Coke Zero Fest 2009 – as published mio.co.za

There were rumours that the crowds were going to avoid Coke Zero Fest this year. The line up seemed to be the guilty party in this decision, but after last year’s bands, you can only feel a bit cheated.

Two days before the actual festival, Bullet For My Valentine and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus cancelled for some pathetic reasons. I thought there would be a further dip in numbers, so things weren’t looking too good.

(FYI: Bullet For My Valentine were NOT “in studio” that weekend…they were playing our gig in someone else’s country that week. Losers.)

Thankfully, however, the rumours were just those, and the crowd poured into Riversands Farm. Most people were relieved to get out of the traffic jam that snaked it’s way down William Nicol, but what makes for the full experience of Coke Zero Fest without taking two hours to drive six kilometers?

When we arrived, Foto Na Dance were playing drearily in the background. We had missed One Day Remains which left me a little bleak, but we did get there in time to see Evolver.

Band lesson No. 1: When international acts cancel two days before a festival, call up the organisers. You could end up sharing the stage with Oasis. Good going guys!! Joburg love Evolver. Really. I have seen this guys play on many occasions, and they have suddenly picked up a massive following. It was great not being the only one singing along, and they really kicked off the Coke Zero Fest vibe!

There were the usual selection of SA bands to keep the crowds entertained while standing in a queue at the beer tent. Nobody I wouldn’t have expected to be there, but as an SA music junkie – I’m pretty easy to please.

Cassette were next, so it was around then that we thought it was a good idea to get some Nandos. I was really hoping that their new album would make them, you know, good. But it doesn’t. Their new songs sound just like the old ones. I know they have plenty fans, but despite the amounts of chances I have given this band, they are just not one I can get into. After my chicken burger, I put my headphones in and listened to aKing on my iPod.

Cape Town rockers The Dirty Skirts were great. There older songs are quite clearly more popular than their newer, record label dictated sound, but they were great fun to watch.

Zebra and Giraffe are undoubtably SA’s top act at the moment. I love everything about these guys. Their songs are catchy, original and addictive, and their live act is of international standards. They have set a new benchmark is music, style, performance and sound. They made the sunset slot a perfect one.

Panic! At The Disco were really fun to watch. I wasn’t too sure about them at the start of their set, but really got into it a few songs down. A mixture between Fall Out Boy and Kaiser Chiefs can only promise a good time. They are one of those bands that you can see are just having as much fun as they possibly can on stage and inviting us all along for the ride. They forgot their lyrics and swore a lot, but put on a good enough show to attain more fans. Good times!

I took a bit of a walk around the Golden Circle with the intention of casually ‘bumping’ into a certain someone. That, sadly, never happened, but by the time the lights were dimming and the crowd was stirring, I had found myself lodged within a huge mass of people no further that two meters from the stage.

I can’t begin to explain how amazing Snow Patrol are as a live act. Seeing them so up close and personal has been one of those experiences that wont leave me for a very long time. As South Africa was one of the stops on their world tour, we got the entire show with plenty lights, visuals and effects. Kick yourself now if you missed them.

They really were brilliant and have great interaction with the crowd. They seem like an awesome bunch of guys and the singer, Gary Lightbody, has an incredibly sexy accent. They have nudged their way into my list of five top live acts (yes – they are THAT good), and I really hope they decide to come back soon…even though I didn’t get to hook up anyone with during ‘Chasing Cars’ like every other person in my direct vicinity. Sigh. Moving on…

Now I know I am going to be slated regardless of what I say here, but Oasis really were crap. The only reason people say they were good is because it is cool to say so. Granted, I only did stay for three songs (and would never usually judge a band on such a limited time), and apparently they did end the show with a Beatles cover, so maybe some people have a point. Not a strong enough point though, to get me to sit in another two hours of traffic. So we headed out, with Snow Patrol playing in our heads and wondering who will be invited, who will show up, and who will cancel last minute for Coke Zero Fest 2010. I have some great ideas…

Ampli5, The Dome, Joburg, 10 Aug 07

I knew something big was happening when I got both an email AND an SMS from Clauds at the same time. After having girls hitting on our boy Steve for the last eight months – this could be serious.

Serious stuff alright…A free ticket to Ampli5! Yes, FREE! I would normally pay any amount (of money) to see skinny white boys rocking it out on a stage, but my credit card wasn’t being so giving – so this was fantastic news!

