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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Music review: Fat Freddy's Drop

Kim Gillespie
By Kim Gillespie
Editor: NZME Community Publications Network·Rotorua Daily Post·
5 Jan, 2015 12:16 AM2 mins to read

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Dallas Tamaira from Fat Freddy's Drop performing at the Rotorua Lakefront. Photo / Stephen Parker

Dallas Tamaira from Fat Freddy's Drop performing at the Rotorua Lakefront. Photo / Stephen Parker

With Raggamuffin off the local events calendar this summer this really was a must-see gig for local music fans.

You didn't have to be a huge reggae fan to enjoy Friday's show - six acts headlined by Wellington's Fat Freddy's Drop.

The main performers had a tough act to follow after Meta & The Cornerstones pumped up the mid-evening crowd with an energetic performance.

Gallery: Fat Freddys Drop concert at Village Green

New Zealand reggae band Fat Freddy's Drop peforming to a large crowd at the Lakefront in Rotorua.  Photo/Stephen Parker
Dallas Tamaira from Fat Freddy's Drop  Photo/Stephen Parker
Crowd at the Village Green  Photo/Stephen Parker
Dillon Riesterer from the Hipstamatics.   Photo/Stephen Parker
ManaLion.  Photo/Stephen Parker
Kaija Johnson, 3, and Jeremy van Vliet.   Photo/Stephen Parker
Early in the day. Photo/Stephen Parker
Meta and the Cornerstones   Photo/Stephen Parker
Crowd at the Village Green   Photo/Stephen Parker

Image 1 of 9: New Zealand reggae band Fat Freddy's Drop peforming to a large crowd at the Lakefront in Rotorua. Photo/Stephen Parker

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But they came on stage strongly, kicking off with relatively recent favourite Blackbird, the title track from their 2013 album, and continuing with a mesmerising two-hour set.

The band's roots as a jam band were evident - and as the summer evening rolled on so was the musicianship, as the sweet sounds - that deep bass, warm brass, smooth vocals and more - throbbed their way into the heads, hearts and feet of the thousands-strong crowd.

Those fans waiting for Fat Freddy's Drop's biggest hit Wandering Eye may have wondered what happened. Different band members earlier gave conflicting advice on whether the song would be played. In the end it was, sort of, in a highly-stylised way, seamlessly flowing off the back of the previous track, its recognisable lyrics coming in over the continuing rolling bassline of the earlier song.

But other favourites didn't disappoint. Encore Midnight Marauders proved a powerful and fitting end to the night while earlier Roady got the crowd going with its lyrics "Yes it feels so good, when I know you're rockin' with me" and its refrain "We do it for the love of music".

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And you could tell they really do, do it for the love of music.

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