The 2016 edition of Blood Brothers went down at the Big Top Arena at Carnival City in Gauteng last weekend and like last year’s event, it was totally amazing.
This was my experience of Blood Brothers 2016
I was among the fortunate few to get photo pit access to this event and I have to say that shooting this event was an absolute dream. The lighting was amazing and I managed NOT to get in the way of Alexander Wolf with my shiny head (like I did last year) and got some amazing photos of the Blood Brothers and the Blood Sister.
I can’t remember all the songs Francois van Coke (Fokofpolisiekar), George van der Spuy (Taxi Violence), Albert Frost (Blues Broers), Kobus de Kock Jnr. (Black Cat Bones), Hunter Kennedy (Fokofpolisiekar), Rian Zietsman (Taxi Violence), Jason Hinch (ex Black Cat Bones & Boargazm), Isaac Klawansky (Shadowclub), Loedi Van Reenen (Taxi Violence) and Zolani Mahola (Freshlyground) played on the night, but there were definitely a few of them that I’ll remember for the rest of my days.
Zolani (who replaced Arno Carstens as the first ever Blood Sister this year) was totally amazing. From the get-go she was a healthy addition to the 9 male SA musos that stunned audiences at the same venue last year. Freshlyground’s “I’d Like” showcased her vocal ability, but her rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve been loving you” (performed with Albert Frost on violin-style guitar) completely blew EVERYONE away.
It was so good Chris (from Black Cat Bones) was wondering if Robert Plant REALLY wrote and sang the song in the 1970’s (true story). “Karen Zulu” (a phrased coined by someone in the audience) also did a great version of “Toe Vind Ek Jou” with Francois Van Coke as the concert was approaching it’s end.
This year’s Blood Brothers show was a little shorter than last year, but every second of those 2.5 hours was totally amazing. It was great to hear musos sing songs that they love and even though the crowd was about half (compared to last year) it was one hell of a jol for everyone that was there. The cherry on the cake was definitely concert ending with a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of” (a song cherished by many hardcore 1990’s rock ‘n roll / nu-metal fans).
Kudos to Henre Pretorius and everyone else who was involved with organizing the show (which proceeds goes towards the Vrede Foundation for Cancer Research). Thanks to Kobus “The Best Stage Manager in the world” Van Rooyen for making sure that things ran smooth stage side, thanks to the okes from Blue Array Productions for the amazing sound, thanks to the Blood Brothers and the Blood Sister for stunning us with amazing performances and thanks to Red Rock Brewery for the cold beer. See you all at Blood Brothers 2017.
If you want to see more photos check out the Henno Kruger Photography page and the Running Wolf’s Rant page on Facebook.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Photography and Music categories on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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