Masterton residents could be forgiven for thinking there was tectonic activity shaking their town on Saturday night as New Zealand's newest music venue was rocked by award-winning Kiwi artist Tiki Taane.
Anticipation for King Street Live's first major event had been building for months as pre-sales for the performance sold out weeks before and door sales sold out within 15 minutes on the night.
Two hours before Taane was due to take the stage, a crowd had formed in King Street. As one punter in the line for the door said: "I never thought I would queue for anything in Masterton except at the supermarket."
Up-and-coming soloist Tama Pira, who featured in the Maori Television documentary Songs From the Inside, opened the Saturday night show.
Taane showcased his talent on the night with a range of instruments including his signature conche shell and a small whistle that summoned up haunting sounds from Taane's platinum-selling album from 2007, Past, Present, Future. His unstoppable energy was infectious, with young and old dancing up a storm and the state-of-the-art sound system sending tremor-like bass lines through the purpose-built facility.
