Presented by Jim Beam Homegrown

Blindspott Headline Jim Beam Homegrown 2026 Image credit Rachel Matthews

Image Credit Rachel Mathews

Review By: Faith Hamblyn & James Brown

Image Credits to Rachel Matthews

Event: Homegrown Festival

Venue/City: Claudelands Oval, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand

Date of Event: Saturday 14th March 2026

Homegrown, as the name suggests, is a simple concept: a major commercial festival in the vein of the Big Day Out or Laneway, but specifically showcasing only domestic acts. Its debut outing at Claudelands Oval, in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, is something of a homecoming – from a certain point of view. Homegrown began life as a sideline part of X Air, an extreme sports event, which was originally held in Hamilton. But a genuine music festival – particularly one on this scale – is something different. And after 18 years on Wellington’s waterfront, this is Homegrown’s first year in the Waikato.

There were a few very minor first-year teething troubles – pulling off something on this scale without them would be a miracle. I never saw a Big Day Out where everything came together with perfect clockwork precision. But the organisers and their army of crew did themselves credit, and it went with something close to.

With its mission to represent the gamut of Aotearoa music, Homegrown has something for everyone. With a smorgasbord of acts to choose from, the festival-goer has some tough decisions to make. Do you stake out a good spot at the stage whose lineup best matches your taste and settle down for the duration? Or do you use the dedicated phone app to plan your campaign like the Normandy invasion, trekking between stages on a preplanned timetable trying to catch the optimal combo of acts? (This will probably mean leaving part way through some sets.)

The Park Stage — the ‘main’ stage. With a large grassy field for dancing. For those who want their ‘rock’ strongly inflected with dub and roots vibes, exemplified by the headliner, Six60.

The Fusion Stage — the ‘urban’ portion of the line-up, showing why Mai FM is one of the main sponsors.

The Electronic Stage — do you like a DJ? I don’t pretend to understand EDM, but even I could see the appeal of the energy and vitality here. A proper rave atmosphere with multicoloured sky-bothering laser light show. Main radio sponsor – George FM, naturally.

The Rock Stage — if metal is your element, this is your stage. This is where you were most likely to see the giant foam devil horns being used to hit your friend in the head. I appreciate devil horns as much as anyone. When it takes the form of a giant promotional foam hand sponsored by Jim Beam, let's say it lacks a certain authenticity.

The City Stage — stashed away up the back like a dirty secret. For those who don't mind if their rock is a little ‘classic’. More FM Lounge. Beanbags. There were Fruit Bursts, but the giveaway jar for people putting their framed photo on social media was never unattended.

The Nexus Stage — a place for emerging talent – some impressive indie acts that defy easy categorisation.

Describing such a major event is too big a job to tackle solo, so we decided to share reviewing responsibilities.

The Jordan Luck Band

Faith: Taking the stage to an audio clip of Honey Bunny in Pulp Fiction vowing to execute every mother- last one of us, Jordan Luck has embraced ‘60s rock and could now lead AC/DC quite confidently. His T-shirt celebrated Black Sabbath, but his stance and band nod to glam rock and punk. Dedicating Exponents’ La La Lulu to any festivalgoers in from Kings Cross, there were some sparkly lurex-wearing fans in the audience. A man in green gumboots spat on the ground during Erotic, which I assume was a punk version of applause. It's sounding a bit more Def Leppard these days, which is lovely. Dedicated to the dads, their cover of INXS’ Don't Change rock and reverb was rockin’ too. RIP, Michael Hutchence.

James: Jordan Luck always embodied a certain louche persona at the Robert Plant end of the frontman spectrum. But his current band has a hard, masculine sound that instantly reminded both of us of Bon Scott-era AC/DC. Jordan did a great job of effortlessly tweaking lyrics to match the occasion. ‘I wonder on a glorious day like this… We love you the most!’ ‘Tell me why, why do we love Waikato?’

Jordan Luck Band setlist

Lala Lulu
Erotic
Christchurch (In Cashel Street I Wait)
Your Best Friend Loves Me Too
Don't Change (INXS cover)
Whatever Happened To Tracy?
I Wanna Know (Dead Flowers cover)
Sink Like A Stone
I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue)
Who Loves Who the Most?
Victoria
Forever Tuesday Morning (Mockers cover)
Why Does Love Do This To Me?

Stellar*

Faith: Stellar* took the stage with clouds of dry ice and a rare example of technical issues. Boh Runga was practically inaudible for the whole of the first song. By Undone, the problem had been fixed, to enthusiastic applause – Boh can sa-a-a-ang – no offence to Joel Haines, whose backing vocals were all anyone heard of Every Girl. Stellar have never played a Homegrown before, making their debut in Hamilton.

They've always sounded like music for a soundtrack, tight, correct. A lot of the crowd were drinking different coloured Manuka Phuel energy drinks (yum), and smoking various things. We were in the shade of the VIP stand, enjoying the breeze from the food trucks but not the spilled beer and cigarette ash raining down from the fancier patrons above us.

