NEWS: Campus A Low Hum 2011

When: 11-13 February.

Where: Flock House, Bulls

Tickets: $220

Tickets for the legendary Campus a Low Hum go on sale this week, July 1st. If you haven't been to one of these festivals before chances are you've heard how amazing it is. Established in 2007, it's the only NZ Festival mentioned in Lonely Planet, and for good reason. Organiser and Wellington music scene hero Blink travelled round the world to make sure he'd created a true 'anti-festival'; his reaction to all the usual problems of your corporate music festival, the long queues, lack of decent toilets, strict security, overpriced food stalls, in your face corporate advertising, and timetable clashes. He was pretty happy to find there was nothing out there quite like Camp A Low Hum.

The location for 2011 will be the same as last year, Flock House - ten minutes drive Bulls, and the same rules (or lack of) apply. Once again an abandoned agricultural school becomes the scene of much random partying, massive stage invasions, impromptu jam sessions between bands, guerilla gigs out in the bush, and just the most free spirited, unplanned, organically unfolding weekend of fun and great music you could ever imagine.

A great thing about CALH is you can bring your own food and beverages in and cook your own meals in the kitchen or buy stuff from the on-site caterers. You can also come and go as you please, or take a break from the music with various activities at the festival.

There is no timetable and no official band announcements made. CALH prides itself on running on reputation, not hype. Past line-ups have included overseas guests such as Jens Lekman, Dan Deacon and Polka Dot Dot Dot mixed in with local bands Die! Die! Die!, Liam Finn, Connan Mockasin and So So Modern. You won't be disappointed.

Check out a proper list of past line-ups on the A Low Hum Wikipedia Page.

''Chalk dicks on blackboards and parties in empty swimming pools''- is pretty much the atmosphere you can expect. Highlights from last year's Camp include watching Dan Deacon's fully interactive swimming pool set, enjoying another sweaty Gym Class, the Basketball Tournament, the Roller Disco, the Mix-tape swap, and the Leaver's Formal. As you can tell, this is a three day party like no other.

The only rule at camp is "don't be a dick."

For some amazing and unique documentary footage of what Camp A Low Hum is really like, you can download the movie from here: assuming you have unlimited broadband at your house to do so.

Downloads

Camp A Low Hum 2007 – The Movie – Part 1. (685MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U0OJQBQA
Camp A Low Hum 2007 – The Movie – Part 2. (810 MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E54KJMOB

The gates to CALH in 2011 open at 3pm on Feb 10th. The event kicks into life early on the 11th and runs three days and nights til late on the 13th. Blink isn't increasing the capacity this year so tickets will go fast. You have been warned.

For more info go to the official Campus A Low Hum 2010 website.

by Dedee Wirjapranata