Gig Review: The Dorado Experiment @ Regent Theatre, Hokitika – 06/11/2026

Hot off the heels of their debut album Becoming A Man, The Dorado Experiment crash land into Hokitika’s Regent Theatre for the first of two shows on the West Coast this weekend.

I first came across the band when their album was up for review on Muzic.NZ, and while fellow reviewer Kerry took the lead and delivered a stellar review of their record, it left me yearning to see them live. My line of work involves putting on shows for The Regent Theatre in Hokitika, so after a quick outreach on Instagram, I was pleasantly surprised when guitarist Bo shared the same notion of thinking, and by the end of the week, we had solidified a show for the month ahead.

And here we are at the month ahead. Bo and the band touch down on Coaster soil, unloading a warehouse of gear out of the van for the gig. With my 3-year-old in tow, for daytime Fridays are daddy day care, we greet the band with open arms. While I help various members of the band find their way around, others, like lead vocalist Blue, make beautiful conversation with the Tot on how both her and his band names are other names for gold. Tonight’s gig starts well past bedtime, so Mummy brings the critter back in once I start work for a boogie during soundcheck, and it is here I see Bo bust out his Talk Box AKA Peter Frampton. A sign of good things to come.

After soundcheck, the band heads out into the town, sticking out like mountain oysters at the Wild Foods Festival, or so it seemed because upon their return they had tales of locals shouting pleasantries about coming to the show from their car windows, local shop owners already posting photos of them online in their stores, and they even got offered free accommodation while in town that night. They were all originally going to crash in the Theatre.

Five minutes before showtime, I head down into the green room to wish the band good luck, where I see them all donned in white and gold clothing. Everything has been carefully planned and thought of from substance to style.

The show opens up with some fantastic atmospheric guitar playing accompanied by ethereal synth-work, giving off huge Money For Nothing intro vibes. The tension is sky high as they build up the room, cutting into an explosion of sound superseding all expectations. Blue leans into the mic and proclaims…

“ We are The Dorado Experiment and tonight we will be having a little experiment….”

Over the next 3 hours, Hokitika rocked out with the band to a set made with loving reverence to the 60’s and 70’s. The local Santa was hopping around mimicking the thumping of the drummer while fellow grandparents I’ve met at preschool gymnastics are dropping it low and shaking it all. The instruments have all the bells and whistles, the outfits are incredible touches and even Blue’s dance moves are on theme and at their peak on the most sultry track of the year, Becoming A Man. The Dorado Experiment has completely revived Rock music bringing their own fresh originality with it while fully embracing the best of the legends of the past.

Just like Led Zeppelin before them, The Dorado Experiment has laced their repertoire with Tolkien mythology and easter eggs. It takes a LOTR nerd to spot another, and for the keen ear, one of Bo’s guitar riffs plays and pays fantastic homage to Peregrin Took’s The Edge of Night from the Jackson trilogy. Guttural didgeridoo-like mouth noises from Blue sprinkled throughout the night add to the Experiment. This truly is a cacophony of cultures, ideologies and love for the music all in one.

They close out the show just as it opened, but this time reminding me of yet another Dire Straits song, On Every Street. Bo starts shredding the guitar behind his head while Blue slithers like a serpent on the ground (Smaug the dragon maybe?)

What a highly entertaining and incredible night out for Hokitika. Do not miss seeing a show by The Dorado Experiment, and if you can make it to one of their very own music festivals in Nelson, don’t hesitate to buy a ticket to Dorado Whakatū.