REVIEW: Hybrid Minds, MK & more bring high vibes to High Tide in Wellington

Famously, they say you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, and whoever came up with that was not wrong.

After a wet start to the day in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, the rain cleared just in time for High Tide Festival - the 5th edition of the annual festival.

Featuring two stages across both the iconic Waitangi Park and the Sandbar stage, using an existing bridge on site as a stage, making it a unique setup. There’s so much talent on the lineup for this festival, it’s almost impossible to equally give everyone their flowers.

The early hours of the festival belonged to the locals, with Clova, Half Queen, Bari & Lamchopz and PONZ (back briefly after her recent move to the UK) helping kick things off. Clova in particular is a Wellington local who has emerged over the last year and is without a doubt one to watch - as a DJ, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist - her talent is undeniable and her future bright.

Charlotte Haining took to the Tides Stage with her recognisable powerhouse vocals, with the support of Kiwi, PONZ on the decks. Charlotte has, over the years, collaborated with just about every big name possible in the electronic space (goddard., Hybrid Minds, Friction, Skepsis, Arcando, etc.), so chances are you've sung along to one of her features without even realising it.

Things really started to heat up (on stage and quite literally as the sun finally made an appearance) as James Poole took to the Tides Stage and Gravagerz on the Sandbar Stage. James Poole played a set that took me right to Ibiza. Meanwhile, Gravagerz really had the crowd in the palm of his hands, playing a number of remixes of familiar records.

As a first-time attendee of High Tide, this was the point where Wellington really started to show off. The sun was out, the waterfront was looking unreal, and suddenly the festival looked exactly like all those videos I'd seen over the years. Turns out the hype was justified.

A quick backstage catch-up with Ben Gerrans also gave me a glimpse into just how much love he has for George FM and New Zealand crowds, having played multiple George FM Summer Tour events before bringing his usual energy to the Sandbar stage. Always good to see the love go both ways.

bbyclose made her New Zealand debut, another upcoming name in the electronic world, having provided the vocals to tracks with Sub Focus, Dimension, FISHER and BL3SS. Her set brought a mixture of house, garage and drum & bass to a packed crowd of Kiwi ravers.

As the sun set over Wellington, Turno and Zero brought the energy they are both so well known for to each stage, and the crowds were eating it up.

MK brought his NZ-exclusive mainstage set to High Tide, fresh off the release of a brand-new album and armed with a back catalogue of recognisable house records spanning more than 30 years. It's easy to forget just how many records the man has under his belt, but he made sure we remembered. Taking the crowd on a journey through his catalogue, MK delivered hit after hit, proving that some records are timeless.

Hybrid Minds rounded out the festival with their usual uplifting energy to bring some wholesome ‘hug ya mates’ moments to the dance. The rain started to fall again as one of the final songs of the night, 'Touch,' played. I watched as multiple groups of friends gathered in circles, arms around each other, singing along.

The team behind the scenes really weren’t doing things by halves. Flames, confetti, giant balloons, and fireworks came out for the final moments, the perfect way to round out an unreal day in the capital.