Day three began with the banging of bongos. I could faintly hear singing as a procession of bongo drummers traipsed through the farm. I decided it was time for a bath. Two days of dirt makes for a smelly person.

The trip down to the river is mandatory. In fact, it’s how we spent most of our morning. Chilling with beer, freezing in the 11°C water and splashing about until our knees were blue. Some of us stayed under for so long, we may have permanently altered our body temperature.

The sky is a clear blue with a bit of chill in the air. The sharp cold running through my nose reminds me how manic life in Johannesburg really is. Not once this year have I seen the air so clear. In between drinking and chatting, the faint music from the main tent  forms the perfect backdrop to a perfect morning.

Trudging back to the centre of the party, Arlyn Culwick’s sweet sounds float through the air as the hippies practice their poi with ribbons. Newtown are fantastic and The Nomadic Orchestra urge me to sit and listen.

The sun makes everyone lazy and we see people sprawled around waiting for the rugby match to start. Being a KZN festival, most Fenners support The Sharks. It’s smiles and beer all around as we trounce The Hurricanes. High spirits and highness. Perfect to welcome Ard Matthews.

Ard Matthews

Now, anyone who knows anything about South African music would know Ard is a legend. Front man of Just Jinger, he is masterful, even on his own. Acoustic versions of the songs we love best tug at my heartstrings, and his cover of Cat Stevens’ Father and Son leaves not a dry eye in the house. Cold and slightly wet from the bit of rain, everyone huddles under the tent listening to him. He’s such a Durban boy. Still humble, still human.

On the other stage, the vibe is very different. Fruits and Veggies, an eclectic band of madness, take the stage and Purity’s bug eyes and crazy stage antics make for an energetic and wild performance. I can’t not dance. It’s as if she has the audience under a spell saying ‘dance, motherfuckers, dance!’. Not too unlike her, too.

Fruits & Veggies

The Car Boot Vendors follow and do pretty much the same thing.  Both bands, very close in age, style and circle of friends, are lively, insane and pretty darn good. Not really something for international stages, but sheer enjoyment nonetheless. Their don’t-care attitudes and on-stage performances make them formidable in Durban. I would like to see how they fare in Joburg.

Car Boot Vendors

Boo! ends off the evening with a bang as Chris Chameleon in a signature drag queen outfit takes the stage. Old great songs mixed with a few new ones gets the crowd dancing, but I can’t help but feel they’re kind of losing their touch. This performance seemed a bit lacklustre until their usual flamboyant end. Their usual ‘monkipunk’ style was there, but without the flair that makes the trio as amazing as they are known to be.

Boo!

Campfire time and my camping mates steal a tree and try to plant it with tent pegs. Splashy Stupidity. Another reason this weekend is so epic.

Sunday is met with hymns coming from some tents, easter eggs falling from the sky and another trip to the river before we head up to watch the final day of bands.

The Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, a group of guys who never grew up singing silly songs about short people and Henry VIII busk on the rocks as a small group look on sitting on the grass. The sun streams through the gaps in the tie-dye tent sheltering them and they are just so cool. Life of Riley, a two-piece made up of a guitarist and singer are cute and stuff. But it kind of reminds me of myself sitting around a park with my friends, someone playing, someone singing. Nothing special, but definitely something special for Sunday morning.

The day is lazy. The fast-approaching winter sun beats down and we sit on the rocks listening to the music, not one of us wanting to talk about the prospect of leaving tomorrow. The beer is warm, and a nap is in order. The tree falls on my head as I sleep. Tent pegs aren’t as good as roots.

The evening brings the Jack Mantis Band. They’re undoubtedly good. Highly recommended, just don’t follow them on Facebook because they spam sometimes. Their music is anything but spam. Chilled at times, sometimes intense, I really like them. Especially when they call on Dan Patlansky to play All Along the Watchtower with them.

Lowprofile

Lowprofile are disappointing. They used to be so cool, but now it’s just the same old thing. I expected them to grow in the years I’ve been out of Durban but they’re all just the same. Nothing new in terms of music, stage performance or… anything. I used to like them. Now they’re just old hat.

Then came the big one. Dan Patlansky. My God! I could swear it was as if heaven descended upon Splashy Fen and came in the form of this young, insanely talented man. He closes his eyes, plugs in his guitar and just plays. An hour of magic, his picking at the strings almost as if he were picking at my solar plexus. That feeling of the music enveloping you and swirling around your head until it almost brings you to tears.

