SWEETWATERS

Rip It Up, Issue 41, 1 December 1980, Page 3

SWEETWATERS

Duncan Campbell

Tours Returning in February are Police. They will do concerts in the centres they missed early this year. They play the Wellington Town Hall Feb 10 & 11 and Auckland Logan Campbell Centre Feb 13 & 14. Rod Stewart is back for two outdoor gigs, February 17 Athletic Park Wellington and Feb 21 Western Springs Auckland. Forget the Who rumours. They are touring the UK from January 25 to March 16. ECM jazz buffs are in for a treat when Eberhard Weber and band tour in January. Dates are Jan 19 & 20 at Centennial Theatre Auckland Grammar, Jan 21 & 22 at Last Resort Cafe, Wellington and Jan 23 Ngaio Marsh Theatre, llam, Christchurch. The lists of acts appearing at Sweetwaters and Nambassa Festivals continue to grow. Headlining at Sweetwaters are Roxy Music and Split Enz with guests from Aussie including Cold Chisel, Mi-Sex, Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons, Flowers, Reels, INXS and may be the Swingers. The headlining act for Nambassa is still to be announced but John Mayall, Dizzy Gillespie quartet, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Kevin Borich and Dutch Tilders will be there. See respective ads for lists of NZ band appearing at the Festivals. Sweetwaters have a who's who of NZ rock’n’roll while Nambassa’s mainstage entertainments appear more

diverse.

Sweetwaters, 1981. i ne first one only seems like yesterday, and the memories are still vivid. As everyone learns from their mistakes, so did the organisers of Sweetwaters. “Most of the problems we had this year were site problems,’’ explains Daniel Keighley. “I consider hygiene toilets, showers and water were the main problems. They were bound to happen, but they were brought on, as much as anything, by the three weeks of weather we had before the festival. “This year, we've had eight guys working on the site for most of the year, and I think they’ve rectified every problem that came about. We’ve doubled virtually all facilities, and we've marked them out better, so people can’t help but find the showers and toilets and so on.” One especially strong memory of Sweetwaters for many people will be the infamous portable toilets, most of which were overflowing by the - Sunday morning. Some people thought they were smart camping near one. They soon changed their mind when the smell hit them. These have thankfully been abandon-

ed for 1981, in favour of larger “long drop” pits, which will be properly screened and are much more hygienic. Water supplies have also been vastly improved. Friction in the pipes put most of the water stations out of action, ihis time it's all town water supply, instead of being pumped from the stream and then purified. There'll also be more of it.

The layout of the site is much the same, although it was largely determined this year by the floods, which meant people had to walk long distances from the camping grounds to the stage area. Comfort while watching the bands has also been improved. A bulldozer was put right through the amphitheatre straight after this year’s festival. The swamp has been filled in and the whole area re-grassed. The sound, courtesy of Ron Blackmore, who’s just done the Kiss tour, has been increased from 85 thousand to 135 thousand watts, the lighting from 185 to 240 thousand. Musically, you can count on seeing just about every known New Zealand band, plus a handful of Aussies, and, of course, Roxy Music. “I think we’ve finalised the great majority of New Zealand bands that will be appearing,” says Daniel. “At this stage, the number’s sitting at 42. We’re still trying to get the Swingers back from Australia, and two or three other bands that are up and coming. “Australian bands are still coming in. At this stage, I think we’ve got eight, and we’re due to get a few more. We've finalised Roxy Music and Split Enz, and there’s one other international band of the stature of Roxy Music that we’re still trying to get.” In addition, there are all the usual sideline attractions, including the Aerial Railway Stage, crafts and children’s area, a healing arts area, and a new attraction of a sports area, where you can throw a frisbee, go boating or grass skiing, and do numerous other physical activities, if you're fit enough. “The craft area will remain the same layout this time, except the people involved in it will have to be practising their crafts on the site. We’ll have a portable glass-blowing furnace there, for instance.

“The children’s area will be a lot larger, because we’re allowing kids in free next year, and we’re expecting a lot more.” There were 28 thousand tickets sold for this year's festival, but the actual attendance was closer to 35 thousand. Daniel says that's a comfortable figure for next year, since a third of the site was unuseable this year, because of floods. Sweetwaters 1981, January 24th, 25th and 26th. Plenty to see and do, and a lot of improvements. There'll also be music going on the Friday night, so the early arrivers will have a bonus. Mi-Sex are apparently eager to recreate the atmosphere they generated this year, which made them the toast of the festival. To see that alone should be worth the trip. See you there.