My 2 Cents on the 9th edition of Park Acoustics for 2013

On Sunday I made my way the September edition of Park Acoustics (which is presented in association with Jack Daniels). I got there before 10 AM (probably the earliest that I’ve ever shown up at a Park Acoustics) and proceeded by checking out the enlarged venue (located in the shadow of the Voortrekker Monument). Before the gates opened something inside told me that this going to be a huge one.

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The gates finally opened at 10 AM and scores of music lovers (who had been queuing into road outside the venue) started to stream through to find a perfect spot to enjoy the day’s proceedings. The George were up first on the BOS stage and started entertaining the crowd before anyone could say “Music”. Next up were Bateleur on the Jack Daniels main stage (who kickstarted the day with their blend of unique sounds), Nomadic Orchestra (who featured a skinny guy blowing a tuba that was half his size and some vibey tracks), Julian Redpath (who helped folks nurse their Sunday morning hangovers with his acoustic sounds) and Pretoria rockers Le Voyage (who surprised the crowd with their live blend of good old fashioned rock ‘n roll).

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After this it was time for Jeremy Loops at 1 PM. The biggest crowd that I’ve ever seen at a Park Acoustics gathered in front of Jack Daniels main stage to witness the excellent performance skills of one of South Africa’s best live acts and they were not disappointed. Jeremy, his loops, saxophones and vibey raps had the crowd singing along and dancing in no time. At the same time Gad Le Chombes was entertaining folks at the BOS stage while Blunt B were on the decks at the Chill Out stage. After this the wheels of the day were truly set in motion. Not even a pending rainstorm could have stopped the awesomeness that was ahead.

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At 2 PM Kid of Doom rocked the main stage crowd while Some Grow Young mesmerized the folks at the BOS stage with their interesting lyrics. Top SA live Desmond & the Tutu’s were up next on the main stage – they psyched up the crowd and had them singing along before you could say “Tattoo” while funky Cape Town act Holiday Murray rocked the BOS stage. Both these acts pushed up the level of awesomeness before it was time for Australian rock band Last Dinosaur (who didn’t disappoint the Snor City crowd with their blend of vibey rock) to finish off the days proceedings.

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The day ended with some enjoyable SA stand-up comedy with Hannes Brummer and Dusty Rich at the Sunset Comedy Stage. Sadly we had to leave the venue before we could catch a glimpse of Francois Van As and PH Fat, but I’m pretty sure that they’ll be back again in the near future.

Kudos to Henk, Niel, Willie and everyone else who was involved in the organization of this edition of Park Acoustics. +/- 4,000 people attended this edition and I won’t be surprised if things get bigger from here on. There are plenty of photos on this post, but if you want to see more that I took on the day, check out the Henno Kruger Photography page on Facebook.

The next edition of Park Acoustics is on the 27th of October 2013 and will be held on the hill at Fort Schanskop (also on the Voortrekker Monument grounds). This edition will feature performances by Bye Beneco, We Set Sail, Gran’Mah (from Mozambique), The Plastics & Zebra and Giraffe and stand-up comedy from Shaun Wewege, Werner Cloete and Monique Nortje. Pre-sold tickets cost R80 on Plankton.Mobi or R90 at the gate. Check out the Facebook event page for more details.

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Henno Kruger

Blogger, Desktop Activist, Twitter / Facebook Addict, Music Festival Addict, Avid lover of South African music, Founder and owner of Running Wolf’s Rant