Walking into the beautiful St. James theatre last night at 11pm meant signing up to DANCE. Built in 1928 and restoring countless times, it’s hard to imagine a wilder party inside the ornately decorated wooden hall.
Kia ora
— diplo (@diplo) November 25, 2015
After energising sets from Aroha and Dick Johnson, DIPLO took the stage back on 11PM and stayed there for well over 90 minutes. With sporadic appearances from Major Lazer crew and his entourage, the man dropped hit after hit of 90’s hits, his own collaborations, and dancehall trap hooks maintained a crowd of 20-somethings twerking and expressing themselves. There’s no doubt Diplo can pick a music trend and revolutionise it, and the man can DJ.
Since gathering attention in 2003 for his Hollertronix work, Diplo AKA Thomas Pentz has really risen to the top of the EDM and trap genres for both production and DJ-ing. Last in New Zealand in 2013 for a performance with Major Lazer at Big Day Out, the Producer/DJ was brought over by OUR:HOUSE promoters for the years big finale at Mt Smart Stadium later tonight.
Kia ora A photo posted by diplo (@diplo) on
Although some of the critics in the crowd may have been less than impressed with (very) minor technical glitches and a collection somewhat lacking in fresh tracks, it is hard to ignore the glimpses of the underground dancehall that Diplo became known for. Every build up and crescendo was freshly composed and every drop left you in a state of awe as even the most well known club songs had a colossal live rework into his recognisable trap style.
Hanging around post-DIPLO really reveals the mindset of most of the fans at his shows. They’re there to PARTY, and 1:00am is no bedtime. The floors of the St. James shook for another hour and the crowd slowly, certainly, thinned out.
Diplo and Major Lazer headline the OUR:HOUSE festival tonight at Mt. Smart stadium, and if last night is anything to go by, there’s gonna be a lot of skin, a lot of alcohol, and a hell of a party.
– James McDonald