Dan Patlansky

After that, not much else could be more amazing. Dance, You’re on Fire, Sibling Rivalry and Captain Stu all moved our feet. But the weekend was made complete by Dan and Holiday Murray, who impressed me the most.

Back to the campfire and out comes the guitar. We sing and chat until 4am. We can’t believe it’s almost time to go back to the real world.

Packing up is never a happy time, but we all make the best of it and down the last of our beers. Hitting the road, the adrenaline and excitement of the weekend hits us and lulls us to sleep. Until next year, Splashy Fen. Until next year.

Splashy Fen Music Festival is always on the top of my ‘to do’ list every year. This year, the first time I would be driving my own car to the farm in Underberg, I was a wee apprehensive. Leaving at 5am and armed with snacks, supplies and good music, two friends of mine and I set off in the darkness to the heart of the Drakensberg Mountains on a rainy Thursday morning.

The drive is always an adventure as we pass goats, deal with random pedestrians trying to sell us single raw eggs from a carton, try to avoid cows and see a few llamas on the side of the road too. It’s on these types of drives one gets to see just how beautiful South Africa is. It’s beyond breathtaking; the rolling hills, greenery and wildlife are par for the course. But the fact that all this land holds so much history, and man has never been able to fully invade this land is amazing.

Getting into Underberg, the roads become dirtier and we get more anxious to hit the festival. Turning the volume up, seeing other cars piled with gumboots, tents and sleeping bags, we hoot at each other with the knowledge that our lives are going to be slightly altered after this weekend. All we have to do is endure the bitch of a road that is the D600 – the road to the Splashy Fen Farm.

We arrive at the farm just after midday. It’s packed. Muddy. My god, is it muddy. My feet scream obscenities at me at the prospect of walking through that shit. People are already drunk, stoned or high on life. People are setting up tents and starting their braais, some already in the river and some passed out from the drive. It’s almost as if EVERY cool person left their city and descended upon the farm. We set up our tent, have a bite to eat and go cow tipping. I get injured. Welcome to Splashy.

The music on Thursday night is mostly disappointing but Holiday Murray stole the limelight. A ‘progressive folk rock’ four piece, this band is polished, talented and is going to go places. Very much like the Fleet Foxes and a young Crosby, Stills and Nash, I have high hopes for this bunch of guys from Cape Town. They’re nice guys to boot. I hear sighs and swoons from women behind me as guitarist Justin Davenport picks up a ukulele. I don’t blame them.

Holiday Murray

Isochronous sounded better than they did at RAMfest. Perhaps it was just the sound. Their old stuff sounded as awesome as I remember. Their new stuff? Nah… not for me.  However, The Otherwise rocked out until the last person was too tired to dance anymore. This Durban band is punk, rock, sleaze, drugs and booze mixed into one incredibly energetic and potent cocktail. They draw from the punk legends of old and refine it to something almost Arctic Monkey-esque. I like them. A lot.

Isochronous

The Otherwise

Friday brings in the legends, and the waterworks.

With a walkabout around the farm, meeting old friends, making new ones and getting up to random mischief, we are welcomed to the farm by an old friend. Splashy legend Tony Cox makes his guitar sing and I have to remind myself that this is one dude with one guitar. There is a reason everyone at the Fen loves and respects him so. The man is a genius. With his chilled stage presence and guitar mastery, all he needs is a cold beer and he’d be cooler than Christmas. Miles Sievwright impresses with his singer/songwriter stuff, as he did last year.

Tony Cox

The memorial to Syd Kitchen was what tugged at my heart strings. This man became an institution at Splashy Fen, having played every year since its inception. One of my memories of Syd was him sitting on the rocks with a cuppa (of what, I have no idea) and chatting to some friends. I said: “Hi Syd.” He said: “Not yet, love!”

The folk music continues through the afternoon and brings on the orange-purple-gold sunset and welcomes in the clear night sky. It’s almost surreal. Streaks of clouds encircling the tips of the mountains. Mist framing everything. The smell of burning wood clinging to everything you touch and the moon beaming boyishly upon the festivities. The stars are so clear, it’s as if they pierce your every glance. You can almost see the man on the moon. It’s cold. It’s exhilarating.

Catlike Thieves

Getting high on caffeine, we prepare for the onslaught of a manic line-up. Sheep Down, Catlike Thieves, The La Els and City Bowl Mizers command our feet like puppeteers. The energy, the sweat, the screaming girls and the front men being cocky little shits on stage make for the festival’s turn into a platform for the young guns. I am danced out.

The La Els

The City Bowl Mizers

But there is a campfire to go to. I clench my teeth and my beer and make my way down to the campsite, to be welcomed by a warm fire, more cold beer, awful white wine and friends.

