Incredible bands and vibe at Coro Classic 2023
Contribution from Ella Kington
Matarangi is such a great place to have a festival like the Coro Classic. Saturday, 7 January was the first day of no rain in a week and the sun finally shone on a great crowd of revellers and on an amazing music feast.
Between the two stages built for the festival, there was a total of 18 bands and sometimes DJ’s The variety of music was great; there was something for everyone’s tastes. With the stages being quite close, it was easy to migrate between them and check out as many artists as possible! ‘Dope Lemon’ was great, a funky Indy band perfect to enjoy as the sun goes down! My favourite was A Little Sound, and it was epic to see a young female DJ on stage! Of course, seeing Darude live and watching the crowd go wild over Sand Storm was a highlight. Just the nostalgia of loving those bands when I was younger and the anticipation of the night, created an exciting event. To see such incredible acts so close to home for many of us was just awesome, and so was the way they kept interest and excitement by the constant presentation of music and the quick turn around of the bands!
For the organisers, the days leading up to Coro Classic presented so many obstacles, with the weather, road closures, plus plenty of other events being cancelled. It was definitely touch and go for a while there! But when we arrived no one would know about that stress. It was very well organised; the space was perfect.There was plenty of water available, many delicious food options, rubbish bins and plenty of room to move around. It was a very safe atmosphere and people of all ages were enjoying the vibe - a majority being around 20 to 30 years of age and a lot of locals, which was so cool to see.
Personally, I was excited for a boogie so close to home and with such great bands. I think the rain may have put some people off, but it was a very special event for those who made the effort. I love a good dance in the rain so I wasn’t too worried about the elements, although it was pretty magical to see a glimpse of sunshine around 9.00pm.