Slackbarn: New Hawke’s Bay music festival at Black Barn this January, Black Seeds to headline

Black Barn will host the new festival Slackbarn this January. Photo / Paul Taylor

A new music festival is set to rock Havelock North’s Black Barn this summer, bringing a huge range of international and local acts to the region.

Slackbarn, the brainchild of promoters Ben Morgan and Dylan Clark, is described as an accessible and affordable music festival created to fill in the void left behind by music festivals no longer taking place that catered to a niche audience, such as Nest Fest.

“I’ve been swinging through Hawke’s Bay for summer weddings, music events, and staying with mates who grew up there for years now, and ever since going to my first gig at Black Barn, I’ve wanted to throw an event there,” Morgan said.

“I’ve even got half-baked plans from 2020 sitting on my computer; it’s been on my mind for almost five years.”

Morgan believes the price point of the festival and pay later options will give more music fans access.

“With music starting at 1pm and finishing at 10.30pm, you’ve got nine and a half hours of entertainment for $10-ish an hour. What does bowling cost per hour these days?”

The lineup includes London’s pancontinental instrumental groovers Los Bitchos, British multi-instrumental singer-songwriter Cosmo Pyke, and American indie wunderkind Ashes To Amber, playing outside the US for the first time.

The Black Seeds are set to rock Black Barn this January as part of the Slackbarn festival.

These bands will join local acts like Wellington heavyweights The Black Seeds, Raglan’s boy wonder Muroki, Auckland dystopian trio Half Hexagon, along with Molly Payton, Rita Mae and Eli Superflyy.

Morgan and Clark want potential attendees to expect a diverse range of sounds at the festival, from psychedelic rock and Latin rhythms to reggae-infused jazz and timeless Kiwi tunes.