This is the life.

Greenpop welcomes Earth Day with a party celebrating the earth and her beautiful trees – Cool as Folk, 21 April 2011, The Assembly, 8pm

Tree planting initiative, Greenpop, started planting indigenous and fruit trees on the Cape Flats in September last year. At Greenpop, the past 7 months have seen just over 3000 trees going into the ground, environmental education spreading, more than 500 volunteers signing up to come and plant and wonderful school children getting their hands dirty and learning to plant and care for trees.
Through the hot summer, the schools excitedly implemented Greenpop’s grey water idea, where each child brings in a 2-litre bottle of their bath water to school 3 times a week and each class has designated days to water their trees. With more than 1000 learners at some schools, that’s a lot of recycled water!

But now it’s time for the rains to come, and some rain dancing is in order.

Greenpop’s second ‘Cool as Folk’ party is next Thursday 21 April – the day before Earth Day and a string on amazing public holidays. What better way to welcome the rest season and bring on the Cape rains.

Come party for trees at Cape Town’s premier live music venue, The Assembly!

The incredible line up includes:

• Jeremy Loops and Trak
• Machineri
• Toby2shoes
• Two Minute Puzzle
• Tommy Gun
• Monique Pascall
• Honey B

Tickets are R30 before 9pm and R40 afterwards – the lucky 150th person to buy a ticket will WIN:

• a bottle of Jim Beam
• a BOS Ice Tea Hamper
• a Greenpop Tree Ring compliments of BOS (a tree will be planted in your name and you’ll receive the GPS coordinates of where it’s growing. You’ll also get a cute Tree keyring!)

Pre-booked tickets – BOOK and WIN:

Pre-buy your party ticket and a Greenpop tree on Webtickets and stand a chance to WIN:

a bottle on Jim Beam and free entrance for 5 of your friends!

You’ll be saving money on the door (pre-booked tickets are R25 and tickets at the door are R30), gifting a tree to an under-greened community, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win.

Go on, do it – good things happen when you plant trees!

People can RSVP to event on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107547242662972

www.greenpop.org
www.theassembly.co.za

RAKA 2011 – Kam’Bati river resort.

Photo’s by Mark Reitz

It started 22 years ago, October 1990, around a campfire in the Underberg. Just a few musicians strumming their music, singing and drinking under a chilly Drakensburg starry sky.

Now, it’s a festival of epic proportions. Splashy Fen Music Festival has become an institution in South African music history. This year’s event will be held at the Splashy Fen Farm from 21 to 25 April.

Peter and Almary Ferraz attended the Festival of the Flower Children at Woburn Abbey in England in 1967 and from there, were inspired to embark on Splashy, as it is lovingly known, after buying a farm near Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg.

“We realised immediately that the farm was perfect for a music festival,” recalls Ferraz. “With its natural amphitheatre, great acoustics, breathtaking mountain vistas, winding river and lots of fields for camping, no one could ask for a more ideal setting.”

Held over two days, its original aim according to Ferraz, was “to have a really good time with a few musicians playing round campfires, joined by some truly passionate music-lovers.”

Gradually it grew to thousands camping listening to the likes of Tony Cox, and the now late Syd Kitchen.

Nowadays, it’s a must for all South African music lovers to go to this festival at least once – if only for the experience. It’s a family-oriented festival with vibe beyond compare. The camaraderie and friendships made at the festival have been known to last lifetimes.

As for the music, it’s grown from campfire tales to big stage, lighting and sound quality which surpasses every other festival I have been to. It is a showcase of our best talent in South Africa, and a platform for emerging artists. Most KZN-based bands are discovered at Splashy.

This year will play host to the likes of Holiday Murray, Boo!, Vusi Mahlasela, Isochronous, The Otherwise, the great Tony Cox, Ard Matthews and Dan Patlansky, to name but a few. There will also be a tribute to Syd Kitchen, who had been there from the beginning and recently lost his battle with cancer.

There will be stalls, food and a huge beer tent and hot showers for those willing to wait in long queues. For everyone else, there’s the mandatory trip down to the river. If you’re lucky, you may see an otter, which is the symbol of the festival. Also, as most KZN people are Sharks fans, the weekend will not be complete without a screening of the weekend’s Sharks match. This time, it’s Sharks vs Hurricanes.

It’s an incredible experience that will leave you with stories to tell for years to come. It’s definitely top of my bucket list, every single year.

