegrown Festival 2013

I haven’t been to a festival like Homegrown since my last Warped Tour in 2009 (don’t fact check this because it’s a rough estimate). I only just turned 25, but I gotta say, I felt pretty old standing in a sea of rambunctious 16-year-olds. Despite feeling like an old fogey, I had a wicked time. I remember going to shows and seeing the photographers on stage and backstage with bands, and I used to lose my mind thinking about how lucky they were. It’s about time I got to be the lucky one. Looking at the kids in the front row, the ones getting crushed by the weight of the crowd behind them but still sporting pained smiles, I knew how they felt. And fuck yeah buddy, if I were those kids, I’d be jealous of me too!

Savage was pretty fierce onstage – it was an awesome shoot. Homebrew (the next act) was quite the crowd-pleaser too. The guys took the stage flinging cans of Jim Bean into the crowd and swigging on glass bottles. A few “extra-fun” cigarettes were passed around the stage too. Hands in the air, a crowd chorus spitting Homebrew’s own lyrics right back at them. The energy in that room was enough to stop your heart and re-start it.

Savage on stage at Homegrown New Zealand music festival 2013
Homegrown Festival 2013
Homegrown Festival 2013

I did end up seeing a few different acts before and after Savage – Katchafire, PNC, The Black Seeds (my favorite performance) and a little bit of Kora. Unfortunately I had to hand over my media band around 6 p.m. so the fun was over … though I ended up sneaking back in and watching the Black Seeds finish their set :)

And finally, the whole reason I got to go to the gig: the interview! (Sealed with a kiss on the cheek, I might add) It’s safe to say that Savage is the most humble bad-ass you’ve ever met. At some point Bisley will be putting the interview up on the Lumiere website, so if you’re a fan of Savage you can check it out. The topics were solid and intimate, and it will absolutely be worth reading.

3 Comments. Leave new

  • hahahaha im sure those are my electronic tent thrashed stepped on feet hahaha awesome to add them in there.My wife has been getting into photography at the moment,
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/PWH-Photography/308831439207061?fref=ts,
    check her shots out if you have the time ,,hahaha and awesome to come across my barefeet i only just remembered a girl took a photo of my feet, cool loving the photos though keep it up

    Reply
  • Heyyyy Tiffani! Whats up Komodo?! Didn’t want your only comment so far on a pretty sweet description of what seemed like a really cool festival/concert to be about a guy, his busted feet and a promotion about his wife’s photography on a site that’s supposed to be about, travel, your feet (more importantly where they take you) and your photography. Congrats on getting the site up and running, smooothly it seems, and more importantly on following through with the Australia/Indonesia gig in general! I’m super excited for you and adequately jealous! If I get in to law school this september, (fingers crossed) I’m hoping to have some time this summer to travel for a bit before i lock myself in my room and throw away the key for three years and would love to work some weird travel destinations into the mix. Let me know some cool places! Lots of love, have fun out there! ~Lexy

    Reply
    • Awe Lexy, you just put a massive grin on my face! Once you get into law school (which of course you will) lets have a chat & talk travel – though I can tell you right now you should go to Bali, Indonesia to experience a Kuta coma, but you should also make time for a nice, quiet trip to Lombok! Anyway, I wish you all the best dude – thanks a million for this comment. Every little bit of encouragement and support means a lot more than anyone thinks. Great to hear from you – take care & make the best of your free time now because there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Lemonidis will soon be taking over the court room! x

      Reply

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