Port Noise is rapidly upon us and this year the festival has expanded its footprint, allowing for more artists and bigger audiences to descend on Lyttelton. This is the third year the festival has run, and every year it seems the crowds can’t get enough of this homegrown hit. We talk to co-organiser of Port Noise, Ben Wood, about why the festival is such a success.
It seems like Port Noise gets bigger and better each year, is that right?
Yeah, we are constantly expanding but at the same time trying to maintain what makes it work. This year we have issued 1450 tickets rather than 900 like the last two years so that’s something different. We’ve also increased capacity this year, by having the whole carpark outside the Wunderbar which will allow us to have two outdoor stages for the first time and that has allowed us to include more artists and of course, more ticketholders.
Anything different about this year’s festival?
More acts or sure, and there are also more secret shows this year. Every ticket holder gets a piece of paper when they enter the festival that has directions to a secret show in Lyttelton for a small performance that will happen during the evening. These secret shows are super popular and so there’ll be we’re having a lot more of these.
Port Noise seems to just go from strength to strength – does the success of the festival surprise you?
It feels surreal in terms of how successful it’s become. Three years isn’t actually that long a time, and yet somedays it can feel much longer and then other days it feels like no time at all. I think the success of Port Noise shows that people around here are hungry for something that has a genuine care attached to it- that’s why I think it’s been so popular.
Has the success also been down to the fact that’s it’s relatively homegrown?
It’s partially homegrown in the sense of offering an alternative to the post-capitalist nightmare the world is currently in! It’s nice to do things in a genuine way and not be motived solely by profit.
How do you choose who’s going to be on the bill?
We have such a curatorial angle – a lot of the artists are artists who we really like but who may be a little unknown and so we put them in front of audiences who may not have heard of them – and so everyone wins! I like to think Port Noise is a festival that’s both high quality and intimate.
Is Lyttleton itself a big part of the festival?
That was the one thing that gave us the incentive to start this actually. There was so much media attention on Lyttleton as being this arts hub and that is true, but we wanted to create something that really spoke to that idea and so Port Noise really took that idea of being an actual hub and really celebrating it and pushing it.
How much does community support help with Port Noise?
Massively. We use the venues that are already there, and also the community spaces for the secret shows. The businesses are involved. The community helps in all sorts of ways from rigging lights to manning the bars and cafes.
Who’s coming this year? Mostly local audiences?
A lot more people are travelling to the festival now. It’s gaining a wider audience throughout the country. But mostly it’s still very local in terms of audience.
What are you excited about this year?
I can’t personally pick favourites, but I am really looking forward to seeing Simon Joyner though – he’s a Nebraskan singer songwriter and is a real hidden gem. It was lucky for us that he happened to be travelling in New Zealand around the time of the festival, so we managed to grab him. Sarah Mary Chadwick, who is originally from New Zealand, is also playing and I’m really excited about seeing her. And for the first time this year we have a dedicated DJ space – DJ’s playing back-to back – so that’s going to be fun. We also have an improvised band which is a supergroup of artists from New Zealand, people like Shayne Carter and Jeff Henderson – and they’ll be doing an hour of improvised music.
Are there plans to expand the festival into other arts areas?
We do have an art installation this year that we commissioned – and so we are trying to tap into that wider art world but at the same time we’re being careful not to overcook things. I want to make sure we get the festival right before we expand too much into other areas.
There are still some tickets available to Port Noise – so check out the full line up here and grab your tickets while they last.