2025.02.22 – Electric Avenue Festival, Christchurch, New Zealand

Date: 22nd February 2025
Event: Electric Avenue Festival
Venue: Hagley Park
City: Christchurch
Country: New Zealand
Support: see timetable

Tracklist:
1. Breathe
2. Voodoo People
3. Omen
4. Climbatize Link
5. Everybody In The Place
6. Beyond The Deathray
7. Firestarter
8. Light Up The Sky
9. Roadblox
10. Poison
11. No Good (Start The Dance)
12. Their Law
13. Invaders Must Die
Encore:
14. Smack My Bitch Up
15. Take Me To The Hospital
16. We Live Forever
17. Out Of Space

Extra info:
Park Stage timetable:
14:25 Park RD
15:35 Kaleo
17:05 The Kooks
18:45 Khruangbin
20:10 Peking Duk
21:50 The Prodigy

Festival review by Matt Slaughter, www.stuff.co.nz:
After the February 22, 2011 earthquake, most of Christchurch’s live music scene was reduced to rubble. Venues were condemned, then demolished, and attracting international artists to the city became difficult.
That’s why standing in Christchurch’s Hagley Park surrounded by thousands and thousands of people on Saturday, exactly 14 years on from that quake, was surreal.
A black and white image of The Prodigy’s late, great frontman, Keith Flint flashed on a massive screen at the back of a stage. A line of bright green laser lights shot into the Christchurch night sky as the band’s remaining members hammered out a bass-heavy version of ‘Firestarter.’ The song was instantly recognisable to the crowd, despite many of them being too young to have witnessed The Prodigy at the peak of their dominance in the 90s and early 2000s. But it was clear from the awestruck expressions and elated dance moves of punters young and old, that this band transcends generations.
This year, for the first time in its history, the festival was extended from one to two days. It’s now the biggest music festival in New Zealand and Australasia. It sold out on Friday and Saturday, with about 35,000 people attending on both days.
As well as The Prodigy, Saturday was headlined by British indie rock darlings, The Kooks, whose set, including hits like ‘Naïve,’ ‘Always Where I Need to Be’ and ‘Seaside,’ took millennials back to their teenage years. The Kooks’ lead singer Luke Pritchard asked the crowd: “Why, why, why have we not come to Christchurch before?” Texas band Khruangbin put their flawless musicianship on display, shredding their guitars for more than an hour without missing a beat. Christchurch’s own Yurt Party got people dancing arm-in-arm with their Balkan rhythms and violin-driven party bangers.
Friday’s lineup owned the stages too, with highlights including Australian band, Empire of The Sun’s synth-soaked sunset set. English drum and bass heavy weights Chase & Status closed the night with a performance that gave young ravers exactly what they wanted – a good, old-fashioned doof with lots of bass.
As well as the stages at every corner of the festival site, there were plenty of other attractions to keep party-goers busy. Bars, food trucks and sponsored hangout zones made it easy to take a moment away from the music. There were even amusement park rides, including a huge ferris wheel overlooking the main stage, making it feel like the Coachella of the south. A special mention also has to go to the ride that looked like a huge fidget spinner. It spun people around and around high above the ground and was probably a bit dicey after one too many vodka-lemonades.
The lines to get in this year were manageable too, with multiple lanes keeping wait times minimal.
Electric Avenue 2025 sent a clear message to New Zealand and the world – Christchurch is back, it’s ready for international artists and, after years of rebuilding, it’s becoming a cultural capital.

Poster: