I made my way to the first Bos Boogie of 2022 from the 18th to the 21st of March 2022. It was my first multi-day festival since May 2019 (when I attended my 6th STRAB in Mozambique).
Here’s my review of Bos Boogie March 2022
We left our place in Pretoria around 2:30 PM on the Friday and drove the +/- 20 km to the Bos Boogie festival site (on a plot just off Kameelfontein Road near Roodeplaat Dam). Gaining entry and getting tagged was a swift process.
We were better prepared than Mieliepop 2017 for our festival experience, so setting up camp took a lot longer than expected, but once everything was set up, we breathed in the fresh bushveld air and enjoyed our first drinks of the long weekend. Some dark rain clouds were looming, but luckily they decided to leave us alone (as we made our way to the stage around 5 PM).
Friday night was filled with plenty of shooters and lekker performances by Franco Jamneck, Andra, Swerwer, Saarkie and Ruiter Piet. The party went on into early hours of Saturday morning. I crawled into our tent around 2:30 AM. Almost everyone got sucked into the vibe and most festival goers ignored the “not-going-big-on-the-first-night” rule of festivals. (Who doesn’t go big on the first night, honestly?)
On Saturday Morning I experienced my first festival hangover in 3 years. We made some boerewors rolls for breakfast and after plenty of water and some painpills I was ready for the day. The music only started around 2 PM, so we decided to invest some time into getting a little “dagdronk” at the camp site.
Sadly I missed Werno & Daniel and Megs & Toast, but I did manage to catch an agry Afrikaans metal set by Onskuldige Doodvonnis before Jack Hammer transported me back to the pre-Covid days with their mesmorizing set.
As the sun was setting I enjoyed the sounds of the Fake Leather Blues Band. They never disappoint. I think they should definitely record that album that we’ve all been waiting for…
After this it was time for The Black Cat Bones. The SA blues rock legends blew everyone away (especially with their performance of their new track, “Quit It”).
Jack Parow was up after this and had the whole crowd bouncing and busting out the moves they forgot in the 1990s (and early 2000s). It was great hearing him play some of his newer songs and getting the crowd all hyped up to party.
Zebra was the last act of the day and they did not disappoint. These Pretoria boytjies have come a long way since I first watched them play live a few years ago. They are definitely one of the bands to watch in 2022.
I did not go as big as night on the Saturday, but I still crawled into bed around 1 AM on Sunday morning.
The Sunday Morning started out a lot slower than the previous two days. Thankfully I was not hung over, because it was the hottest day of the weekend. The bushveld sun fried us properly. I drank plenty of water, but I had flashbacks of the dry mouth and festival fatigue that I’ve experienced at Oppikoppi (in the mid 2000s).
Sunday didn’t have a shortage of good performances. Hoot ‘n Anny, Johnathan & The Gunn, Kenny Hughes, Albert Meintjies, Black Water and Albert Frost did not disappoint with their performances. After Albert Frost we had a braai in the camp site and we were already asleep at 11 PM.
Packing up on Monday morning took a while. but getting out of the festival was a breeze. We were back at home in Pretoria before 10 AM.
Final Thoughts
Bos Boogie March 2022 was well organized. It was one of the cleanest festivals that I’ve attended. There were plenty of food stalls and the bar ran quite smoothly. There was plenty of space for camping, so it did not feel crowded at all. It almost felt like I was back at Oppikoppi Easter in 2006 (and hanging out with a smaller crowd). It was a much-needed weekend breakaway in the bush with great tunes.
In my opinion, there are only 2 things that need to be improved before the next Bos Boogie (which is planned for September 2022). The organizers need to add more ablution facilties (an extra porta potty or two would be nice) and there should definitely be shade netting / more shaded areas added to the festival area to shield us from the brutal sun.
Kudos to Jan-Hendrik, Franco, Jacques, Conrad and everyone else who was involved in running Bos Boogie for hosting a lekker event that I will remember for years. I am definitely looking forward to the next one.
Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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