Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Running Wolf's Rant
    Latest News
    • Artists Announced for MTN Bushfire Festival 2022
    • David Kramer Reik Liedjie Uit Vir Eseltjiesrus se Donkies
    • Nomadic Orchestra release flavourful album: “Out & About”
    • Emerger Prepares For Take-Off With “Aeroplane Park”
    • Amy Lilley releases new single: “Video Games”
    • Jeremy Loops Colabs With Ed Sheeran on “Better Together”
    • Nibs Van Der Spuy releases “Maiden of the river”
    • Calum Scott To Tour South Africa in November 2022
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS TikTok
    Home
    • Categories
      • Entertainment
      • Facts
      • General News
      • Hacks
      • Opinion
      • Photography
      • Quotes
      • Technology
    • Pages
      • Interesting Music Facts
      • Music Events
      • South African Artists & Bands
      • South African Live Music Events, Venues & Festivals
      • Submit Music Facts
      • Submit Music Festival Stories
    • Featured
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    Subscribe
    Running Wolf's Rant
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
    Home»Entertainment»Music»My 2 cents on Rock of the Bushveld

    My 2 cents on Rock of the Bushveld

    Alice GreenBy Alice GreenSep 8, 2015 Music Photography 7 Mins Read16 Views
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Email Telegram WhatsApp

    They say good things take a while to mature… or is that wine? I couldn’t remember but this cow does certainly still have the memories of Rock of the Bushveld fresh in her membrane.

    Rock of the Bushveld (in case you missed the previous article) was a one day gig that took place at a beautiful venue named Kwanyoni Lodge (which is located about 14 km from Nelspruit). It was the first time I was at the lodge and the green grass alone made me hungry for the day. The winter was almost just-just over (even though I’m sure the Capetownians will disagree) and the sun was shining brightly. What excited me the most was of course the line-up which had two headliners: aKING & The Black Cat Bones.

    Marley

    Arriving the picnic-like atmosphere was awesome. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this kind of vibe in Nelsparta. Not since the closure of Blue Moon just over a year and half ago has Nelsparta had this awesome vibe going for itself. However when I got the running times for the bands I did scratch my head (because it was itcy) and it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense.

    The first 5 bands were all from Nelsparta: The Ian Man Show, GoatnHare, Halfmas Middernag Blues Band, The 3 Beans and Gibraltar. Then it was Jonathan Peyper which I felt should have been later on stage, Jan Blohm, Saarkie (first band of the eveing), aKING, then Bright Lights Big City and then The Black Cat Bones. Ja, I couldn’t understand why the organizers placed a band with a very small following smack right between their two headliners. Plus they were about an half hour ahead of schedule which made it feel rushed – sometimes you have to be late in rock and roll/

    Gilbratar is one of Nellies longest running bands and they managed to pull a crowd of just under 10. You see here in Nelsparta everyone is shy to go stand in front of the stage and actually support the band (which is a habit that seems to be passing down through the generations). Me and my human are of course different and we were in the pit taking photos (we were late and saw only 3 of the 5 who played). Of course we have so many friends that we needed to greet it almost takes a full day.

    After Gibraltar it was another local lad but now Snorstad inhabitant, Jonathan Peyper. Missing Chris on bass (due his stunts at Oppikoppi) his awesome brother, Heine stood in. He managed to get almost everyone on their feet and draw them in like moths to a flame. No one can miss this blues man which you can almost place next to Dan Patlansky when it comes to skills. We love Jonathan – I think his biggest groupies are based here in the Lowveld.

    Jonathan Peyper at Rock of the Bushveld

    Jan Blohm moved in behind the mic after Jonathan strung his last cord and this old school Afrikaans rocker with the colourful and well known history was quite an attraction as well. Everyone, from the youngsters to the old ballies had a look at Jan. A lot of people however have asked me what I thought of his show and I will be honest: 1. I couldn’t hear what he was singing which is unlike Jan. 2. He made plently of mistakes and he blamed it on being too tired 3. After his show, he and his guitarist hit the road again to their next gig (which was 3 hours away). I’m happy that Jan is out of rehab and his cave but I just think he mustn’t over do it too much without causing a burn out.

    Jan Blohm at Rock of the Bushveld

    Our favourite rocker girls from Pretoria, Saarkie was ready to melt the faces of their newfound fans. Can you believe despite them being here multiple times so many people at this event have never even heard of the girl band? Yes that is the Slowveld for you. They had the crowd rocking out to their tunes and covers which only the Saarkie girls can bring. “It’s like listening to your favourite record but being turned on at the same time” one fan remarked.

    Saarkie

    My confusion started when I heard that aKING was next. I personally would have place Bright Lights Big City after Jan Blohm but that’s just me. aKING who were last in the Slowveld in 2013 set up and the excitement in me was like Christmas lunch. I love Laudo, he is one of my favourite SA frontmen, but dude: “Save your beard!”. You are so handsome, why do you want to hide that? Anyway the crowd was there in numbers for them but were slow to start.
    It took their old hits like “Know your bones” and “Safe as houses” to get the crowd to respond. For my human it was one of the biggest bands that she ever had the chance to photograph. The Bones were of course the bigger one!

    aKING at Rock of the Bushveld

    I don’t know what happened to the sound at aKING because when I stood at the back of the crowd you couldn’t hear Laudo, but in the pit you could hear him perfectly. Maybe it was just me? Bright Lights Big City (another blues rock outfit) failed to pull the people who were all in the beer tent getting warmer on the cool night with some tequila and brandy. It was first time watching them but they failed to pull me in. I rather strolled off to the VIP bar for some vodka and coke, the drink of choice in the evening.

