Rocking the Gardens 2010

Festivals are always fun. I can’t remember a festival where I didn’t have stories to tell for years afterward. This year’s Rocking the Gardens at Emmarentia Dam was no different.

Based on the famous Rocking the Daisies eco-friendly festival at Cloof Wine Estate in Darling, the Johannesburg spinoff has a different feel to it. Rather than a camping festival, this one is a go-home-and-come-back-tomorrow one. Hence, both days attracted different sorts of crowds.

Day 1

It was all about the music.

The line up is epic. The sun is beating down like a mofo and there’s not a dry armpit in sight. The Rambling Bones play to a dead crowd, but Newtown gets everyone on their feet. As usual. The Jack Mantis band, chilled and smooth, ease in the afternoon. So do Wrestlerish, who I have a very soft spot for, not just for their unique music, but for the fact that they took care of my bear, Geronimo, when he got lost at Oppikoppi last year.

The chilled-out-ness didn’t last long. Napalma. As potent as napalm. Man, does this group rock. I can’t understand a word, yet the music communicates something that goes beyond language. The throb of the drums coupled with insane beats makes for dance-trance Afro-Brazillian epicness that wakes everyone up.

The Tidal Waves carry on the trend. I have never seen so many white people dance to live reggae before. I thought they only appreciated the dead ones. One in particular.

The Dirty Skirts welcome the evening in with a bang. I do feel, however, they are not even trying to make it out of Cape Town anymore. The new stuff sounds almost exactly like the old and they don’t seem to be growing as a band, but just getting older. They still entertain, though, and at a festival of this size, it’s not about whether you’re the next best thing since The Kaiser Chiefs. All that matters is pleasing the crowd.

Jesse Clegg, I am a bit torn on. Yes, he’s talented. And yes, we should not compare him to his father, who I revere as a musical god. But…damn… I find it very hard to like him when I know that he can be a lot better and more consistent than he is. I can’t help but feel he may be riding on the surname. The lad’s got something, but he’s not quite there yet.

Zebra and Giraffe, I have already mentioned I love them. However, this performance points out two new things for me; one good and one bad. The good side is that they have grown immensely in that they look like they are having a good time on stage, and front man Greg moves around a lot more. The bad side is that they forgot an instrument and did not perform three songs because of this, including the title track of their new album. Fail. A band should be versatile enough, and less rigid in their set-up, so that any shortcomings can be worked around. Fail, fail, fail, Z&G. If the power goes out, be prepared to do acoustic. You are there to perform a live show, not hear the album all over again.

Ok, rant over.

Now, I had never heard of the New Young Pony Club before this show. Man, what have I been missing out on? A melange of 80s, 90s and dance-pop-rock, this group set the stage on fire. (Aside from the fact that the keyboardist was so hot, I think every man…and some women…wet their pants.) They made me think about a few things.

South African music is nowhere near the quality of international acts, especially acts coming out of the UK and Europe. The talent is there and is certainly not lacking. However, the quality I speak of here is in the performance, execution and delivery. This new young pony club out of the UK show far more confidence on stage, far more expertise and flawless delivery a hundredfold better than any SA band I have seen this year. It also helps that their music is awesome. South African bands could learn a hell of a lot from bands like this one. The sad thing, I don’t see a single one of our artists out there in the crowd taking pointers.

Afterwards, we trudge home, some of us rolling down the hill towards the dam, which flickers with lightning, as the raindrops give us much-needed hydration.

Day 2

It’s all about the festival.

Unfortunately, I oversleep and miss Farryl Purkiss and just catch the end of the City Bowl Mizers. The Mizers, from my hometown of Durban, are so good. It’s no wonder their catchy tunes are a hit on local radio stations. Accessible, cool and quality stuff, these guys know how to start a party. Lead singer Marty Barios has such a clean and controlled voice. Their music is just fun!

The Kolo Novo Movie Band welcomes in siesta time. Such a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon; listening to folk music to the backdrop of scorching sun, gentle breeze and the dam. I like this music. I just won’t buy an album.

I am anti-Israel right now. Not because I am anti-Semitic. I am just anti genocide. I feel like not supporting the Idan Raichel Project, who are advertised as an Israeli band. With the sea of yamikas, you’d think the Diaspora all came to Johannesburg. I felt as if I should have screamed out, in true Weird Al style, “hey, hey, do that Hebrew thing!”

But hearing the music makes me rethink my initial stance. It’s cool music. Well done. Party time. Excellent. And they’re not part of the few that make Israel the root of all my anger with the word – they’re in fact, not Israeli at all. One of them is from Morocco, and another from a Sudanese refugee camp! Eishmara. There goes the first impressions thing.

Hot Water are surprisingly good. After starting off weak, they heat up the stage. Wow. I am so getting an album! They’re from Cape Town, so you can imagine how laid back they are. But then comes and Irish dude playing the didgeridoo…and beatboxing with it too! The band has everything that makes for a great live act – cool music, great stage presence, and enough gimmicks like shredding with teeth – which will please even the toughest crowd.

Flash Republic could be called one of the biggest musical acts in South Africa, but I would be lying if I said I am vaguely interested. However entertaining the music is, I park on the grass and stare into the sky. Not my thing, I guess, even though their music is bloody energetic and has great depth of sound. The drummer is great! With an electronic kit, he still does better than some drummers with a full-on Slipknot-esque kit.

And then comes what we’ve been waiting for – The Springbok Nude Girls. I haven’t seen them since 2007. Man, I am so amped. And they don’t disappoint. Yes, they are old. Yes, they were around when I was still in primary school. Yes, they are not fresh and different. But they are still, clearly, the best band to have ever graced the South African music landscape. And they don’t sound any different to what they sounded like when I first saw them live at the Gunston 500 in Durban ages ago. More energy than even The Parlotones could muster, stage presence beyond compare, I equate Arno and the boys to almost god-like presence. This is the international standard I talk about. Want. More. Please.

6pm comes and the festival has to be shut down due to old people complaining, but that’s okay. There is always next time. It was a festival of great music, recycling, conservancy and environmental awareness. But we managed to kill a panda.

Nikita