The drive from Auckland had been long, but the constant rain had led to a reduction in traffic, which made the drive to Tauranga very pleasant. Heading into Totara St, the weather clearly had no plans on changing, luckily the venue had invested in some covers to protect the punters from being lashed by rain in the outer areas. A reasonable sized venue, with both a mezzanine and floor level, two stocked bars and a kitchen, the site was well prepared for the evenings festivities. It should also be mentioned how incredible it is that all profits from this show were going to the local Cancer Society. Doors opened early due to the large number of artists on the bill, and shortly after 6pm, the opening band took to the stage.

You know it is going to be a big night when the rock crowd legend, a.k.a. the dancing man, a.k.a. the Nambasa guy, a.k.a. Bazza, or simply Barry, is in attendance. So for this review I’m going to go ahead and add a 0-10 “Barry Dancing factor” score to each act, to help you visualise whether Barry was completely motionless (0), up to slow dancing with some fancy footwork (4), all the way up to Barry’s full “windmill” dance (10).

The acts themselves have been highly variable so far in genres and style, and the fourth act again was different. Play Big is the first of the three Auckland bands on the bill for the evening. What could simply be described as a modern-day Limp Bizkit. With hoodies and flat peak caps, and a scattering of neon green all around, whether it be shoe linings, shoe laces, or guitar paint jobs, the group certainly stands out. Their sound is incredibly deep and booming, with some chunky guitars that knocks loose any earwax, and a drumming style that reminds me of Animal from the Muppets; he’s just going crazy on the kit. But the star of the show is the vocalist Shaun Winslow, who is one of embodied the angst of every teenage in existence. Extremely active, he jumps on and off the stage, dragging his mic cord around, catching drinks, spilling them on the ground, skulling the remains, throwing his hoodie and cap to the ground several times, before dropping to the ground and convulsing and spasming. His vocals were largely indistinguishable to begin with, but as the set progressed, his freestyling became more natural and flowed better. The aggression on stage was slightly unsettling, but the crowd loved it, and had one the largest applauses of the night. BARRY DANCING FACTOR: 2. His foot was tapping and you knew he wanted to dance, but Winslow’s constant jumping into the crowd yelling at the crowd to “bounce”, became prohibitive to the conditions Barry needed.