A young rock band from Wanaka got the surprise of their life last night, when Highly Suspect brought them onstage to perform ‘Lydia’ at their Auckland gig.
The kiwi band, Powder Chutes, is made up of young lads Archie, Clarke, Henry and Otis - and boy they’ve had one hell of a week.
After catching the attention of Highly Suspect frontman Johnny Stevens at their Christchurch gig, Powder Chutes were invited to open for them at their remaining NZ gigs in Wellington and Auckland.
“These kids were ripping hard in the front row last night showing so much love. They tossed me this really cool pink and black corduroy hat… I noticed right away that it said ‘Powder Chutes’.. ,” Johnny wrote on social media after their Christchurch gig.
He continued, “Well turns out I’ve been hearing about this band for at least a year now from NZ fans. So… We’re gonna have em drive there asses out here and open up the stage tomorrow night. Because dope people do dope shit and there is enough stage to go around for everyone.”
The Powder Chutes lads absolutely tore it up as openers - but the fun didn’t stop there.
Last night, after Highly Suspect wrapped up their tune Plastic Boxes, Johnny put out a call for Henry, lead singer of Powder Chutes, to head onstage. The rest of the lads then followed, looking visibly stoked to be up there.
Johnny gave the stage to the boys - letting Henry sing the whole of Lydia, and later in the song getting Clarke on guitar and Otis on bass, while drummer Archie vibed out onstage.
The Highly Suspect frontman also took a moment during the song to dub Powder Chutes “the coolest lads in the country” before asking the crowd to make sure they continue to support them.
Powder Chutes nailed it up there, truly bringing the energy and amping up the crowd. It was an epic moment to watch.
Speaking about the experience on Instagram, the band said the moment was “totally unscripted” with “no warning” and “not pre-empted in the slightest.”
They also wrote, “Highly Suspect… if there was ever any doubt that these guys are genuine legends… ask yourself… who else would have done this for a support band… with their biggest song, without knowing if they could pull it off?”
Very true. A legendary act from Johnny, and an incredible performance from Powder Chutes.
Oh, and it goes without saying, but Highly Suspect were a powerhouse at all three of their 2024 New Zealand shows. Keep an ear out, because we’re pretty sure Johnny is stopping by Rock HQ at some point soon to have another chat with Westie Lee.
