Live at Whangamata Summer Festival Twilight Market
27 December 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Rain, Reggae and Rising Stars: Why Whangamatā’s Twilight Market Mattered.
On a wet, muggy Whangamatā summer’s day the kind where the clouds can’t decide whether to break or burst Williamson Park slowly filled with music, market chatter and that unmistakable coastal hum. Tucked in behind the Surf Club, the Whangamatā Summer Festival Twilight Market was in full swing, a multi-headed beast of live music, food trucks and craft stalls doing battle with the elements.
At the centre of it all was event organiser Renee Meiklejohn, wearing the familiar expression of someone spinning many plates at once, five live acts to wrangle, over 110 market stalls already on site, and another 20-odd apparently inbound for the following day. Slightly stressed? Yes. In control? Seemingly. The kind of chaos only live events can create and thrive on.
If boutique soaps, handmade jewellery and artisanal everything are your thing, this place was paradise. But I was here for the music.
First cab off the rank was Adelle & Morgan, though unfortunately Adelle was under the weather.
“Sorry folks, you’re stuck with me today,” Morgan announced with a grin and just like that, the duo became a solo act.
Opening with Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie”, Morgan delivered a serviceable take, though the female-led melody line twisted noticeably under a male vocal. One couldn’t help but wonder: had the setlist been hastily rearranged, or was he bravely pushing on, hoping muscle memory would do the heavy lifting?
Mid-set honesty crept in. “I’ve had a brain fart, forgotten the lyrics to that one,” Morgan laughed, quickly pivoting to the next tune.
There were moments where the wheels threatened to come off, one song stopped dead mid-flow, possibly from sheer physical fatigue after hammering out reggae rhythms back-to-back. (Anyone who’s played that off-beat strum for long enough knows it’s not as easy as it sounds.) A bumpy start to the day, but one salvaged by charm and perseverance.
Next up: Magic Man no relation to Magic Mike, and refreshingly family-friendly.
Originally from the US, Magic Man delivered rope tricks and close-up magic that had the kids wide-eyed and parents grateful for the breather. Not rock ’n’ roll, but festivals live and breathe variety and this hit the mark.
Back to music with Kiri Gilbert, a solo operator armed with a loop pedal and enough sonic curiosity to build entire worlds onstage.
“This next song is for anyone who needs a boot up the bum,” he announced, arguably the best motivational speech of the afternoon delivered in that unmistakable, no-nonsense, straight-down-the-line Kiwi way.
Gilbert layered loops, rhythms and textures with confidence, though for this listener, the small-town fixation on reggae felt a little overcooked. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Mid-set, his most loyal fan arrived, the sun, briefly punching through the clouds before retreating again.
A song “about aliens” raised eyebrows (and interest), followed by “The Flow State”, introduced as his “only rock song.” Rock might be a stretch, this leaned more toward polished pop, but strong melody and the lyric “one with the spirit” stuck the landing. Gilbert’s vocal range was impressive, giving real lift to material that might otherwise drift.
After an extended soundcheck, FOH vocals initially MIA, Mema Wilda & The Dopamen kicked into gear.
Their opener began shakily: low, mumbled vocals, sparse guitar, little immediate impact. But patience paid off. Once the song found its footing, it cracked wide open almost like the impending storm above, suddenly echoing the raw authority of Skunk Anansie, propelled by Wilda’s seriously powerful voice.
Then came the pivot: Amy Winehouse-esque grooves, soul-drenched swagger and stylistic diversity that kept the set engaging.
Backing Mema were The Dopamen, resplendent in matching pink shirts and compressed of Mitch French on bass, Nathan Boston on guitar and rhythms courtesy of none other than Mr International himself, Greg Haver, who today was simply highlighting yet another string to his already formidable musical bow and simply reminding us he can still absolutely pocket a groove or two.
Another highlight was the song “Lovin” a laid-back, sun-soaked track, perfect for the poolside or beach, capturing the essence of a New Zealand summer, with ripe fruit and seasoned wine stirred into a bowl of pure seasonal punch.
Then came the emotional core delivered by Wilda. “This is a song about Israel, not the country, he’s a person I knew. He’s also dead, he died on the day he asked me to go surfing with him.” What a way to introduce a song, stark, disarming and instantly captivating, a moment laced with raw honesty and undeniable intrigue.
They closed with “The World Is Better With You”, an anthem-in-waiting. At its peak, bang! total dead stop. “Thank you so much. Goodbye.”
Mic drop. Remember the name. These guys are going places.
Headliners In The Shallows are up next and opened with gentle ballads, easing the crowd into their cinematic pop universe. If you’ve never heard them before, consider this your notice: pay attention.
Whangamatā has a habit of hosting bands just before they break and although In The Shallows are already six years into the journey, their “overnight success” moment feels inevitable. Those in the park today will one day say, “Yeah, I saw them back then.”
Fronted by Danni Davis, dressed in a light cream summer dress and looking every inch the modern pop star, the band delivered songs carved straight from real life.
“Here We Go Again” tackled the merry-go-round of relationships, near-miss marriages, bitter truths, emotional fallout, all gold for songwriters, all catharsis for listeners.
Unfortunately, the first two songs were plagued by pops, cracks and persistent feedback. Outdoor festivals giveth, and they taketh away.
“60 Days” was a highlight. Davis’ voice sounding like silk brushing velvet, floated effortlessly over the mix, lifted by haunting harmonies from the band. “You wanted space, I gave you 60 days.”
A line born of lived experience, delivered with devastating softness.
Feedback reared its head again, likely from drummer Sam’s vocal mic, as sound engineer Andrew visibly battled standing waves more vicious than the surf crashing metres away.
Mid-song, Davis cut through it all: “You can’t run away from who you are.”An a cappella falsetto moment that earned spontaneous cheers and applause from the crowd.
Despite the sonic gremlins, a common festival curse when touring engineers inherit unfamiliar rigs In The Shallows proved their songs are strong enough to survive anything.
Rain, sun, feedback, magic tricks, reggae grooves and future anthems, the Whangamatā Summer Festival Twilight Market was messy, human, beautiful and real.
Just like live music should be.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
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