    The Black Cat Bones needed no introductions and the MC seemed to have disappeared somewhere, but Kobus, Andre, Jason and Heine brought it as always. They had the crowd jumping up and down for days to come. Every time they play here there is just more and more fans following them and I’m truly happy to see that! Finally! I felt like pretzel that was bent in all kinds of positions after their show and the crowd just wanted more. What sucked half was there was a midnight curfew so last rounds were called about 15 minutes after the Bones played.

    Black Cat Bones at Rock of the Bushveld

    The party didn’t stop though. People were kuiering around the fires and in the beer tent till late. The VIP bar delivered some interesting things but then again I’m not the one who is going to say too much. What happens in VIP stays in VIP.

    The one thing I will mention that is funny as hell was that my human who head banged a double brandy & coke and thank goodness that the cup was plastic otherwise she would have carried the scar, but I couldn’t say the same for her echo.

    Rock of the Bushveld was a pretty awesome experience for a first timer. It was well organised but there was a few points for me that they can improve one next time:

    1. Make sure your line up plays according to their popularity. Not because you love them means others will do so. The line up was awesome and they made the goal high for next year.

    2. The food stall sucked balls. R30 for almost everything but it’s the size of a slider burger. Not cool, next year try to get more than one stall please. Offer a bit variety.

    3. To hype the prize of liquor that non-brandy drinkers might enjoy. R25 a shot of vodka is a bit mal especially Pushkin vodka. Not everyone drinks brandy & coke and yes I understand you were sponsored by a certain brand. Just a thought.

    4. Your gate is very important, the cars wasn’t check for cooler boxes or private liquor. You need to do this for such an event.

    The rest was good, the lodge was amazing. The security, the cleaners and bathrooms was also top notch. Just please bring in camping options next year, it sucked driving back home after an awesome day. Hope to see ROTB next year again!

    Watch this space for regular updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.

    Get updates via email
    aKING Jan Blohm Jonathan Peyper Nelspruit Reviews Rock of the Bushveld Saarkie South Africa The Black Cat Bones
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleNew Van Coke Kartel EP to be released soon
    Next Article A quick chat with Mainstream Brewery
    Alice Green

    A green cow, part of a heard of plastic / latex cows, spread between Nelspruit, Sabie and Cape Town. My owner adopted me when I only could speak Chinese, now I'm fluent in Afrikaans, English second language and cow.

    Related Posts

    My 2 cents on the 2nd last edition of Park Acoustics for 2017

    Nov 4, 20173 Mins Read12 Views

    My 2 cents on the first edition of Brandy Fest

    Sep 11, 20174 Mins Read19 Views

    My 2 cents on Woodcrock 11

    Sep 7, 20166 Mins Read88 Views

    My 2 cents on Innibos 2016

    Jul 6, 20166 Mins Read14 Views

    My 2 Cents on Innibos 2015

    Jul 24, 20156 Mins Read20 Views

    My 2 cents on the Blue Moon End of the year party

    Dec 10, 20133 Mins Read23 Views

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You Might Like

    Park Acoustics: BCUC Interview

    Nov 29, 20198 Views

    Review: Project CARS 2

    Mar 19, 201832 Views

    Park Acoustics: ‘n Onderhoud met Van Pletzen

    Jul 26, 201924 Views

    A quick pre Oppikoppi chat with aKING

    Jul 18, 201630 Views

    A quick pre Oppikoppi chat with The Tazers

    Jul 13, 2016
    Subscribe
    Get updates via email
    You Might Also Like

    Home Improvement Ideas That Really Make a Difference

    Jan 26, 2022

    Coronavirus Lockdown: 10 Things To Do To Pass The Time

    Mar 25, 202058 Views

    10 Reasons to Relax and Select the Best Essay Writing Service

    Aug 29, 20199 Views

    3 Software Solutions for Call Centers

    Sep 2, 2021

    Oppikoppi 2013: Enter the Bewilderbeast

    Jul 9, 201315 Views
    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    About Running Wolf’s Rant
    About Running Wolf's Rant

    Running Wolf's Rant has been covering the South African Music Scene and featuring interesting, funny and engaging content since 2008.

    Feel free to explore the various sections and categories. We hope that you find something howling good while you're exploring. Please share posts that you find interesting with your friends on Social Media. Share buttons are provided.

    Featured Posts

    20 Notable Events in 1970

    Jan 4, 2021

    Oppikoppi festival: 101 Interesting Facts and Funny Stories

    Jul 16, 2018192 Views

    Photo Album: KFC Sessions 2010 Finals

    Oct 25, 201016 Views
    Recent Posts

    Artists Announced for MTN Bushfire Festival 2022

    May 12, 202220 Views

    How to Promote your Martial Arts Classes Online

    May 12, 2022

    David Kramer Reik Liedjie Uit Vir Eseltjiesrus se Donkies

    May 9, 202211 Views
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
    © 2022 Running Wolf's Rant. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.