International acts take festival to next level
Youngsters from areas including Winchester, Bassonia, Glenvista, Alberton and other parts of Gauteng all flocked to Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown on October 4 for the Vodacom in the City music festival.
20-year-old Raceview resident Tamsin McMaster joined hundreds of indie rock music lovers at the concert that had Johannesburg buzzing for weeks due to the line-up.
“Standing right in front of the crowd we were able to catch some awesome throw outs from the bands. I managed to grab myself a drum stick that Chris Dangerous played with during their hit song ‘tick tick boom’ thrown to me by The Hives ninja crew as well as a guitar pick which was licked on both sides by guitarist Nicholaus Arson. I had his spit all over my hand but it was definitely worth it,” said Tamsin excitedly.
The music festival featured international artists such as British band Skunk Anansie, South African Rock band Al Bairre, Alt-J indie band from the United Kingdom, a Swedish band called The Hives as well as German DJ Boys Noize.
Vodacom in the City organisers had this to say about the festival that music lovers have deemed a raving success: “Jo’burg a-r-e you r-e-a-d-y?” screamed spirited front-woman, Skin to a sea of 11 000 indie rockers at the Vodacom In the City concert in downtown Johannesburg Mary Fitzgerald Square. As Cass’ bass-beat pulsed through the bodies of the sweat-streaked fans, the air was filled with thousands of cellphones held up to capture Skunk Anansie’s long-awaited return to South Africa. As the unofficial headline act of the evening, they thrilled the crowds with Skin’s crowd surfing, cementing the iconic British band’s performance as one of the best ever seen in SA.” “The whole vibe of the festival was electric! As the only local act on the line up, Al Bairre played an outstanding opening set, so it’s no surprise that they’d won the Vodacom ‘Open the City’ competition that saw over 18 500 votes from the public.”
According to the organisers, charismatic Swedish rockers The Hives stole the show in their custom tailored mariachi outfits. The Hives were previously quoted as saying that they ‘hoped the crowds would go crazy’, and boy did they do just that.“Who wouldn’t go nuts to The Hives’ highly rated live show? ‘Go right ahead’ and ‘Walk Idiot Walk’ were clear favourites and vocalist Pelle Almqvist’s showmanship and scissor kicks went down a treat.
The final act of the evening was German DJ Boys Noize, who closed the festival with his techno EDM beats and one final burst of party energy,” said Mike Pocock from One-eyed on behalf of Seed Experiences. Hosting sponsor Vodacom had their first free Wi-Fi, recharge stations, sound-proof phone-boxes and photo booths which were reported to be a hit, as were Jose Cuervo’s Watering Holes that were dotted around the square.
“Those who tweeted a hash tag of themselves being a party animal stood the chance to win a signed guitar,” he added. Vodacom in the City was recognised by many as one of the edgiest and most anticipated music events on the South African.
Keep your eye on facebook.com/InTheCityJHB for all the 2014 line-up.
