Port Noise: An insight into Lyttelton’s night of intricately cultivated music and arts

Ōhinehou Lyttelton is known for its arts scene. Source: Heidi Slade. 

This piece includes opinion. 

On March 9, Port Noise music festival took over the carpark connecting Lyttelton Coffee Company, Wunderbar, and The Loons, transforming the space into the second year of the multi-venue event, complete with food, fun, and a carefully-curated musical lineup further extending across London Street to Civil and Naval. 

Organised by Ōhinehou Lyttelton artist and Port Noise founder Ben Woods, and co-director Rose Smyth, this year’s lineup featured an array of talent, including Dunedin-founded ‘psychedelic buzz’ band Soaked Oats, Craigslist DJs, and the trip-hop collaboration of PollyHill x Samara Alofa to the drag-rap performance of Mykki Blanco (USA). 

Blanco’s set was an undeniable crowd pleaser of irrepressible energy, sending strong political messages and invoking the audience into what ended up as a massive dance circle which took over the entirety of the main stage, based in the carpark between the three core festival venues. 

One festivalgoer said Blanco was an ultimate highlight: “One of my favourite moment was when Mykki Blanco got up onto the stairs to Wunderbar and started dancing and performing up there. 

“They really just know how to get a crowd moving, so that was really inspiring to see… Their performance absolutely blew my mind,” she said.  

She also told Canta that Port Noise had a communal feel and captured a Lyttelton-esque essence in a well-thought-out way. 

Aussie band Mess Esque. Source: Heidi Slade. 

“Everyone was there for one purpose and that was to listen to music … My experience of Port Noise was just lovely. I was in good company, there was good people around me, and good music. Everyone there just wanted to dance, there was good music and good food. 

“I think they did a really good job of capturing the essence of the Lyttelton-Christchurch scene, just with the amount of smaller local artists that are all unique that you’re not going to really see again.”  

Upon entry, you were also given a personalised ticket to a ‘secret show,’ detailing a time and a place, but not what or who you would see, further showcasing and utilising the incredible spaces Lyttelton has to offer. 

The one-day festival sold out the entirety of its tickets and kicked off at 6:30pm, with the latest artist, Borrowed CS, starting at 1:30am at Civil and Naval.