Festival Review: CubaDupa Part 2 @ Wellington – Saturday 29/03/2025

They say you can’t beat Welly on a good day. And this truly was a Good Day. A steady 18-20 degrees and blue skies all day. Organisers couldn’t have asked for a better one. And neither could the people of the Capital. It’s really been a devastating time for the city. What with the insane cuts to the public service by the Coalition of Chaos, the turmoil in the Council; Water leaks and dodgy infrastructure; Homegrown pulling out. And we’re till bruising from Parliamentary protests. So, it really was a great thing for the City to get out and truly party. And refresh our souls, too.

CubaDupa is and iconic festival and has been going, in some form ever since 2015. The only years off were over the dreaded Covid years and they don’t count anyway.

Things kicked off around midday with a moving Mihi Whakatoe and Powhiri down at the Nga Toi Te Aro Stage with the Mayor Tori Whanau and the CubaDupa crew, With over 140 acts across the weekend, it would be almost impossible to see everything but I managed to grab a few glimpses of a few none the less as I rushed from stage to stage between 7 main stages and 28 other venues (possibly more if you include impromptu gigs in coffee shops and restaurants).

I started the afternoon in a mellow mode with some sultry jazz covers sung by the immortal Lisa Tomlins, accompanied by Wade Reeve on guitar. Tomlins has an effortless quality t her delivery and she truly made a bunch of standards sound and feel like they were written just for her. Everyone at Jack Hackett’s bar were in a fine mood because of it, too.

A trip to the Colossal stage at the top of Cuba Street rewarded me with some incredible trapeze stunts courtesy of the CubaDupa Cabaret team.

In the Courtyard of the old Hannah’s Factory, I saw Subversion, a fusion of fashion, theatre and dance that explores the evolution of alternative and counterculture fashion from the 80’s to the present day. With over 20 performers using music and original themed costuming from a range of young emerging designers, it was a truly challenging, enlightening and visceral experience.

On the streets I caught ‘gypsy’ dance collective Crash Bandihoot’s crazy mob flash dance show. Grooved on down with another street group called the BTB B*tches, who dance to cheesy 80’s hits – often in garish pastels and Lycra. And later got caught up in a Carnival style Batucada street parade. All are essential and legendary elements of the CubaDupa experience.

Popping in to San Fran I caught a couple of songs from Miles Calder who does a great line in psychedelic folk. Check out the catchy Bad For Me and melancholic Take Me Back To How It Was.

When I returned an hour later it was heaving. It was as if all 100,000 punters had all turned up to see local R’n’B heroes OdESSA. Matt Pender, Lisa Tomlins and Co. once again pulled on the glittering suit jackets to deliver a stonking set full of fluid and inventive rhythm track and searing licks. A pumping brass section firmly nailed the funk to the walls. Young and old were packed in like sardines, grooving out like there was no tomorrow.

Over on the Wellington Airport Nga Taniwha Stage Vera Ellen, winner of the 2024 Taite Music Prize, fresh off supporting Crowded House on tour, and her set at Laneway 2025, was warming up the afternoon with a few choice cuts from her Ideal Home Noise and It’s Your Birthday albums. She dropped in Sangria, a ‘demo’ track the band have recently been working on and a couple of oldies from their regular touring set. I definitely heard Yuppie Farm. They finished with some messy covers including a trashy rendition of Wild Thing, complete with dramatic cliché guitar poses all done with Vera’s trademark snotty brat sarcasm.

Next up on the stage was another annual event. Organised by BODYFX’ Yolanda Bartram, BodyPalooza is a body painting competition like no other. Once again it was judged by FX icons Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor and Gino Acevedo. It’s hard to describe in words just how amazing and bizarre these ‘creatures’ are, created on naked bodies with layers of paint and latex over more than 8 hours. This year’s theme was ‘Cosmic Connections’. With distorted bubble heads, laser fine exoskeletons and wild garish colours the resulting ‘aliens’ were certainly out of this and every other world!