James: Have you wondered why anyone would pay triple for a VIP pass? The answer is straightforward. For each stage, there was a VIP grandstand. A sort of corporate box offering an unimpeded view of the stage and plenty of shade and seating – two rare luxuries that were otherwise at an absolute premium. But of course access to this hallowed ground is strictly denied to those without a VIP lanyard, who must endure punishing rays, dust and the hard ground. Stellar*’s cover of Sharon O’Neill’s Maxine brought a disco-era Kiss rock vibe which completely changed the tone without losing the power of the original. It was Boh’s birthday. She brought cupcakes!

Stellar* setlist

Every Girl
Undone
Whiplash
What You Do/Bittersweet Symphony (Verve cover)
Maxine (Sharon O’Neill cover)
All It Takes
One More Day
Nerve and Consequences
Part Of Me
Slowburn
Violent

The Datsuns

Faith: In the wake of electronica winning over the hearts and minds of the ‘90s massiff, the world served us up an extra helping of The Stooges’ brand of garage rock, and it was glorious. The Datsuns were cool, hip, heavy, and here, and now they storm the stage in Hamilton with a tidal wave of sound. I was hiding in the shade of a booze tent, but I could feel the bass beating in my chest like a rhythm-section heart.

Third track Sittin’ Pretty is like our Kiss’ Detroit Rock City, which is welcome given the current fashion for booty shorts and rubbish cowboy boots. Harmonic Generator was as rocking as ever, but different live; kinda looser. A lady from the Mount sat next to me offered me some MDMA, which was pretty awesome, but rules are rules – on a press pass, I wasn’t even allowed to drink. Even sober, Motherfucker From Hell is tons of fun.

James: I remember local boys (well, almost – from just down the road in Cambridge) The Datsuns riding to fame on the crest of that early-2000s wave of hysteria in the music press for post-grunge guitar-based garage rock. The same ‘revival’ that produced bands like The Strokes. To me, it was always a misguided nostalgia for something that had really never gone away. I always liked The Datsuns’ style and admired their international success, even if I found their music too generic to be genuinely memorable. They certainly have the live chops to rock a crowd, though.

The Datsuns setlist

Sittin’ Pretty
Helping Hands
Harmonic Generator
Brain To Brain
Stuck Here For Days
Motherfucker From Hell

Head Like A Hole

Faith: Back in safe Jim Beam and grass territory, Booga Beazley offered the crowd a guitar, and they, drunkenly, tried to accept. A lady in front of me, part of a group gathered as though at a barbecue, entertained herself by squirting bottled water on her own head and down the back of her bald-guy friend. HLAH played Comfortably Shagged with protected pictures of Booga looking like sweaty Christ.

After some demonic-sounding Beazling, it was time for Cornbag (See You On The Other Side). I might have been getting a contact high from bald guy, but maybe that's what you need with psychedelic backing video. The crowd loved Glory, Glory Hallelujah. Wet Rubber was great live – Primus gone hellbilly.

I'm On Fire was started in media res, but nobody minded. Cheesy American accent? Doesn't matter. The band have messed up the order? Doesn't matter. Having a boog causing you to spill your Canadian Club can? It's OK. Let's all sing along to the high, lonesome sounds of a train, and then speed up to hellbilly again.

James: I most recently thought about HLAH a few weeks ago when I spotted a bloke in a MAGA-style cap on Ponsonby Rd, which read ‘Make HLAH Great Again’. ‘That’s oddly specific,’ I thought. Then I realised it was Booga Beazely, and it made sense. They were actually flogging the same caps at the merch stand, which also made a lot of sense. Unlike BDO appearances of old, the lads were all (mercifully, at their age) fully clothed. Age has not dulled their irreverence, though. Booga made light of a malfunctioning amp by imitating the outraged apes from 2001: A Space Odyssey, a la Derek Zoolander. I overheard someone opining that HLAH deserved a later (ie more ‘prestigious’) slot. Perhaps. But I saw Booga afterwards, and he looked as though he had enjoyed himself immensely, so I doubt they had any complaints about the timing.

HLAH setlist

Comfortably Shagged
Fish Across Face
Cornbag
Glory Glory (Hallelujah)
Wet Rubber
Hootenanny
I'm On Fire
A Crying Shame

Shepherd’s Reign

James: I had been wanting to see Shepherd's Reign live for some time, and they absolutely did not disappoint. If you don't know, they are a super-tight Samoan heavy metal band from South Auckland. The Samoan language sounds incredible in frontman Filiva'a James’s death growl. The whole looked badass in black lavalavas and ula nifo (boar tusk necklaces). And they had fire dancers! The guitarist closest to our side of the stage, Oliver, absolutely shreds.

