When celebrating a milestone, music festivals are inclined to pull out all the stops, and when it came to Rocking the Daisies’ 10th birthday they were no exception. Twenty thousand festival goers flocked to the pristine grounds of Cloof Wine Farm, near Cape Town, for four days jam-packed with over 180 incredible acts. I have been to five Rocking the Daisies in the past and I can say in all sincerity that 2015 was by far the best I have ever attended.
The campsite gates open at 10:00 on Thursday morning and in a matter of hours the carefully sectioned, lush camping grounds become a sea of multicoloured tents. There is a temporary stage set up in one corner boasting an array of sound checkers, ready to host Thursday night’s campsite party. The gates to the main arena are closed. As crew, a few friends and I loiter just behind the security guards complacently watching as group after brightly bedazzled group of early arrivals are turned away. It’s chilly and overcast but shirts are already off, the selfie sticks are out and a drunken guy, proudly brandishing a beer, has already collided with me twice. The campsite stage is booming but I head to bed early. I have far too many acts on my colour-coded schedule to waste any precious hours of sleep at this point.
Friday is off to an early start. The main arena is open by 9:00 and hoards of people congregate at the edge of the dam. The sun is hot, the water is icy and scantily clad people artfully roast themselves in the midday heat. I head to Main Stage to catch the first live act. Forefront won an opening slot several days ago and I am looking forward to seeing what they have on offer. As their first chorus drops however, I turn away from their quintessential pop-rock sound and instead find a free hula hoop at the Green Village and give it a whirl as I bide my time.
It is early afternoon and The Liminals take to the Main Stage to spin the crowd into a fantastic frenzy of fun. The bass player has the hair for a shampoo advert and knows how to whip it.
The Electronic Dome – a massive peanut-shaped tent – can fit 2000 wild festival goers comfortably as they groove to whatever techno-magician is currently bopping in the booth. I wander in, enticed by Thor Rixon’s groovy tunes to catch the last ten minutes of his set. He’s slick, he’s funky and his bass drops are gorgeous. Next up is Go Barefoot. The Johannesburg-hailing newcomers cram themselves onto the Hemp Stage and proceed to play one of the best sets of the festival, but I can’t help but feel as though their sound is more worthy of a Main Stage slot. They could rock a bigger crowd.
The sun sets and the growing mass of people congregating around Main Stage begins to threaten our potential front row spot. By 08:30pm we have secured ourselves firmly at the front railing and remain there for a solid six hours. We sway, bounce and boogie our way through 340 Million’s reinvented electro-orchestral set, Jeremy Loops’ familiar folk tunes and Fokofpolisiekar’s roaring Afrikaans rock anthems, and by the time The Cat Empire’s drum kit is wheeled onto stage my legs are killing me but I couldn’t be more psyched. The Australian ska legends lope onto stage and launch straight into ‘Still Young’. Front man Felix Riebl’s stage presence is palpable as he grooves to the music, microphone stand tilted in one hand, a smile plastered across his face. “Take me to bed!” I hear someone yell at him, and I’m inclined to agree. Their live performance is jaw-dropping. The Cat Empire is on fire and even a technical glitch halfway through, which causes the sound to cut out momentarily, does little to quench their energy.
Saturday dawns bright and far too early; I’m running on four hours of sleep and my body is not impressed. Alice Phoebe Lou, a local acoustic darling who has spend the last few years busking in Berlin, eases us delicately into the day with her gorgeous vocal abilities and inspiringly consequential lyrics. I have bumper to bumper bands on my schedule and I spend the day thundering back and forth between stages in an attempt to catch them all.
Grassy Spark, winners of this year’s Vodacom in the City competition bring down the house with a vibrantly wild performance, and Phfat’s appearance at the end is simply the cherry on the top. Rising indie-pop band, Al Bairre, rake in a thronging crowd for their lively set. Donned and adorned in swirling colour, they pound through their set list topped off with a cover of ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom (I Want You In My Room)’ and a brand new song off their upcoming LP.
Next thing I know it is 9pm, I’m crushed against the front railing at Main Stage and Milky Chance have just appeared. Their live set is spectacular. The bass creeps steadily though my feet, and the crowd is fizzing with energy, it’s beautiful. The bass drops are deep enough to trip the sound again but even that doesn’t stop them. We escape the throng before it becomes murderous crush for Jack Parow’s set and return in time to catch The Kooks. They are as slick and polished as only a band that has been rocking concerts for 11 years can be. Their set comes to an end they haven’t played ‘Naive’. There is palpable despair in the air before finally the familiar jangling guitar riff washes over the crowd and we lose it. It’s late. My ragged feet are wrecked but I somehow find myself at three electro stages before I limp back to camp.
Sunday is rushed and I’m running on even less sleep than before. Local reggae legends, The Rudimentals close the Main Stage on a wildly energetic note. By 2pm I am headed home.
Words by Skye Mallac
@SkyeAylaMallac