Primer: Sunset Sounds - Waterbourne Beach Festival

What's better than spending your evening being serenaded by top Aotearoa acts? Spending your evening being serenaded by top Aotearoa acts with a glass of champagne in your hand, the sound of Takapuna waves breaking, and an expansive rooftop bar view. All this and more will be available at your fingertips thanks to three weeks of Waterbourne Beach Festival events throughout March. Anything from stand up paddle boarding and waterfront morning yoga, to beach-themed outdoor movie screenings and shore clean-up working bees (the majority of which will be totally free), are hitting Takapuna in an effort to create positive connections to Aotearoa's precious coastline — and practise sustainability while you're at it! Register for Waterbourne's Friday After Work Vibes, Sunday and Saturday sessions, where you can have a boogie in the fresh sea air as the sun goes down, free of charge. Although, for the ticketed music events, I doubt you'll mind the cheap-as-chips entry fee when you've got names like Tami Neilson, Dave Dobbyn, Goodshirt, Ria Hall and Marlin's Dreaming in the mix.

Come March, there's one evening in particular that piqued our interest: Sunset Sounds. Throughout the golden hour and as the sun tucks itself into bed, five outstanding wāhine Aotearoa artists will have attendees wrapped around their little fingers. Don't sleep on this, whether it's a spot lounging on the grass or VIP rooftop entry (w/ complimentary bubbles and a Bendon Lingerie voucher!), nab your ticket ASAP...

UPDATE 18/02/21: Ria Hall and Misa have joined the official lineup for Sunset Sounds...

Bendon Lingerie Sunset Sounds - Waterbourne Beach Festival
Featuring... Tami Neilson, Hollie Smith, Anna Coddington, LAIIKA, Ria Hall, Misa
Friday 5th March - Takapuna Beach, Auckland (3pm, R18)
Tickets + more details available over on the Waterbourne site here

Hold onto your hair extensions, Tami Neilson has the pipes to bowl you right over. The award-winning, larger-than-life country and soul singer will have you shedding tears and dancing squares all within one song...

The iconic Hollie Smith will be running through octaves as the sun sets on Takapuna beach, performing tracks from two decades of powerful songwriting. Have a listen to her Te Reo rendition of classic 'Bathe In The River', sung with help from Hātea Kapahaka...

As Anna Coddington released her latest album Beams, she rolled out the entire collection in a series of live videos shot at Roundhead Studios, where Beams was recorded with production from Steph Brown and Fen Ikner of LIPS. Watch Coddington and her band perform 'The Saint (With Stains)' below, but be warned, you might find yourself hypnotised and hurtling down a Beams rabbit hole...

With just their debut single 'Crush' out, you'll be one of the first to hear their unreleased songs at Sunset Sounds. Get in at the ground floor, LAIIKA pop duo are on the verge of something huge. Meet Grace Moller and Heidi Simpson in the gorgeous DIY clip for their first official release...

"Waterbourne is embarking on a journey to provide memorable experiences whilst protecting and rebuilding New Zealand’s coastline through a range of initiatives. Waterbournes sustainable beach festival, encourages the protection of New Zealand's wildlife and ocean in a way you will never forget."