Comment: Whanganui Walls shows what can be done at Majestic Square

(From left) Tim Arnold, Michael Franklin-Browne and Milan Borich of Pluto filled Majestic Square as the headliners of Saturday's Whanganui Walls music festival. Photo / Kai Arahi Hagger

Comment

I would have said that watching reformed rockers Pluto headline the Whanganui Walls music festival at Majestic Square on Saturday night was an exercise in joyous nostalgia, but their opening song, 2019 single "Oh My Lonely", sounded just as good as anything else the band has released.

An exercise in feverish boogying then, with scores of others also partaking.

I can't remember ever seeing that many people at a night-time concert there, and the sound of Pluto and Damn Raucous Brass was absolutely perfect.

The same can't be said for my own band's performance there almost 20 years ago, to a few bemused bystanders and equally bemused family members on a chilly winter's evening. If memory serves me correctly, our ramshackle rendition of almost the entirety of The Strokes' first album was met with general indifference from the smattering of audience members.

There-in lies the key. The sound.

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Having a great production crew on hand can make all the difference, and if there's someone behind the mixing desk that knows what they're doing then everything else should take care of itself.

A bit of a light show, and, dare I say it, a smoke machine or two, can also do wonders.

As I was waving my arms around and pulling out a few horrendous two-steps on Saturday, I couldn't help but think about other acts I'd like to see at Majestic Square - perhaps an established national (or international) band could stop by on a summer tour, or a music festival could fill that space into the early hours.

It's got dancing room for a few hundred people, sitting and lounging room for a few more, and plenty of space for food and drink vendors.

Aside from beautiful and iconic venues such as the Royal Opera House and Whanganui Musicians Club, Whanganui doesn't have a wealth of live music venues, especially with the future of a live institution like Lucky Bar still unknown.

Would Trinity Roots want to play at Majestic Square? What about your Shihads or your Hollie Smiths? The Datsuns, anyone?

If I had my way, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would set up shop there for the weekend, but that might be a bit of a stretch.

Trying to organise a paid (and potentially R18) gig in a council-owned space might also pose some organisational headaches.

One downside of staging an event at such an open and easily accessible location is the need for added fencing and security, especially if there is an age restriction in place. The council, local businesses, and neighbours would need to be on board, and there's the age-old threat of drunken hordes terrorising the streets.

As luck would have it, there's an R18 event coming up there in a matter of weeks.

Lost Arts Events, who recently staged Sound Valley at Oceanview Speedway, will host beverage and food festival Hops and Vines at Majestic Square on April 17, with hundreds of presales already in the books.

They've put in the time and the planning, just like the Whanganui Walls team did, so no doubt it'll be a huge success, but will others be willing to take the plunge and host a live act there?

As a purveyor of awful but enthusiastic dance moves, I for one certainly hope so.