Slightly sceptical as to why tickets were on a “buy one, get one free” basis, I handed in my half day leave form for the 10th and overdosed on Jimmy Eat World in preparation for a good old sing-a-long.

We arrived at around 2:30 and seemed to be the 10th-ish car there which was quite worrying, but understandable when you organise a festival styled concert on a working day (why???). The Golden Circle was about three times bigger than the norm, which was odd, but when pretty much anyone could walk in, it made more sense. Thanks for the heads up on that one – you know who you are…

The sound was a bit better than it was at Fall Out Boy, which was nice. The general feeling (mine) is that this is far from the ideal venue for rock concerts and I really think the organisers and other heavies in the industry should be thinking of other venues. If you build it – they will come. Okay, not so easy – I get it.

One more thing before I get to the bands – what was with that music they were playing between sets? Did I miss something? Did they realises that some of those songs were older that the average age of the crowd? Some songs were older than the collective age of the crowd, but that must have been an honest mistake.

We arrived while Dorp were playing and decided from just outside the door that we liked what we heard. The singer had a bit of a British accent going on, so before seeing their name splashed all over the screen, it was all very top, top, tea and scones, do you know the queen, blah, blah. They were a great band to watch and should have more exposure in the commercial scene here and overseas.

Max Normal TV was an act that I was so glad I caught. Still as controversial as ever, Waddy has collaborated with some very talented people, and despite different artists and influences from the original band, his unique sound is very distinguishable. This is not just a gig – it’s an entire audio visual and extremely entertaining experience. A real indication as to how technology has taken music to a new height. You really have to concentrate to catch all the words, images (some quite questionable), intentions and meanings behind their songs and then you will realise why you don’t hear much of them on the radio. Behind their over produced international style, they are undeniably South African and sing a few full songs and bits of others in Afrikaans. If they are ever playing in your area, go see them. You are in for a big surprise with this one. CONCIEVE, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE. Genius.

The YoungBlood Brass Band were my least favourite act of the night. I don’t mind jazz (on a Sunday afternoon, in a restaurant), but I really wanted them to stop after about two songs. Things went a bit “otherwise” when the drummer decided that it would be a great idea to rap. It wasn’t. Leave that to Waddy or Linkin Park.

Fokofpoliesikar have an energy that fills up a room from the second they start playing. I love watching these guys live and they seemed to initiate the whole rock atmosphere for the evening, which most people responded to. These are the dirty band boys your mom warned you about. Just cant get enough of them though.

If you want to turn an evening into a success story, you invite The Parlotones along. Yes, yes, I know you are tired of me telling of their brilliance – but they got it right. Again. Most of the crowd started arriving at around this time, so the venue started to look like there was actually something happening. This was also the time to stroll into the Golden Circle at get up close. It can’t be easy to play for a crowd eagerly awaiting another artist (Jimmy), but these guys rose up to the occasion and left the crowd wanting more. As they do. Because they’re so good.

If it wasn’t for Jimmy Eat World, the still quite pitiful crowd (for an international act) would have been a bunch of hippies and a couple of hangers on. They have been the biggest name surrounding the concert, and if it wasn’t for a group on Facebook called “Whose going to Ampli5 for no other reason than to watch Jimmy Eat World?”, most people would have no idea they were playing in Joburg.

They were fantastic! The singer, Jim Adkins, gave out an incredible amount of energy that he got straight back from the now slightly bigger crowd. They were everything I expected and can see why they have made a dent in the music world. Their set wasn’t long enough though – I was really getting into it.

The first time I saw the Violent Femmes almost two years ago, I thought the guys on stage were roadies until they started performing – they do not fit the profile whatsoever. One guy looks like a convicted felon and the other a truck driver. Enough of that though, these guys make some powerful music with the bare essentials. The drummer is amazing in the way he uses half a drum kit and jumps all over the place while playing. Their strong bass lines had the crowd mesmerised and their more commercial songs got a huge response. They did get a bit “experimental” at times, but I would still put jumping around to American Music and Blister in the Sun on every rock fan’s list of Top 101 things to do before you die.

We left somewhere between Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Beethoven’s “5th” that were being played before Groove Armada got on stage, so we missed out on anything happening after that. I also had to work the next morning which kind of cut the night short, but I still had a fantastic time and took some good memories and bad photos out of it all. Looking forward to the next one.