OVER the years, Durban has been known for their outdoor music events. And with such a beautiful city as the backdrop, it’s no surprise that party-goers want to soak up the sunshine while enjoying some awesome jams.
So if this sounds appealing to you, then head to the Party in the Park at Chris Saunders Park in uMhlanga on Saturday as there’s a killer line-up featuring some of the best of South African DJs and live acts like Timo ODV, Veranda Panda (pictured), Kotton Kandy, Chocolate Milk and more.
Tonight chatted to Durban-based violinist-DJ combo, Veranda Panda, comprising Liam Magner and Jane Baillie. Of the Party in the Park gig, Magner says: “We have a huge amount of respect for the guys who run this event, and the value of playing to a younger crowd. They are the future of our scene so it’s awesome to be able to reach them on a stage with epic production, sound and value. We’ve been lucky to play the event a few times and it just gets better. The line-up has been put together well according to what the audience will want and no one will be disappointed.”
So about this gig appeals to them?
“I think the appeal of any party is that it’s an escape from the daily grind where you can let loose a bit. When event organisers do new things, it makes your leisure experience that much more exciting, and we love playing in this kind of setting; to be able to have fun and help people have fun with us. Events like Party in The Park are huge on most kids’ social calendar; they look forward to it for weeks, so there’s usually a great level of excitement and an awesome vibe,” he says.
Baillie says in the beginning of their career, they were pretty much all over the place: “We’ve always had the philosophy that we make music that we like, music that makes us happy. As a result, when we started out, our production went in many directions. Now I think we have found our feet or paws (laughs) and have streamlined our sound more, as we have learnt what works and what doesn’t within our musical dynamic, but we still write according to what we enjoy. Our latest sound is definitely more dance floor friendly.”
Last year, Veranda Panda released another EP and have had radio play including their track, Pineapple Sunday.
“We’ve also been travelling extensively for gigs. Recently we played in Reunion Island for the Sakifo Festival which was awesome, and we are about to go to the Grahamstown Arts Festival. We have plans to release another EP in the next few months, and are also currently revolutionising our live set through a concept we designed called The Box so everything is all go and exciting for us,” she says.
l Party in the Park at Chris Saunders Park, uMhlanga at 1pm on Saturday. Tickets are R100 at Computicket.