All this was on offer at Rocking the Daisies 2009 - one of the most action-packed weekends (9 - 11 October) you could ever have experienced with a million and one things to do - if you had the energy to get through it all - hence the energy supplements in the goodie bag I suppose.
First of all, thank you to the organisers for eliminating the horrendous traffic factor experienced last year and for much better maintained ablution facilities (even though port-o-loos, especially for the ladies, are still extremely gross). The showers, however, left much to be desired, but I suppose its all part and parcel of roughing it.
Rocking the Daisies is not just about sex, drugs and rock n' roll - though some may beg to differ. If you were there and you didn't notice the central theme of environmental friendliness and going green, you probably had your head in the sand all weekend long. Rocking the Daisies is fuelled by a desire to save our ecological surroundings through promoting green living and this is the focal point around which the festival is organised.
From the posters and flyers being made from 100% recycled paper to reusable Webticket cards, all packaging and utensils from restaurants will be composted; 100% biodegradable soaps and shampoos were used for all shower blocks; festival T-shirts were made from hemp - courtesy of Hemporium and Levi's. Get this - they even have external eco-auditors to audit the impact RTD would have and will implement a full offsetting strategy - and this is all just a fraction of the effort made to protect the panda bears.
It is needless to say that the line-up of musicians was awesome all-round, consisting of such a variety of trendy mature artists providing a little somethin' somethin' for everyone.
The Plastics brought the Cloof Wine Estate to life with lively retro dance beats emphasising why they were the deserving winners of last year's RADAR title. They're a great act even if they are sometimes criticised as Arctic Monkeys copycats. They're a young band that, given time, will become renowned indie SA rock stars.
Ashtray Electric are really something else - definitely one of the festival favourites. We had the pleasure of chit-chatting with the band earlier this year and the laid-back lads really ante up the rock genre in SA. They're bold and confident with their sound on stage. Andre Gideon Montgomery Pienaar, only 21 years old, proves that Belville will not stop churning out musicians of note. Rocking the Daisies enjoyed every minute of them.
Gang of Instrumentals are no strangers to the SA music industry, dishing out a great blend of soulful hip hop and reggae, with a splash of kwaito and house. They've already made their mark on stages nationally, so it was great having the Jo'burgers party it up with Cape Town for a change.
But that was only the beginning of things to come. Soon afterwards, aKING - legendary producers of catchy radio hits Safe as Houses, The Dance and Against All Odds, put on a sterling performance. I admit that in the past I've been disappointed time and time again by their live performances that stand shaky with lacklustre vocals, slurring, unnecessary cursing and all kinds of antics that come across as unprofessional. On Friday night, however, aKING came to the party and rocked out the way they're meant to with the great punchy pop crossed with classic rock that they've become synonymous with. The crowd showed ample appreciation by singing back at Laudo Liebenberg. It's a hair-raising experience when you're standing alongside fellow aKING fans - who are complete strangers to you - yet you're all grinning from ear to ear and shouting out lyrics verbatim to each other - a really awesome experience. Well done aKING!
Goldfish, however, took Friday night, rolled it into a ball and smashed it out of Darling. They were the grand finale and the cherry on the cake to what was an amazing night of SA talent coming out to shine. Goldfish are electro-jazz maestros and they've been around the block, from Ibiza to Dubai to rocking Kirstenbosch Gardens year on year. Their sound is so infectious and fun that you can't keep your feet still for too long before they develop a mind of their own. Yet again, as with RTD 2008, fans crawled and crept and slithered back to their tents unable to stop Soundtracks and Comebacks from playing on repeat in their minds.
It was a great start to what bloomed into an awesome weekend for most. At the end of every weekend music festival everyone has a story to share and those memories will be revisited time and time again - good or bad they will be shared amongst friends, family and colleagues. Rocking the Daisies was no different for the BizLounge team, getting back to the office with hilarious moment after moment being rehashed to those who missed out on one of the best organised fests of the year. Believe it, because it's true!