Find more information here. Oh and bring your raincoats, your gumboots and all the spirit you can muster. It gets wet, cold and just plain awesome.

Afrikaans Electro artists Die Heuwels Fantasties have just released their second studio album ‘Wilder as die Wildtuin’ and once again they don’t disappoint. A collection of 14 varied and musically powerful tracks takes the listener on a journey of the senses.

As always, Die Heuwels stay true to their experimental nature, pushing the creative boundaries a step further each time. A quality that has often left me disappointed but at the same time provides all the more reason to admire. The album is filled with strong electronic beats soothed by melancholic melody, moderately more mellow than their previous material. Even if you don’t understand everything they’re saying, the tunes are catchy and the production is supreme.

The album kicks off with first single ‘Wilder as die Wildtuin’, an already established favourite. Also included are collaborations with Adriaan Brand, Inge Beckmann, Francois Van Coke, Frieda van den Heever and an interesting team-up with Afrikaans singing legend Coenie De Villiers. It’s unique, it’s different; an alternative subculture that’s spreading like wildfire.
This is also the first album featuring drummer, Phillip Erasmus.

Given their track record it is no surprise that the album has already sold out in select stores across the country, after just one week of release. Taking Afrikaans music to a whole new level, there is one thing for sure – these musos know exactly what they’re doing.

» Genevieve Vieira

RAMfest Johannesburg: Meh
RAMfest’s introduction to Johannesburg last year rendered one of the best things to hit the Highveld’s music scene. Not so this year. I may as well have stayed home and watched the cricket.
We had a bit of an adventure getting there, missing William Nicol entirely and ending up in a pond on a random farm with stables next to the road. Worth it?
Not really.
Firstly, the sound was abysmal. Not the artists’ fault and something not new to South African festivals. The venue is horrible – one would think that after the Coke Fest 2009 disaster, organisers would know better than to host another concert at Riversands Farm.

Aside from those basic issues – and the port-a-loos not flushing – it was pretty average. The shops and facilities were nice. Not much food for vegetarians, as usual, and the same old band merch people trying to sell me the same Beatles t-shirt I bought four years back.
But the music; now that was the most disappointing bit. Bar some great acts, I was left wanting.
Desmond and the Tutus were great, as usual. Fun and energetic. But the sound let them down. Their new stuff impressed me, and I am really looking forward to a new album. Their new sound is a bit more mature, if mature and Desmond and the Tutus can be mentioned in one sentence. Talented bunch, that. I like them and they always impress.
I was also impressed by Knave, but I really don’t like their stage presence. With every second word being ‘fuck’, I can’t help but think they’re just a bunch of boys with no idea what they’re doing on stage. They have potential.
Isochronous disappointed deeply. Anyone who knows me knows I love both kidofdoom and Isochronous. This time, I felt like it was Susan Boyle meets lead singer Richard Brokensha – he sounded whiney and all I wanted to say to him was ‘get over it’. The music didn’t sound half as epic as it did last year, stage presence was lacking, energy was lacking, and all the band seemed like were cocky. They’re good guys, but on Saturday, they sucked.
I was well amazed by The Shadowclub. They’ve always been one of my favourites. This time, with a record deal behind them, they sounded slicker than ever. I have high hopes for them. Their dirty, ‘I want to take your clothes off with my voice’ style is unique and unmistakeable.
Dance You’re on Fire was okay. I like their energy, but their music is like a poor man’s Panic at the Disco. Their bassist and drummer are both amazingly talented artists, though and all I really wanted from them was an epic drum solo.
By this time, India were walking all over the Proteas and people were getting edgy. A small bar fight broke out in front of me and I wanted to go home. The fact that Pestroy was up next didn’t help. They’re not all that good, though many people would beg to differ. They’re not special and don’t do anything worth writing home about. But they are an institution in South African metal and I respect them for that. Live, all they ride on is the crowd.
I don’t know how I missed the Blk Jks, Pity the Fool and Not my Dog, but by the sound of things, I didn’t miss much. The lead singer from Not my Dog, even from 40m away from the stage, sounded like he was badly off tune.
Now, Zebra and Giraffe are a thorn in my side. I love them. But it seems as if they’re not into the whole live performance thing. This time, the sound let them down badly and as much as I love them, I have seen better shows. This didn’t keep the crowd from rocking out. I also think that the addition of Michael Wright on keys was one of the best things that could have happened to the band. Their previous keyboardist is so damn good. But Mike – he’s an enigma. His personality, stage presence, sense of humour and lively character is just what the band needed to refresh their live act.
Van Coke Kartel… now there’s a band I have not made my mind up about yet. I have heard their acoustic set and loved every second of it. Their electric set, I am still undecided. It’s too much Fokof without enough ‘Fok off!’ They did rock up in wolf masks, though. Epic. And the Highveld crowd loves it, lapping it up like hungry pups.
Then came the big let-downs. Alkaline Trio and Funeral for a Friend.
Now, I am open to all types of music and give credit when credit is due. But man, some of our local high school bands are better than Alkaline Trio. They were cocky, arrogant, off-key and pretty damn below average. I wouldn’t pay to see them live, let alone buy an album. And this is after llistening to their music beforehand. They sound amateur and their music isn’t anything special.
Which begs the question, are they only popular because they’re an international act? Why do people go on about them when all they do is strum average tunes on expensive guitars? Some of our local guys are a billion times better, but people complain about spending R50 on their shows, but would fork out R300 for these guys. It’s actually quite pathetic.
Funeral for a Friend have some good songs. By and large, they’re okay. But their stage antics pissed me off. They treated the crowd like we didn’t know what music was. I didn’t really mind them until they started talking, which ruined their entire set. I was so disappointed at this year’s averageness that I decided to get pizza, go home and watch the cricket highlights by 10pm. I didn’t even bother with Die Antwoord.
The crowd, unlike what I heard about Durban’s audience, was very receptive. But all the focus seemed to be on the international acts. The oomph that Joburg lacks in everyday living is definitely brought out tenfold at festivals. If nothing else, the day was at least filled with spirit. And spirits.
RAMfest, last year was amazing. This year, not so good. Please make next year’s festival one to remember.

