It is with regret that I admit that I have been absent over the last year or so! This came to light while I was at Oppikoppi this year!
Last years event, I knew almost all the lyrics, to all the songs of all the bands I wanted to see.
Sure, this year, bands that I followed and were interested in, had brought out new songs and albums, but I was evidently still in no position to sing along. In these bands defense, I even own some of these songs/albums! Shocking!
So I sang along to the ones I kinda knew and just enjoyed the others that I didn't know! I was privileged to see some of South Africas best artists over the course of this year's amazing festival.
My favourite acts were as follows:
Bittereinder. This was not only the best show the entire weekend (international acts included), but one of the best live performances I have EVER seen. Their entire production was literally mind blowing. Between all the bouncing, jumping, fist pumping and screaming (of the lyrics I knew) I could not stop smiling the entire time. I remember feeling a sense of intense gratitude to have shared that moment with them and the couple of thousand people that were graced with their show. I would have paid the full R800 for a ticket to just see that set, also I could have left the festival after it and have been completely satisfied! Thank you to Jaco, Peach and Louis. I'm sure plenty work went into the set and I'm equally sure everybody there fully appreciated what time and effort you put in!
Pestroy. This band has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember! Again they put on a brutal show and just mashed my brain with their sound! Crazy cool act! I was fortunate enough to pick up one of their limited edition 4GB USBs. It has 15 years worth of music, videos and photos. Was the only thing I wanted to buy at the festival.
The Narrow. Always one of the best live acts to grace the stage at any event. They just went balls to the wall and threw it down. They managed to keep the crowd going, even though they played "Lonely, Lonely" in the middle of their set. That song is almost always played last. One of the gems of attending a festival like Oppikoppi is that you get see and experience things that will probably never happen again! One such happening, was watching Dave Owens (from Lithium) singing his heart out to 'Hunt The Ghosts' with Hanu and crew. It was bone chilling amazing! I wish I could relive that moment every time I listen to that song again! The Narrow threw it down every second of every song and just took the respect they so deserve for doing this for so long! Thanks to them for an amazing set!
Fokofpolisiekar. Well 10 years it has been since I first remember reading about this band in Blunt magazine. They were not really nobody then, as most of the members come from other successful underground bands. They played a 10 year reunion worthy set. Happy they played a lot of their old stuff. Their music meant something back then. The new stuff is not as appealing, but the old stuff was ROCK SOLID. They clearly came to the festival to achieve certain things, and in my opinion they achieved that. Fokof have always been a favourite band of mine, and clearly to a LOT of people my age. They obviously had one of the biggest turnouts for the weekend, but rightly so. Well done to Francois, Wynand and crew! Thank you for the last 10 years!
The Olympic. A pretoria based band, that my friend Abigail (Skye) introduced me to. It turns out I "know" the lead singer. We used to work together for a very short time quite a long time ago. These guys don't have an album out (Which I will buy in a heartbeat), so I only really know the songs that have aired on radio or showed on MK. This was the first band that we saw at the festival, and after a fantastic show, they set the tone for the rest of the festival.
Jeremy Loops. Where have I been while this ridiculously talented guy has been producing music? I can't believe I have not been exposed to his music before. But I'm really glad I was. For my first Jeremy Loops experience I would explain it as the epitome of a good time.
The rest of the bands that we saw were great.
Fuzigish with their skankin' goodness. Kidofdoom played their usual eerie cool set.
Die Heuwels Fantasties played the perfect set. Not a key, drum beat, guitar riff or lyric out of place.
Jack Parow whipped the crowd into an expected frenzy.
CrashCarBurn for playing a Tweak song after I predicted that song just before they played it.
Shadowclub really showed they are a great band with their set.
Red Huxley, We did not get to see but heard them from the cover of some shade. Great first impression.
Facing The Gallows, great metal. Great local metal.
Yellowcard. With the lead singer graduating with top marks from the school that all American punk/rock bands go to, to learn how to jump. *base about to drop*Feet-together-knees-up-guitar-to-the-side jump! Go!
Deftones. Their expected hardcore set, making most of the other bands seem like folklore music.
I honestly only go to Oppikoppi for the local music every year. The international bands, whoever they may be, are just a bonus. My all time favourite band is Rise Against. I was so fortunate to see them at RAMFest earlier this year. That part of my life has been fulfilled. Any other international act will just be added to the list of bands I have seen.
That was that... The festival was over. Plenty memories were made and countless moments shared with some of the most talented people we have in our country! I feel very humbled to have been a part of each band's show.
Peace
-Nexo-
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