Contact FM Celebrates 50 Years

4 April 2025

A very special party is being held on Saturday 3rd of May 2025 at the Meteor Theatre in Hamilton – a one-night celebration of music, musicians and music lovers of Hamilton from the 1970’s-2010’s, when Contact was the cornerstone of alternative art and culture in the Waikato.

The celebration is an opportunity for former Radio Contact staff and listeners, supporters, bands and friends – in fact anyone who wants to come along – to celebrate the station we knew and loved and reminisce about the many heydays of student radio in Hamilton. The party has a line-up of great bands who have been influential in the Hamilton music scene from the 1980’s through to present day:

Watershed
DEAN
Commodore 65 (including Phil Datsun from the Datsuns, and friends)
Broadcast State (including Scott Newth from Love and Violence and Rumpus Room (to name a few), and friends)
Vicki No Mates (from 5 Girls)
and MSU

Jesse Mulligan, former Contact announcer, will be MCing and there will be live ‘specialist shows’ from past Contact announcers between bands.

Of course what’s a gig without any merch? A special limited edition T-shirt is in the process of being designed and will be available for purchase prior to the party.

The event will be accompanied by a three day exhibition of memorabilia related to Contact and the Hamilton music scene, rummaged out from battered boxes belonging to past Contact announcers and listeners, that have been gathering dust in garages and attics across the motu for years. This will be in the foyer area of the Meteor Theatre.

A small committee is organising the party with many others pitching in to make it happen. Former specialist show host Greg Wood is one of those supporting the celebration and says Contact “was a hub for so many communities over the years and a platform for so much culture and creativity”. He also noted “how strong, motivated and self-less the community in Hamilton was”.

Were you an announcer? Were you a listener? Were you in a band? Were you an enthusiastic supporter? Contact will always be your friend – so share the love – grab some friends and join us at this not-to-be-missed celebration!

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from the Meteor Theatre website: https://themeteor.co.nz/events/

The celebration is proudly supported by Free FM who continue broadcasting on the 89FM frequency, keeping the legacy alive: https://www.freefm.org.nz/ Stay tuned for interviews with the bands during The Free Breakfast.