Whangārei Boys High School band Visual Soup are opening Fritter Festival this year. They are (from left) lead guitarist Louie Compter, frontman Harper Gray, drummer Ruben Woods and bassist Beau Brown.
Whangārei Boys High School band Visual Soup are opening Fritter Festival this year. They are (from left) lead guitarist Louie Compter, frontman Harper Gray, drummer Ruben Woods and bassist Beau Brown.
The Northland Fritter Festival is this year marking a decade of showcasing the best of the region’s culinary talent and local musicians.
The event will kick off on Saturday with talent from WhangāreiBoys' High School band Visual Soup.
The quartet formed in 2022 and have competed at Smokefree Rockquest three times, last year winning the top regional spot.
Despite their varied tastes, from frontman Harper Gray’s “little bit of everything” to Louie Compter’s Mark Knopfler vibe, the group have managed to put together originals and nailed down their style – an eclectic mix.
The band agreed their ideas usually start with Compter creating a funky riff and the other three following on to develop it.
Their debut at Fritter Fest is likely to be their biggest gig so far but a previous highlight was last year’s school ball, which got a positive reception from the 1000-strong attendees.
Whangārei Boys High School band Visual Soup, who are (from left to right) bass guitarist Beau Brown, drummer Reuben Woods, frontman Harper Gray and lead guitarist Louie Compter, will be opening Fritter Festival this weekend. Photo / Brodie Stone
The group’s line-up for this year’s Fritter Fest consists of a mixture of covers and three originals that have never been played to an audience.
They will also play the tune which won them the top spot at the Smokefree Rockquest regionals last year.
They said they were also excited to be on the same stage as other acts, including Kora, known for their songs Politician and Burning.
Lost Tribe Aotearoa will also grace the stage with their eclectic mix of roots, ska, blues and dub, late nineties/early 2000s band stellar*, local band 5K and The Crooked Cops, bringing the reggae vibes.
A range of local cafes, food trucks and restaurants will meanwhile battle it out for the Best Fritter trophy and the Pak’nSave Whangārei People’s Choice award, voted by attendees.
Northland Events Centre (2021) chief executive Brent Markwick said he was pleased to see the festival mark a decade of entertaining punters.
It was a highlight on the region’s events calendar, Markwick said.
“It’s particularly special to have Visual Soup opening this year’s festival – it’s a testament to the amazing talent in our region.
“We invite everyone to come along and make this 10th-anniversary event one to remember.”
Visual Soup will be opening Fritter Festival at 12pm at Semenoff Stadium. The festival will finish at 8pm.
We have two tickets to the Fritter Festival to give away. Send your name and contact details to regionalcompetitions@nzme.co.nz with Fritter Festival in the subject line, by 3pm on Friday, March 7.
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Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
