Live at Claudelands Oval
14 March 2026
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Homegrown 2026: Sun, Sweat and the Sound of Aotearoa.
Every great festival has a moment when the day properly begins. At Jim Beam Homegrown 2026, under a blazing Waikato sky at Claudelands Oval, it came early. The sun was high, the beer lines were short, and thousands of smiling fans looked exactly like people who’d been waiting all year.
Because they had.
After years on Wellington’s waterfront, New Zealand’s biggest all-Kiwi music festival returned to Hamilton. It felt less like a relocation and more like a homecoming, with the whole country showing up dressed for it.
Festivals are fashion shows for the creatively inclined, and Homegrown delivered.
Denim-vested rock lifers. Barefoot reggae fans in bucket hats. Glitter-cheeked dancers in mesh. And a punk with a pink mohawk who looked like he’d stepped straight out of a 1983 Dunedin rehearsal room.
By 1pm, seven stages roared into life. Strategic planning was essential. First stop: the Rock Stage, where Written By Wolves frontman Mike Murphy kicked things off with serious firepower.
Then came The Jordan Luck Band. Luck walked on in a T-shirt reading “Kiss My Black Sabbath” and the crowd loved him instantly. Luck’s voice, clear, strong and defiantly loud, cut across the fans. Sink Like a Stone had the crowd swaying; Who Loves Who the Most turned the whole field into a bouncing singalong, even in the blazing sun.
Following a legend isn’t easy, but stellar* handled it with confidence. Boh Runga sounded immaculate and the band’s mix was studio-clean.
By mid-afternoon the Electronic Stage belonged to P-Money. At 3pm it looked like midnight. Hands up, basslines rolling, and loose circles of dancers kicking up dust and sunshine.
Then The Datsuns arrived like demons escaping a garage rehearsal. Their riffs tore through the speakers and by 5pm the day’s first proper mosh pit exploded. Rock and roll, it turns out, is alive and well in the Waikato.
Fly My Pretties shifted the mood completely, delivering a rich, layered set full of soul and warmth.
Not every act drew huge crowds, but some of the best moments felt intimate. Pop trio Prins played to a smaller but enthusiastic audience, joking mid-set: singer Alannah Prins says “I’m actually from Auckland… I mean Hamilton.”
Over at the Rock Stage, Devilskin added some cross-stage banter. Frontwoman Jennie Skulander paused mid-set:
“Fur Patrol are playing across from us. Let’s say hi to Julia. On three, shout JULIA!”
Thousands obliged.
Moments later Skulander bent backwards so far it looked physically impossible and hit a flawless high note. Having seen Devilskin just a week earlier at Full Metal Orchestra in New Plymouth, it was clear again: they still kick serious arse.
Early evening belonged to Supergroove. Their crowd was massive. Funk, hip-hop, horns and groove collided in one of the tightest sets of the day. Old fans danced like it was the ’90s again; younger ones discovered just how deep the catalogue runs.
By the time Dragon took the stage, darkness had fallen and the lights and smoke kicked in. They opened with Speak No Evil to a roar. Midway through O Zambezi came a perfectly judged drum solo before sliding back into the groove.
When April Sun in Cuba arrived, the band asked the crowd to sing the third verse.
Hundreds did.
When the chorus hit, the entire field sounded like one voice.
Behind the scenes, the festival ran like clockwork. Friendly staff, constant water stations, and crews keeping the grounds tidy meant the usual festival chaos never arrived.
One worker at the VVIP bar, yes, that’s a level above VIP now, laughed while watching the City Stage from above the crowd.
“Best job ever.”
She had a point.
By the time the final notes faded over Hamilton, Homegrown had proved something important. New Zealand music doesn’t just survive, it thrives when it comes together.
And on this long, sunburnt, guitar-fuelled day at Claudelands Oval, it felt like the whole country showed up to celebrate.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO at Paul Was There - coming soon