Vibe was strong at Longline Classic

Having a good time? . . . the answer to that for this group, well for all those who attended actually, was an emphatic yes. Picture by Paul Rickard

It’s three and counting for organisers of the Longline Classic summer music festival.

Around 3000 people enjoyed an event organisers described as “a showcase of some of New Zealand’s best talent” at the Gisborne Soundshell on Saturday.

“The crowd was really well behaved and the vibe was strong,” said co-organiser and Gisborne man Kurt Barker.

“The weather played ball and the sun shone throughout the festival despite dicey forecasts throughout the week.”

The classic featured a good range of musos performing across multiple stages.

For Barker the onstage highlights were: Katchafire playing at golden hour; the Flamingo Pier set on the dance stage; Home Brew; local legends Witters and MC Crafty ‘shutting down main stage’.”

That was complemented by a crowd looking for a good time, which is what the Longline Classic is all about.

“The event started from a group of friends setting a longline at early hours of the morning after a big night out,” Barker said. “For it to now be an established music festival across two stages and running successfully for its third year is pretty mind-blowing.”