Four piece band The Eastern lit up the night at Wild Estate. As the sun set, and with Te Pūtiki o Kahumatamomoe as their backdrop, the four-piece band from Christchurch played a mixture of original songs and covers such as Bring it on Home to Me and Midnight Rider. The band, which also played at last year’s Waiheke Jazz Festival, is fronted by Adam McGrath, whose humorous chats between songs were part of the package.
The gig provided an unwanted jolt or two for McGrath, who felt a few electric shocks during the performance but didn’t miss a note and played into the night.
Aaron Carpenter opened with three members of the Solomon Cole band: Lee Catlin on bass; Nikki Ngatai on vocals and Derek Solomon on lead guitar, playing songs off their Revelators album like Pretty Lies and Stranger. They added Tom Waits’ Way Down in the Hole and Led Zepplin’s When the Levee Breaks.
Near the end of The Eastern’s second set the Revelators joined them to perform The Weight and other classics.
A crowd of about 200 enjoyed the first (and possibly last due to the omicron red light) big musical event of the year. • Graham Hooper
