19/07/2026
Belated Thank You Series 💚
Next up is a huge thank you to Alex and the Totally Chonkers Collective
It all started when we had the opportunity to work with Johnny Darko. After the first absolute cracker of a gig, Johnny was keen to come back, and Alex jumped on board to help make it happen.
Originally, we were going to call the night Totally Local. Then Alex came along and declared the night was going to be “chonkers as.” From there, everything snowballed in the best possible way. The Chonky Cat was born, the gig became Totally Chonkers, and honestly… it was chonkers. The atmosphere was electric, the energy was unreal, and it quickly became something really special.
From there, Alex and the team built an incredible community of musicians, artists and creatives. They’ve created a space where people can connect, back each other, showcase new talent and give artists opportunities that can sometimes be hard to find.
A special shout out also has to go to Hamish, whose lighting completely lifted the standard of East Street. His talent is next level, and he’s just an all-round incredible human. The difference he made to every event never went unnoticed.
People often only see the few hours a gig is running, but behind every great night are countless hours of planning, organising, promoting, setting up, sound checks, lighting, and packing down. The Totally Chonkers crew poured so much of themselves into every event, and we were genuinely proud that East Street could be part of that journey.
If you get the chance to support the Totally Chonkers Collective, please do. Give em a follow, go to a gig. Nelson, and honestly New Zealand, is lucky to have a group so passionate about creating opportunities and bringing people together through music and art.
We can’t wait to see where the journey takes you all next. Thanks for everything, Alex and the whole Chonkers crew(too many names to list!)💚