I shot off to grab a smoked brisket burger from one of the massive selections of food trucks pedaling every type of cuisine imaginable. A quick drink in the hospitality tent gave me a chance to chat with Festival Director Bianca Bailey and Creative Capital Arts Trust CE Kim Bailey who both relieved and super stoked about the outcome of the weather and the numbers of people who’d turned up to party hard over the weekend. Numbers aren’t in yet but if there was a capacity number, then we’d certainly hit it.

Back on the Airport Stage Mā and her band, The Fly Hunnies, opened the evening with some slick rhymes, both in English and Te Reo Māori, from her new album, Blame It On The Weather. With a full kete of energy, diversity and unity Mā returns to CubaDupa. They are definitely one to watch. You may’ve caught their set at CubaDua or more recently, opening for Ice Cube at The Major Flavours Showcase!

Today I’m pretty sure I heard Taua, Decay and Dreamswimmer in the set. Plenty were updating their playlists with tunes from today, that’s for sure. The crowd certainly enjoyed it and were bopping around to every beat.

Speaking of Beats, I caught up with DJ Poppa Jax, who went off at WOMAD and Laneway a few weeks back. They were providing the grooves in between acts on the Garage Project Wild Workshop Stage over in Marion Street.

Also on that stage I caught a few tunes from indie three piece First Reserve and later ‘Mum Rockers’ Sure Boy. Every time I see both bands they appear to have moved leaps and bounds in skill and talent. Sure Boy, in particular is now a force to reckoned with. Lemon Lady and Loose Change went down well with everyone at the bar. I also got the chance to hear a new mid-tempo ballad called All String No Pearls which I can see shaping up to be a pretty fine new single.

Down at the Nga Toi O Te Aro stage I saw sister act A.R.T (Anastasia, Rosetta and Tiresa), a powerhouse trio from Porirua who blend R&B, Gospel and Island Reggae. Their 2024 hit When He Was Mine was an absolute gem and their harmonising simply gave me goosebumps. Although they’ve been together 10 plus years, I’d never heard of them. So, thanks to CubaDupa I’ve discovered another new group to obsess over. I’m pretty sure they won the hearts of plenty more tonight as well.

Anna Coddington also blew me away. Smooth vocals, deep soulful tunes. She’s a real class act and always has impressed. Jol Mulholland helped out on guitar. Her set highlights from her magic career including her award winning album Te Whakamiha.

I would have stayed longer, but I needed to get back up to the Airport Stage for the last act of my night, Chelsea Jade.

I was also set in the pit to capture Chelsea on stage when the music started. But there was no one to be seen. Then I remembered a recent interview when she mentioned that the LA based singer liked to start her gigs from the audience, in amongst her fans and on the tables and chairs of the venues. Sure enough, there she was, deep in the mosh pit, surrounded by people, singing slow, sultry numbers from her fabulous album Soft Spot. I heard the title track, and Good Taste alongside the brilliant Superfan, worth the price of a ticket alone. Chelsea eventually found her way to the main stage and spent the night bathed in brilliant red, perfect for her lowdown, brooding pop. For me it was a perfect end to a crazy, busy day and I left happy and tired and partied out.

CubaDupa comes together because of the community of the Capital. Strong, creative and courageous. They people of Whanganui a Tara are like no one else in the motu. What I saw on Saturday was merely a sample of what this cultural capital has to offer.

So, a huge thanks to the army of volunteers, musicians, performers and behind the scenes specialists who worked so hard this and every year to put on this cool lil’ festival!

But come morning and a couple of espressos I’ll be ready for day two! Sums up, us Wellingtonians – we get knocked down, but we get up again, never gonna knock us down. CubaDupa is all about positive energy. The weather, the vibe. The entertainment all brilliant.

If Wellington’s original annual street festival was a buffet then my plate was over run. By the end of the day I was well and truly stuffed to the brim after this crazy weekend of culture and music. Best of all it was all free and fabulous.

Photo Credit: Tim Gruar

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