A few kilometres on a dirt road can feel like an eternity if your car is not made for it. Especially if you’re still paying it off. Every bump feels like a kick in the shin and it is as if the swirling dust is clogging every pore in your precious, second-hand beauty. But a lot can be forgiven in the name of music, and this past weekend’s annual Up The Creek festival proved to be such an occasion.
Friday was sweltering and the river was covered in people on floats and lilos, playing with water toys and basking in the aural bliss of the performers on the Sedgewick’s river stage. Once it started cooling down, the hilarious MC moved the party up to the Jagermeister main stage. Here the evening’s highlights included Beatenberg, again growing their fan base through a seamless performance, followed by the melodic styles of Al Bairre. Zebra & Giraffe took no prisoners, keeping the crowd’s energy levels peaking, further establishing themselves as a firm favourite with the locals. Taxi Violence played a set as tight as my pants, leaving the screaming fans in a state of awe and exhaustion. But the night was not over yet.
Over at the late-night Hunter’s stage Christian Tiger School held the crowd, doing what they do best, and except for an unfortunate incident involving an airborne gumboot and a man’s forehead, the evening was a booming success.
On Saturday, the festival goers woke up to dreary grey weather, an unconvincing attempt by Mother Nature to wet her soils, but just enough for the organisers to move the river stage to a more sheltered location, bringing the action closer to the raincoat-clad crowd. The Nomadic Orchestra blew our socks off, their energetic and animated tuba player stealing the show. Qadasi, a four-piece from KZN, had the crowd mesmerised with their renditions of Johnny Clegg and Ladysmith Black Mambazo classics, and the boys from December Streets made the crowd bounce around like a bunch of lunatics – a band definitely worth checking out. Black Cat Bones came with their usual mayhem, a rumbling frontman whose fury could be felt at the far corners of the campsite. The international act from Japan, Sawagi, changed lives that night, and no words printed here could do the show justice.
Sunday saw another cracker of a day with blue skies, bronze biceps and bikinis. Naming James’s Jamie Acheson was on top form behind the guitar and kept the good times rolling. Diamond Thug’s ethereal sounds and captivating vocalist made a few fellows swoon and before long, the much- awaited return of Kite Runner graced the stage. Jon Savage’s ability to play the crowd is something every budding South African musician should get to experience and try to learn from. His wit, humility and cheeky stage presence hold the crowd together as one, and his sterling line-up of talented musicians (Wynhand on the violin!) was a huge crowd favourite.
The weekend ended on a high with Piet Botha and the Lyzyrd Kyngs, the only way it could have happened.
That new rattle in my car’s undercarriage was utterly worth it. See you there next year!