Opposite Sex at Camp a Low Hum 2012

Lucy of Opposite Sex (photo by kind permission of Petra Jane)

Opposite Sex played a short and wild set at New Zealand’s best little music festival – the 3-day Camp a Low Hum – on 10 February. For the benefit of those not familiar with this unique NZ institution, A Low Hum is the name of a label/ fanzine/ event promotion/ festival empire run for 10 years now by an affable guy known by most just as “Blink”.

Blink started out running crazy tours of NZ with multiple bands, and selling an accompanying magazine with a compilation CD. After doing this for a few years he thought there had to be a better, less crazy way to introduce people to new bands, musicians and their music. That’s where the idea of a music festival came from. Bring the people to the bands. The line-ups of these festivals are never announced in advance yet they always sell out ages before the festival. There’s no commercial sponsorship and tickets are limited. The festivals have been held at two locations near Wellington for about 7 years now. The 2012 festival returned to Camp Wainui, in the hills and forests east of Wellington.

Sunrise at Camp

The music at the festivals is eclectic, with bands you’ve mostly never heard of, half from NZ and half from around the world. The spirit and community at these festivals is cool, supportive and friendly. Nothing more complicated than like-minded music lovers hanging out on the grass getting sunburnt, or hiding in a forest listening to trippy electronica and dance music, or lazing about on inflatable water toys in a scuzzy pond while listening to strange and wonderful subversive pop music.

Forest stage

All in all, a perfect place for Opposite Sex to play and reveal their wonky pop charms to a wider audience…

Opposite Sex on the Lawn stage