Festival Review: Homegrown 2025 Saturday Part 1 @ Wellington Waterfront – 15/03/2025

Bright young talent, vocally impressive, natural performer; a few things that come to mind when watching Cassie Henderson’s 1pm performance at the Park Stage. Her set delivered a lot of fun pop tunes that was perfectly suited to the sunny Saturday afternoon. The Christchurch artist has a fair amount of radio ready hits that have catchy, story-telling lyrics. Seconds To Midnight (11:59) is her most recent release and is an 80’s synth anthem. The vibe of it reminded me of Olivia Rodrigo, in terms of popstar quality with emotive songwriting. Certified ear worm material and immediately added to my pop playlist. I look forward to seeing what is next in store for her.

Very exciting seeing ‘The band from Wellington’, DARTZ, as one of the main acts on the Rock Stage. Despite playing the big stage, I felt like I was in someone’s band practice in their garage; an authentic post-pub rock band experience. Their set included Toyota Corolla and Bush Weed, outrageously kiwi song titles with the crowd already heaving and thrashing along at 2pm to the energetic punk rock; only a taste of what was to come later with the stage getting rowdy for Alien Weaponry and then reaching full capacity for Shihad’s penultimate show. DARTZ have certainly gained serious momentum in terms of fan base and following, with international tour dates set up for 2025. After their 2pm time slot at Homegrown, they headed up the island to play a show at Last Place in Kirikiriroa the very same night!

Saturday provided a great opportunity for attendees to get their steps in, with approximately 1km between the rock and park stage. The waterfront was a hive of activity, with food stalls, punters and the usual joggers flitting around. I got chatting to Levin local, Gib Smith, who has been a Homegrown regular for the past seven years. He was most excited to see Shapeshifter and in general eager to party. When asked for his thoughts on Homegrown’s final weekend in Wellington, Gib said he was very sad to see it leaving the capital and anticipates it will move to Hamilton or Auckland. He will have to stay tuned for the announcement along with the rest of us.

Corrella took to the Park stage while the screen played Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s leading Ka Mate. This was an excellent intro for Corrella, whose lyrics to Right Side are an important commentary on the political zeitgeist. I loved Rebekah’s performance of this track, as well as her cover of Fugees Killing Me Softly With His Song. She was smiling all the way through and leading the most synchronized arm wave with the crowd. The crowd were dancing, smiling and soaking up the sunshine. Corrella’s setlist included Whisky and Cookie, and I was stoked to see my favourite sax player from Friday join them for a solo. Pipiwharauroa Campbell and Rebekah Brady’s stunning lead vocals were accompanied by an 8-piece live band playing roots Reggae dub, perfect for the full heat of the afternoon.

P-Money’s set was good value, and he stood out a bit from the rest of the acts since his style leans more towards hip-hop/dance rather than straight drum and bass or dubstep. I didn’t mind this, as it made it feel a bit more like a party, and me and the crowd were kept busy dancing. He’s been around in the electronic dance music scene longer than most of the acts on the electronic stage, so it was exciting to get to see one of NZ’s most well known DJ’s.

The Beths mixed up the vibe for me as the evening drew in on the City Stage. The alternative/indie band from Tāmaki Makaurau had playful banter and audience engagement, which added a personal touch to their act. I was excited to see The Beths in the flesh, and to experience what is much more than alt rock; they offer a punk power pop blend to the genre. I loved watching Liz perform, silky sweet vocals on guitar; girl power! I want to be her! The band had palpable chemistry while performing together, adding in harmonious backing vocals, and the crowd were rocking and chilling as one happy family. This isn’t to say that they didn’t ramp things up during their set with a three-way guitar solo, this was as fun to watch as it sounds.

I spent a couple of sets at the Electronic Stage to check out Elipsa. Originally a Brit but calls New Zealand home. Tom Lee (Lee Mvtthews) produces for her. She is known for incorporating her original vocals with her sets and certainly delivered this at Homegrown. Despite the high energy moves, her vocals were strong and the crowd were eating it up.

Next up was Quix. It’s pretty insane that he’s had a child within the past twelve months and yet still manages to find time to produce new music (like Greatest with EMWA) and various bangers he’s released through his DnB alter ego, Fredrick. When you couple that with a fairly busy touring schedule and it’s a wonder how he does it! I know Quix has collaborated with one of my OG faves, Alison Wonderland, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from him. My entourage was hyping him up all night and I can honestly see why now. The man threw down some epic trap songs with the lights and visuals to boot, it truly was an incredible atmosphere which left you with barely any time to breathe. Watching the crowd getting feral to Mosh Pit’ was a site to behold and I’m glad he took time from his busy schedule to play. I was NOT disappointed; the man is an absolute wizard behind the decks.

Sir Dave Dobbyn is a regular Homegrown headliner at the City Stage. I feel like it wouldn’t be a celebration of Kiwi talent if he wasn’t there, as we will always be up for anthems Slice of Heaven and Loyal. The last time I saw Sir Dave Dobbyn perform was in Taupo in 2020, and his performance was just as good as I remember. He brings a cheeky authenticity to his stage presence, which makes him even more endearing to watch. His live vocals and guitar playing are enough to make a memorable show, but he was joined on stage with his band. This was a wholesome way to close the evening and weekend; singing along to familiar favourites with one of Aotearoa’s all-time favourite musicians.

First Image: Photo Credit: Cassie Henderson by Olivia Lloyd
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2
Photo Gallery 3
Photo Gallery 4