New Zealand band Shapeshifter NZ joins Tokyo Police Club and other performers for the Tall Tree Music Festival, held annually in a wooded setting on a mountain near Port Renfrew.
Despite running a sold-out festival in each of the previous three years, organizers of the Tall Tree Music Festival did not ease up when planning this weekend’s eighth edition.
If anything, they worked harder at pushing the festival forward. “The presence of Tall Tree this year is much higher than it has been in the past, which is exciting,” said festival director Mike Hann. “There’s a lot more curiosity from people who would have been hesitant to go in the past. That’s a sign of our growth and our maturity.”
Tall Tree, which gets underway Friday at Brown’s Mountain in Port Renfrew, is in a remote location, which might make it a harder sell for newbies, especially since there is no cellphone service.
For regular attendees, however, the wooded setting on a mountain far removed from the hustle and bustle is part of the camping festival’s special appeal. They buy in early each year, according to Hann, without even knowing the acts.
It’s the fairweather fans who need a little encouragement, Hann said with a laugh.
“We’re doing a lot of things this year to cater to people who have viewed Tall Tree as a challenging endeavour in the past. A lot of people are saying it’s their first time coming up and that they are really excited, so we’re feeling really good.”
Organizers are offering “glamping” for the first time this year, in both three- and four-person configurations. Each canvas tent features luxury airbeds, fitted sheets, linen and pillows. Another option is a hut made of recyclable material, with either ocean or forest views.
The decision to up the accommodation offerings made sense, Hann said. The trend at festivals worldwide is to provide packages above and beyond the norm. With a mountain-based festival, glamorous camping qualifies.
“We’ve been doing this festival for eight years now, and realize our demographic is getting a little bit beyond the point where they want to sleep in a tent. We want to make this an all-encompassing event, not just one for those hearty camper types.”
The acts appearing on four stages at Tall Tree this year include performers from seven countries, the festival’s most diverse lineup to date. Leading the way is a contingent of electronic acts — from Oakland art-fusion trio Beats Antique to Jurassic 5 beatmaker DJ Nu-Mark — capable of putting the expected audience of 3,000 in motion. Rock is well represented as well, with Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club, Metchosin’s Jesse Roper, Victoria’s Jon and Roy, and Seattle’s Cave Singers among the highlights.
Beat-driven music is what fans come to see and hear, however. And this year, according to Hann, Tall Tree has secured a dancefriendly winner in Shapeshifter NZ, a future-soul collective that is counted among New Zealand’s biggest exports.
“I’ve been working on that for three years,” Hann said. “They have been on my radar. They are one of the top acts in New Zealand — to Kiwis, they are almost like the Tragically Hip to some Canadians. For them to agree to come over and play Tall Tree, I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
The festival made headlines this spring when it offered free admission to 250 ticketholders left in the cold by the bankruptcy of the Pemberton Music Festival. Pemberton, which was set for July 13-16 near Whistler, was criticized by the concert industry when it announced refunds would not be issued to those who had purchased tickets in advance.
Tall Tree scored a win with its campaign, as the story (first reported in the Times Colonist) ran in newspapers and on TV networks across the province. All 250 tickets were snapped up.
“From a media standpoint, it almost went viral,” Hann said. “We’ve had nothing but positive response from people, a lot of thanks and a lot of gratitude expressed.”
The festival also took a proactive position on harm reduction. Though not condoned or tolerated, drugs are often present at summer music festivals, said Emmalee Brunt, communications manager for Tall Tree.
The festival’s harm-reduction crew worked with mental-health and addictions workers to set up a drug-screening station for fentanyl. Other measures include an on-site field hospital and stocking of Naloxone kits to treat overdoses.
Brunt said she has been overwhelmed with positive feedback.
“It has been a huge part of our narrative as a festival since the beginning. We’ve never overlooked how important that is. We are set up for the best success possible.”