Chart-toppers to appear at Longline

GET THE DROP: Fat Freddy's Drop will be one of the features of Longline Classic. Picture supplied

Fat Freddy's Drop, that good-time seven-piece from Wellington whose musical style has been characterised as a combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues and techno is coming to Gisborne.

And to the Makaraka Racecourse in particular, as part of New Zealand's newest outdoor music festival, the Longline Classic on Saturday, October 22, starting at 1pm.

Fat Freddy's Drop was originally a jam band formed in the late 90s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, but it gradually became its members' sole focus.

Band members continued playing with their other respective groups — The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster and others — for much of their 20-year career.

The band gained international recognition in 2003 after their single Midnight Marauders was redistributed by record labels and DJs in Germany.

The group has toured Europe nearly every year since then.

The first studio album by Fat Freddy's Drop, Based on a True Story, was the first independently distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales straight after release in 2005, and is the third-highest-selling album by a national artist in New Zealand's history.

Based on a True Story won Best Album at the New Zealand Music Awards the same year, and remained on the top 40 New Zealand sales chart for over two years, establishing them as one of the most successful contemporary bands in the country.

Fat Freddy's Drop are known for their improvised live performances. Songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand and abroad.

Setting a longline is a quintessential part of the Kiwi summer and is best served with cold drinks, good music and great company, and the Longline Classic will burst on us over Labour Weekend for a day of music, dancing, community and culture with its biggest line-up to date. Besides Fat Freddy's Drop, bands include Skegss, Melodownz, Flamingo Pier (DJ), Muroki, Halfqueen and more.

The Classic is a summer festival across multiple stages, and it aims to bring people together from all over the country to “set the longline” in Gisborne.

There will be plenty of food, drinks and friends at the racecourse.

Held over Labour Weekend, it marks the start of the festival season and — most importantly — the end of a long winter.

Round up your crew, pack up the car, hit the road to Makaraka, and kick into summer the right way.

The Longline Classic. An outdoor music festival, featuring DJ Flamingo Pier, Fat Freddy's Drop and more. Ashwood Park Racecourse, Makaraka. Saturday, October 22, 1pm-late, R18. Tickets from tinyurl.com/44wut7ya