My 2 cents on the first edition of Rise and Shine Festival for 2014

Last week Saturday, Nino, Liana and I hopped on the Gautrain to Sandton around 9 AM to make our way to Sandton Central Park for the first edition of Rise and Shine Festival for 2014. It was a smooth train ride despite the fact that the amount passengers on the train was a good indication of how many people did not want to pay E-tolls and we arrived at event around 10 AM.

The first artist that we caught a glimpse of was Dave Baudians (who set the early morning mood with his chilled out guitar sounds). I have to admit that I was pretty impressed with how chilled out this dude was on stage – the perfect medicine for a Saturday morning hangover, if you ask me. Next up was Michael Lowman (who has been making waves in the SA Music industry over the last year and was recently nominated for a SAMA). It was the first time I saw this bloke and I have to admit that he impressed me with his catchy lyrics and vibey guitar riffs. It was up to Namibian born artist Andra next to mesmerize the crowd with her unique vocal style and to set the mood for a line-up comprised of excellent acts (who all have the potential to remind anyone who was there how truly awesome SA Music has become over the last few years).

After a quick accoustic  reggae guitar riff fueled set by Bongeziwe Mabandla it was time for Yoav to make his way onto the Rise and Shine stage. Yoav did not disappoint, showing everyone what he was capable of doing with amazing guitar taps and excellent guitar playing and serious sound looping skills. It was also great seeing Tailor on stage with him for “Where is My Mind” (a song that was featured on the Sucker Punch soundtrack a few years ago). Next up was South Africa’s favorite happy loop master and two time MK Award winner, Jeremy Loops (who recently released his debut album) and judging by the size of the crowd gathering in front of the stage before his set, the impact that he’s had on SA Music over the last few years became pretty obvious. Jeremy Loops, his rapper and his saxophone player displayed exactly why he is considered to be one of the best live acts in the country.

Next up were SA Music veterans, Tidal Waves (who reminded everyone that rock infused reggae was still a popular genre) and had the crowd dancing before Jacob and Sam could utter the words “Lekker Lekker Dans”. They were followed by Desmond and the Tutu’s (who have become one of my favorite live acts). Shane and the lead-guitarist’s energetic antics on stage was the perfect showcase of silliness that has crept its way into SA Music over the last few years and the crowd absolutely loved  it. The last act of the day were Shadowclub (who reminded everyone that rock ‘n roll is NOT dead) and even got some people to mosh at a predominantly acoustic music festival while the sun was setting. Pretty damn memorable, legendary and epic at the same time if you ask me.

I was thinking of enjoying some sundowners at Hard Rock Cafe in Nelson Mandela Square (where it turns out Jimmy Carr had been earlier on the day) but I think that when we decided to head back on the Gautrain my wallet secretly thanked me NOT for making a dent into it. Kudos to Lloyd, Jani and everyone else who made the fourth edition of Rise and Shine Festival possible and I hope to see all you reading this at the next edition in June 2014.

What did you think of Rise and Shine? Did you enjoy it or do you think it sucked? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Feedback is appreciated and welcome here. Feel free to share this article on Facebook and Twitter if you’ve enjoyed reading it, remember: sharing is caring after all.

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