In many respects, this article is redundant. If you have a ticket to Camp A Low Hum this weekend, you’ve probably gone before; if you don’t, they’re sold out – and organiser Ian ‘Blink’ Jorgensen made it clear months ago that this year’s event would be the last.
Space Ventura on the Lawn Stage at CALH '13 Photo: RNZ / Music 101
With that important note “If you’re not going, you’re not going” in mind, let’s take a look at what Camp A Low Hum has to offer those who are. (At the very least, you’ll be able to talk about it with authority when the Camp-nostalgia kicks in after the fact.)
Camp A Low Hum has been held in various spots around the lower North Island since 2007. It’s usually held in late January or early February, often on Waitangi Weekend (providing a convenient escape for Wellingtonians uninterested in/actively repulsed by the Rugby Sevens).
There are a number of points of difference between Camp and other music festivals, but the one that’s most often cited is its absence of line-up announcements. 95bFM Friday Drive host Jack Riddell describes Camp as “a party in the forest with the best bands you’ve never heard of”. “No ‘civilian’ knows the line-up until you get to the festival, which is one of the best things about Camp.”
Don’t f… with people’s tents or belongings, don’t light fires, don’t leave your empties or your fulls or your funky costumes in the bush, don’t drunk drive, have a shower or at least wash your armpits occasionally ... and you’ll likely make 12 to 18 friends for life
In the past, international acts such as Toro Y Moi, Caribou, Four Tet (all at Campus A Low Hum, the name given to the event when it relocated for two years to Bulls, in ’11) and Dan Deacon (’10, ’12) have played at the festival, along with some of the biggest names in homegrown music (Die! Die! Die!, The Phoenix Foundation, Liam Finn, Lawrence Arabia, Connan and the Mockasins). But you don’t know who’s on the bill until you get there, the idea being you go for the posi vibes, or not at all.
Organiser Blink’s explanation for the absence of formal line-up announcements on the CALH ‘FAQ’ page is that he “feels lame doing that stuff”. “Camp really isn’t focused around booking famous/profile acts. If you’re all about seeing bands/celebrities then it’s not the right kind of event for you. Don’t come with any expectations other than spending an amazing three days and nights at an event which treats you with respect and will introduce you to some interesting shit. … Many bands who play announce it themselves, and they are welcome to, you’ll just never see any official announcement from me.”
Because it’s held over three days, it’s worthwhile getting a group of friends together to go en masse. That’s not to say you won’t make friends there, but at least for the first day or so, people tend to stick to their groups. You’ll also want mates around to make the most of the activities, either organised by Blink or put on spontaneously, that are as much a hallmark of Camp as the location and the bands, like the gym class led by Dan Deacon in ’10, and the slip-and-slide into the lagoon to the sound of Spring Break in ’12.
The campground does gets fairly packed with tents, cars and vans by day two, following the wave of people driving up from Wellington after work on Friday night or early on Saturday, so it’s important to be mindful of others’ right to have a good time.
“Camp’s a very easy place to have fun, but its close and relatively primitive quarters mean that it’s also a very easy place to be mad annoying,” writes Matthew McAuley, musician and The Corner contributor. “Don’t f… with people’s tents or belongings, don’t light fires, don’t leave your empties or your fulls or your funky costumes in the bush, don’t drunk drive, have a shower or at least wash your armpits occasionally. Follow these simple and not especially unreasonable rules, and you’ll likely make 12 to 18 friends for life.”
It’s worth taking enough food, booze and non-alcoholic fluids to last you a couple of days, but if you run out of supplies, there are a handful of food and coffee stalls on site, and you can take a minivan (put on by the festival) to Wainuiomata. (There are also basic cooking facilities on site.)
The Body Lyre play at the Lagoon at CALH '13 Photo: Music 101 / RNZ
“One reasonably important aspect of CALH is its geographic isolation,” writes McAuley. “While the densely forested surroundings of the campground make it probably the most beautiful place you’ll ever hang out with Australians, keeping your food, drink and sunblock stores well stocked is very important if you don’t want to be travelling to and from Wainouiomata multiple times a day. If you want to, though, it’s not THAT far and there IS a McDonald’s. [Ed’s note: There is also a swimming pool, if you feel like a hot shower/a swim in some chlorine].
“The forest setting also means that you’ll be hearing cicadas for 100 per cent of your waking daylight hours, so if you’re both a light sleeper and bad at being awake in the mornings, I can personally recommend packing some earplugs.”
“Camp is one of the only music festivals where food somehow manages to be the best part – not to detract the huge variety of amazing, undiscovered bands from around the world, however,” writes Michael McClelland, a writer for The Corner. “It gets ridiculously cold at night so pack something (or someone) warm. Check out the renegade room. Don't become an acid casualty.”
The most important tip for Camp, writes McAuley, is to go with an open mind.
“It’s reasonably difficult to make firm musical recommendations for a festival that’s run a strict ‘no announcements’ policy since inception, but the best advice I can offer for Camp A Low Hum is to try new things. Watch some terrible improvisational grunge in the renegade room; trek through reasonably dense bush to listen to someone perform glottal stops through an effects bank for 45 minutes; even endure one of Blink’s DJ sets. You’ll likely see a few underwhelming performances over the weekend, but it’ll be worth it for the gems this festival always coughs up. Given that it’s being billed as the last ever, you can probably expect this Camp to be pretty insane. Basically, go.”
Too bad you don’t have a ticket, huh. Keep an eye on the CALH Facebook group for any last-minute pikers. Failing that, Music 101’s coverage of past Camps is archived here, and we’ll have a write-up of this weekend’s event on the site next week.