Dave Dobbyn to headline Whangarei Fritter Festival

Dave Dobbyn to headline Whangarei Fritter Festival

The voice of New Zealand summers for many decades, Dave Dobbyn, will add his flavoursome brand of authentic Kiwi sounds to this summer’s Whangarei Fritter Festival at Toll Stadium onSaturday 28 March.

"We are really proud to have Dave Dobbyn and his band headlining the festival, along with reggae band 1814, Tahuna Breaks and local bands Tempist Fujit and JPG with other local acts to come,” said Venues and Events Whangarei Marketing and Events Manager Rachel O’Gorman.

Polls of Top 100 songs show Dave Dobbyn’s ‘Loyal’ at No 1 year on year, and he holds the most NZ Sil-ver Scroll Awards for song-writing. In 2001, Dobbyn was given a lifetime achievement award by the New Zea¬land recording industry and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Dave Dobbyn has written the soundtrack to kiwi lives, with a string of hits including ‘Beside You’, ‘Be Mine Tonight’, ‘Language’, ‘Outlook for Thursday’, ‘Loyal’, ‘Whaling’, ‘Kingdom Come’, ‘It Dawned On Me’, ‘Guilty’, ‘Devil You Know’, ‘Slice of Heaven’, ‘Magic What She Do’, ‘Oughta Be in Love’ and ‘Welcome Home’.

Reggae band 1814, originally came out of the hills surrounding Whangaroa Harbour in 2004, and has been performing its take on Kiwi flavoured Reggae throughout New Zealand and Australia since. The band has enjoyed national success with its debut album ‘Jah Rydem’, released in 2008 followed by a covers album in 2011 from artists such as UB40, Burning Spear, Don Carlos, Johnny Cash, Bill Withers, Dennis Brown, The Naturalites, Alton Ellis, Sam Cooke, and Finlay Quaye and a third album ‘Relax’ through Ode Records in 2012.

Tahuna Breaks’ live act is energetic, raw and large and is influenced by artists as varied as James Brown to Daft Punk. The “party band” is well known for being unafraid to mix genres and has honed its sound on the live stage that encompasses funk, disco, soul, live electronics and roots that creates an escapist and euphoric experience for their audience.

In 2007 Tahuna Breaks released its debut album ‘Reflections’ which was followed closely by the highly anticipated second album, ‘Black Brown & White’ in 2009. Both records charted strongly, won awards and have firmly cemented Tahuna Breaks’ place on the New Zealand and Australasian music scenes.

Tempist Fujit is a modern rock duo consisting of two power musicians, a fresh face to female power vocals and solid guitars. Mixing various styles with a hard edge it has given it a unique sound and place in the music industry.

Bay of Islands covers band JPG play classics from the 60s to to¬day with unique harmonies that will get the crowd dancing.

The region’s top restaurants and cafes will once again be battling it out for the Best Fritter trophy won in 2014 by Absolute Caterers for their Pina Colada Fritter.

Complementing the fabulous fritters will be our region’s finest wines from some of Northland’s best vineyards and wineries. The giant waterslide will be returning to the Fritter Festival to round off a great event cementing its place on the New Zealand Summer calendar.

Details
Whangarei Fritter Festival
Saturday 28 March
Toll Stadium Okara Drive, Whangarei
11am – 7pm

Tickets
Tickets go on sale next Monday 8 December from www.eventfinda.co.nz and Forum North Box Office, Rust Avenue, Whangarei. Early bird adult tickets are $35, early bird group of 10+ $31.50 and children $17 (5 to 17 years). 4 years and under is free. All ticket prices are inclusive of booking fees.

Event Buses
For only $15 let someone else take care of getting you to the festival and home again. Venues and Events will be putting on three special event buses from Waipu to Toll Stadium and return, Matapouri to Toll Stadium and return and Whangarei Heads to Toll Stadium and return including stops between. All buses leave their starting points and 10am to get you to the festival by 11am and depart from Toll Stadium at 7.15pm. Bus tickets can be purchased via Eventfinda or from Forum North Box Office until Tuesday 24 March.

More information www.fritterfestival.co.nz or www.facebook.com/fritter.festival

ENDS

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