The Sitting Room
featuring Grant Smithies was a sellout for the 3rd year in a row; proving yet again to be the hottest ticket at the Nelson Arts Festival.
netMaestro in partnership with Jens Hansen are foundation sponsors of The Sitting Room. We hope to continue our support to ensure it's back in 2009. We look forward to seeing you all.Evening report ///
I noticed something slightly
unnerving. I was standing in our bar at work having pre-gig dutch
courage drinks, surrounded by 20 mates. Who, quite frankly should have
been at home looking after the kids and mortgage; not heading off to a
dance party.
I admit it, I'm old and I find it hard to except it.
But this was annual denial night and I was going to be... (roll Stars
In Their Eyes music) Gareth Lawes 25 (not the aging 36 year old) with all the other 20 going on 50
somethings.
So I arrived fashionably late at Founders Granery with my pregnant wife,
Mum, Dad and the rest of the party rabble following a short ride on the double
decker bus.
Within an hour of arriving my father asked when the performance would
start, it had. In fact much to his confusion, about an hour before we
arrived. Yes, to the uninitiated a dance party is a strange
beast. No intro, no exact finish? Just random applause's to the DJ in
appreciation of the selection of tunes being mashed up.
Following up
the success of the last 2 years running, Grant Smithies (AKA Soundboy
of The Gathering era) returned to pilot the crowd on another fine
selection of slippery beats. Grant selected plenty of old school
reggae & ska, including my person favourite, Toots and The Maytals
54-46. He also followed up on last years crowd favourite with a
deserved repeat of Grace Jones's seminal, Pull Up To The Bumper Baby.
And why not. Plenty more smirkers were to follow, as did the
appreciative applauses.
The evening got slowly blurry as
the music turned up and the alcohol flowed. My final act of the evening was waving
goodbye to the hardy few at 7am milking the last few minutes of annual
denial night. Happy in the thought my hangover would be much worse for
it.
Get your tickets early next year to avoid missing out on your denial hangover.
Cheers Gareth
Director : netMaestro
Tuesday October 28 2008 12:17 p.m.