Hundreds expected for Flock House music event

An alternative music gathering at Flock House, near Bulls, is set to attract hundreds in January.
The Flock House complex, a former agricultural training school, will be home to Camp A Low Hum from January 22 to 25.
The organiser is Ian Jorgensen, better known as Blink. It will be his fourth mass music event, and he expects 1200 to 1300 people.
Previous camps were held near Wainuiomata and Levin.
The event would be more a community gathering than a music festival. Publicity was by word of mouth, and he would not say which bands were playing.
There were 60 of them in the official line-up, but another 40 were likely to play on a stage set up for anyone to use if they felt the inclination.
There would be no limit on the experimental music, with blues, country and "anything that you wouldn't hear on the radio".
Not quite, because large parts of previous gatherings have been played and replayed by Radio New Zealand National in its Saturday afternoon slot.
About 300 people, mainly from the booked bands, would sleep in the Flock House dormitories, but the bulk of the visitors always stayed in tents.
The gathering was evolving away from music into other arts and "pretty much anything that I like", Mr Jorgensen said.
"I'm trying to make it completely original. Anyone who buys a ticket can do anything at all that they like."
Loosely based in Wellington, he's also got his own music label: A Low Hum, and handles bands making low-key national tours.
He said "W(h)anganui" was his favourite city in the country, and he and his girlfriend were looking to shift into the district.
Most of next year's gathering is already arranged, but anyone else who's interested can email Blink on campusalh@gmail.com.
Flock House was was bought by Hamilton couple Darren and Jeanette Leith in March, manager Ray Scott said.
Many owners had struggled to make it work as a business after the agricultural school closed. The complex and its 17 houses fell into disrepair, with long grass, graffiti and broken windows.
The Leiths intended to repair the houses, give them individual titles and then sell them. Their plan for the rest of the complex was still undecided, Mr Scott said.