Live at Homegrown, Claudelands Oval
14 March 2026
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Dragon Commands the Night: Homegrown Erupts as Classic Hits Become Living Memories.
By the time Dragon stepped onto the stage at Homegrown, darkness had settled across Claudelands Oval and the crowd was ready for something timeless. Dragon didn’t disappoint.
Opening with the punchy groove of Speak No Evil, the band wasted no time reminding the audience why they remain one of the most beloved acts in Australasian rock history. Frontman Mark Williams walked out sounding like a man ready for battle. His voice, rich, powerful and polished, cut through the festival air with ease, immediately locking in with a band that was tight, tasteful and clearly enjoying every moment. Considering the collective miles on the clock between them, Dragon played with the confidence and swagger of a band half their age.
Between songs, Williams leaned into the festival atmosphere. “Did you guys see Devilskin?” he asked the crowd with a grin, acknowledging the earlier performers and reminding everyone that Homegrown thrives on that uniquely Kiwi sense of musical community.
Musically, the band were impeccable. The harmonies, always a signature part of Dragon’s sound, were spot-on throughout the set, layered perfectly over the groove-heavy rhythm section. During O Zambezi, drummer Jimmy Nairn slipped into a perfectly judged drum solo. It wasn’t an overblown display of ego, but rather a tight, tasty moment of musicianship, just enough to show serious chops before sliding seamlessly back into the pulse of the song.
Dragon’s catalogue is a masterclass in classic rock songwriting, and the band know exactly how to work a crowd with it. Still in Love With You triggered one of the night’s most nostalgic moments. As thousands of voices rose in unison, you could almost see the memories flooding back across the faces in the audience. That’s the strange magic of songs like these, they’re not just tunes anymore; they’re time capsules. Every chorus unlocks another era.
At one point Williams laughed and admitted he’d momentarily forgotten a lyric, a charmingly human moment that only seemed to make the crowd love him more.
Then came the inevitable highlight.
When the unmistakable chords of April Sun in Cuba rang out, the crowd leaned forward. Williams encouraged the audience to take over the third verse.
Hundreds did.
By the time the chorus arrived, the entire field sounded like a rugby crowd in full voice, a massive, joyful choir paying homage to a band that has been soundtracking lives for nearly five decades. Williams paused, listening to the roar before declaring, “Oh my God, you guys are gorgeous.”
It was one of those festival moments you can’t manufacture, band and audience completely locked together.
Dragon’s story is one of rock’s more remarkable survival tales. Formed in Auckland in 1972 by brothers Todd Hunter and Marc Hunter, the group rose to fame across both New Zealand and Australia with a string of classic hits including April Sun in Cuba, Rain, and Are You Old Enough. Despite tragedy and lineup changes over the decades, including the passing of Marc Hunter in 1998, the band has endured, evolving into something more than just a legacy act. They are living custodians of a catalogue that refuses to age.
At Homegrown, that legacy felt very much alive.
Dragon didn’t just play a set.
They reminded everyone why great songs never really leave us.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
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