Cape Town based rockers Red Huxley have been jamming the local scene hard of late with gigs at The Assembly and outdoor-fest Synergy to name but a few. It’s only up from here for the boys, whose simple blend of old skool rock leaves the crowd and the groupies begging for more.

On their official site (www.redhuxley.com) the band is described as : “ … with their old skool rock foundations and a straight and simple no frills attitude, they have managed to create a raw gritty and jamming sound that cuts through the superficial layer of image based rock and hits you directly in the bones. “
Band members Dylan Jones (Vocals and Guitar), Matthew Pullen (Bass) and Murray Stephenson (Drums) have been delivering the good stuff, grabbing the crowd by the gonads. As winners of ‘The Loeries battle of the bands 2009′ & ‘The Rock Premier League 2010′ Red Huxley has more than a few accolades under their belt. I sat down with the guys to find out “what kine”:

How and when did Red Huxley come about?

All three of us had similar music tastes even though we didn’t know it yet. When we met up in the band room early 2009 we started messing around (not with each other…FFS) and stuff just started coming together. We were presented with a gig opportunity at the Assembly, which we were cagey about, but decided to grow a pair and just smash it. That was when we started to take music more seriously. We managed to win the Loerie Awards Battle of the Bands – (which we think was) the springboard to everything since.

The band has been growing from strength to strength lately playing some really awesome gigs, what has been your favourite so far?

2010 was awesome. Jamming with bands who like to drink beer, bring real energy to the stage, talk music and then party some more was A! The best gigs have been with the best people, they are inseparable. Our mid year Taxi Violence gigs were mental. Rated R at the Harley Davidson Club with The Revelators, The Runs, a couple of bikes and cheap beer was a party that got real messy afterwards…A good messy. Very good. Our latest show at Assembly for the MK Awards After Party was a great night for SA rock ‘n roll.

What are some of your influences?

Everything Josh Hommes – Queens of the Stone Age, TCV, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal. We’re also influenced by The Black Keys, Wolfmother, The Datsuns, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath.

What do you make of the current rock scene in Cape Town?

Rock music is growing in CT and South Africa. Live performance and energy is what its all about. English or Afrikaans, the Real Rock bands with hard energy trump the image based ones and have pushed through the superficial layer to headline all the major festivals in the past two years.

What’s next for Red Huxley?

Bigger and better shows. We have a second EP coming out soon as well as a Music Video in the works. Lots happening all the time, everywhere….it’s hard work but fkn awesome!

Who let the dogs out?

Baha men – year 2000…

Red Huxley is a forced to be reckoned with fo’ sure. Their site is sick and you can even download their EP for free. Mahala. Niks. Check ‘em out: http://www.redhuxley.com/ Otherwise to contact the guys: www.facebook.com/redhuxleyband | www.twitter.com/redhuxley | redhuxley@gmail.com.

» Mishqa Rossier

For those of you who haven’t seen this yet…

From their soon to be released album “Angels”.