Shepherd’s Reign setlist

Toa
Nafanua
Aiga
Ala Mai
Samoa Mo Samoa

Hello Sailor

For better or worse, some bands are inextricably associated with an iconic frontman. We had already learned that Jordan Luck can still work without the Exponents. Now we had a similar question in reverse – can you have Hello Sailor without Graham Brazier? It turns out that yes, you can — they sure sounded like Sailor to us.

Hello Sailor (partial) setlist

Lie In the Sand
Billy Bold
Streams of Whiskey
Fugitive For Love
Please Tease Me

While we had started the day trying to take in complete sets, our evening now became a bit of a mad scramble trying to cram in multiple simultaneous acts. I was a little gutted to have to leave Hello Sailor before Gutter Black or Blue Lady, but you can’t catch ‘em all. We caught some of Supergroove and the end of Fur Patrol. I expected that the bigger acts would start to draw numbers away from the ‘smaller’ stages, but I was still a little surprised to see that the crowd had visibly dwindled back at the City Stage, for Fur Patrol. They had a decent following in their time – still do, I’m sure – and I hope they didn’t troubled by the comparatively modest crowd size. Someone has to be on opposite L.A.B. and Six60 – a festival fact of life.

Faith even admitted Lydia isn't so bad. She wasn't looking forward to hearing it, but just because it was a bit too ubiquitous when it broke. We did all hear it a few too many times. But with the live setting, Julia’s voice had less of the polished version of the single that was released and more of a tremulous quality, which made it less of a self-assured sneer of a song and more of a confession of being done wrong.

Dragon

Another iconic Kiwi band who are missing their famous leader. There could be no replacing Marc Hunter, but industry veteran Mark Williams on vocals is a great fit. Funny that he still seems like the ‘new boy’ to me when he's only been singing with Dragon for 20 years now.

There's someone charming about seeing happy young folks dancing to songs older than they are. More than once I found myself wondering how these youngsters knew all the words to Dragon songs. I guess, to answer the question we were all eagerly waiting for, yes they are old enough.

Williams is a consummate showman, with infectious energy. ‘I forgot the words. I remembered them!’ He led the crowd in call-and-response a la Cab Calloway or Freddie Mercury. When he coached the punters in a singalong of the last three Kiwis classic megahits, naturally they needed very little encouragement. I'm certain it was the Homegrown highlight for many of them.

Dragon setlist

Speak No Evil
I'm Still In Love With You
Magic
Dreams of Ordinary Men
Get That Jive
This Time (In The Right Direction)
O Zambezi
Young Years
Don't I Look Like Jim?
Show No Mercy
April Sun In Cuba
Are You Old Enough?
Rain

James: My Homegrown highlight? If I'm forced to choose one, just between you and me, it was Shepherd's Reign. I'll be seeing them again next chance I get.

Faith: My highlight? Head Like A Hole, HLAH, Make HLAH Great Again. If I could have been in a few places at once, I would have caught David Dallas, Kings, Ladi6 as well. There was a point where from the back of LAB, we could also watch Devilskin blowing up the stage and see the pyrotechnics from the other side of the Oval as well. I tried to find a One, Two, Fuck You T-shirt, but couldn’t find it in the vast venue that was new to me. Maybe if I’d gone on the Ferris Wheel, I could have spotted one.

James: If there were any doubts as to whether a regional centre could successfully host a proper ‘grown-up’ festival – if it makes me a terrible urban chauvinist to even consider the possibility that there might be cause to doubt, forgive me; I can’t help being a JAFA – consider them put to rest.

The event has a distinctly Waikato feel, in ways that are probably not apparent to locals, but were palpable to us as visitors, albeit from just 90 minutes away. I should be careful here not to exaggerate and make it sound like we were fish out of water. After all, we are all Kiwis first and foremost, and our national character doesn't vary all that much, really. But let's be honest, there are some regional differences. The crowd did look markedly different than it would at a comparable event in Tāmaki Makaurau. More gumboots, just for starters. And thanks to an apparent fashion for dressing like a go-go dancer, we beheld a far greater number of exposed gluteal folds than we could possibly have prepared for. That’s more of a ‘youth’ thing than a Waikato thing, to be fair, but if we had to see all those bums, it’s only fair that you hear about it.

In some ways, an all-day festival is something more to be endured than enjoyed. There was precious little shade, but a fair bit of sunscreen available, free water, and the Manuka Phuel booth had delicious samples. There were plentiful and varied food options. For us that included a great veggie loaded fries with avocado and coleslaw. The vegan pad thai during Dragon was superb.

The over-25,000-strong crowd were well behaved. The police presence was visible, but essentially unneeded, as far as I am aware. We didn't see or hear of any unruly behaviour, apart from seeing one overserved patron being firmly but professionally escorted out by security staff.

I don’t mean to sound condescending when I say that yes, this festival was very much ‘like a bought one’. I think we can say that the tradition is in safe hands, and that Homegrown has a new home.