Dunedin festival links music to ballots

An all-ages alternative music festival in Dunedin combined live performances with a voter registration drive on October 3.

The event, known as Rock The Vote, took over a street in the city's industrial area. The lineup featured local acts such as Motheaten, Coward!, the pink opaque, and Deaf Raccoon. A voting booth was set up on site to help attendees register.

Natasha Griffiths of DUN Records co-organized the event. She stated that the local music scene is underfunded and that youth enrolment remains low. Griffiths said the festival aimed to provide a safe space for young people and remind them that their votes matter.

The festival ran from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bands played on a large stage equipped with professional lighting and sound systems. Southern Lights and DUN Records provided the production support. All profits from the event went directly to the performers.

Retrospect Entertainment livestreamed the entire day on YouTube. Craig Daniels of Campus Watch interviewed crowd members between sets. The stream allows people outside of Dunedin to watch the performances.

Dunedin electorate candidates attended the event. Victor Billot represented the Alliance, Francisco Hernandez represented the Greens, and Rachel Brooking represented Labour. Hernandez said young people do not feel listened to by the current government but do feel heard by some individual politicians. He noted that the political system needs to become more friendly to young people and Māori.

Brooking agreed that some politicians on the right are trying to disenfranchise youth. She pointed to the October 25 deadline for vote enrolment as evidence of this trend. Both candidates described art as inherently political.

Bands also spoke about the political nature of the event. Tane of Sivle Talk said that people who try to be apolitical in their art are "pussies." Zac of the pink opaque compared the scene to 1980s UK punk protests. He said the movement is still alive today.

The event faced one technical issue when Bunchy's Big Score overwhelmed the generator. Aside from that, the festival was a success. The livestream remains available on YouTube for those who missed the live show.