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Johannesburg - South Africa is really experiencing an influx of international artists at the moment. It is the perfect storm of organisers our side really going full tilt, and bands finally taking an interest in our little corner of the earth.
To top it all off the acts that we see come our way are increasingly relevant. We finally seem to be getting bands out that we still listen to and talk about without getting eyerolls that all but say it’s really time to get rid of that band shirt that looks more like a wrinkled piece of elephant skin.
Vodacom In The City, and it’s weekend long partner Rocking the Daisies, seem to be the most in touch with contemporary music Zeitgeist (Sorry Oppi, but even though I generally like your line up it’s more for high school nostalgia than anything else).
This year we have been graced with MGMT, Crystal Fighters, Rudimental, and The Presets, along with local openers P.H.fat - whom I missed because trying to coordinate a group of girls to leave on time is akin to trying to herd a bunch weird greased pig cat hybrids. I am just going to assume they were mind blowing, and given their propensity to break Grahamstown clubs when they visited, speaker blowing too.
(Alex Bernatzky)
The Presets:
The lineup is interesting in and of itself and serves to highlight the curatorial prowess of Seed Experiences. Between the four internationals they had out you are pretty much covered no matter what music genre you are going for.
The Presets were most definitely the most fringe group on Friday night. I think the most overheard question of the night was do you know who The Presets are? Only a few hardcore fans stayed for their closing set, but those that did definitely made up for what they lacked in numbers with sheer enthusiasm.
On the other end of the accessibility spectrum you had Rudimental. They seem to encompass pretty much every genre popular on the radio currently seeming to fluctuate between hip-hop and drum and bass. Even though I am not the biggest fan of either of those genres (at least in their contemporary format) Rudimental managed win me over through sheer force of stage presence and energy. They may have even got me to dance a little.
(Alex Bernatzky)
MGMT:
MGMT was a psychedelic marvel, but I can see why a lot of people throw shade on their live performances. After having the privilege of chatting to them a little before the show they are really not performers, but rather artists.
They are more concerned with trying the unexpected and pushing boundaries, and there is nothing a pundit hates more than the unexpected.
Their musical and creative wit is about as dry as my sense of humour. This is definitely a bit of a setback when everyone keeps comparing everything you put out to your debut album with its three mega-hits. The Consequence of Sound Review of their latest eponymous album opens with the line “The hardest critic to shake off is perception”, and a truer statement could not be applied to MGMT. Everybody seems to keep wanting them to be that same band that wrote Kids. Nevermind that they were 19 at the time of that album.
Back in the moment, not actually having listened to MGMT since maybe a quick first listen of Congratulations when it was first released, I went into their set and almost blank slate. The joie de musique was as plain as day on their faces to anyone who cared to see. They were not playing specifically for the crowd, but rather for themselves and the joy of putting on a good show. In the end though they gave in to expectation, and were kind enough to throw the rabid hordes a bone and play the only three songs that crowd actually cared to hear.
(Supplied)
Crystal Fighters:
The absolute highlight of the event for me had to be the mere presence of Crystal Fighters. How many bands can you name that will have their drummer die unexpectedly and still show up to put on a rad show? The fact that they did not pull out and managed to find a backup drummer in such a short space of time is simply incredible.
They are also very much the performers that MGMT are not. The stage became a menagerie of sorts with band members and backup singers cavorting feathered head dresses. The whole experience was completely surreal, almost bacchanalian, and probably more akin to a shamanistic ritual than a concert. If their performance was the gees amplifier then it was well past eleven and the dial was lying somewhere in the corner.
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