Review: That 70s Fest 2018

From 9 to 11 February 2018 the awesomeness that was the second edition of That 70s Fest happened at Tweefontein Melkery (near Kempton Park). Today I’m sharing my experience of it.

Here’s my review of That 70s Fest 2018

Gary and I arrived in the early evening hours of Friday night at the venue. The ride there was smooth and without any issues (thanks to us avoiding the weekend traffic by taking the R25 instead of the R21 from Pretoria). It took us a few seconds to open up our first beer and a few minutes to set up camp.

It didn’t take us long to switch into weekend and festival mode. Some great 70s tunes were playing on the PA and it didn’t take us too long to hook up with our fellow rock ‘n rollers and festival pilgrims (who were all waiting eagerly for the arrival of the first act of the weekend on the That 70s Fest stage).

At about 10PM Miagii made their way onto the main stage and the party really started. These Joburg boytjies played a vibrant set and were the perfect act to kick-start the That 70s Fest. Next up were Ruff Majik (who are going to tour Europe soon). These Pretoria boytjies reminded us that Stoner Rock was still alive in 2018. It didn’t take them wrong to connect with the rock-hungry crowd either.

Next up were one of my personal favorites The Tazers. These Joburg rockers played one of the best sets I’ve seen them play and had the crowd rocking out in no time. It was great to experience one of best live acts the SA rock scene has to offer once again.

Hellcats were the last act on Friday night at That 70s Fest and they did not disappoint. They proved just why they were recently selected as one of the supporting acts for Incubus (who are touring South Africa at the end of this month). Drummer Alessandro managed to break another part of his drumkit, Warwick Rautenbach rocked the fuck out, the crowd instantly tapped into their vibe and I took a lot of pictures of them.

After this DJ T! entertained festival goers with some great 70s tunes and before I knew it I was still talking to a bunch of friendly okes in the campsite at 4 AM. Life was good (yes, take that LG).

Saturday started slowly but after enjoying a few breakfast beers and eating a Bar One I felt ready for the long day ahead. The amazing gourmet pizza (made by the couple that manages Hidden Eden) were also a bonus and nursed my hangover. (Thanks Pots & CJ, you peeps are legends).

I have to be honest that I didn’t watch that many bands on the Saturday at That 70s Fest because I was mostly mingling with festival goers and listening to the Boogy Central DJ’s, but I did manage to catch a few songs by Well Done Son, Sheldon Payne & The Blue Veins, newcomers Frame Janko and Diamond Thug. I have to say that all these acts played lekker tunes and what I heard them play was pretty damn good, so I have no complaints.

The first act that I tried not to miss during the evening were Pretoria rockers We Are Charlie (who did not disappoint with an energetic set). Next up were In Bloom (who also did not disappoint). It was the first time that I watched them and I’m sure that we’ll see them on more festival line-ups in the future.

Medicine Boy were up next and they transported the music-loving crowd to far off places and reminded them why they’re one of the best live acts in the SA Music scene. After them Boxer played an energetic set filled with tracks like R2D2 and reminded everyone just why they’ve played at almost every festival in the country.

Cape Town rockers Retro Dizzy were up next and they blew me away like they played at Park Acoustics and Mieliepop last year. In my humble opinion they’re definitely one of the most-talented and underrated acts in the SA rock scene. I’m really hoping that they’ll play more shows in Gauteng in the near future.

The last live act of the night were Pollinator and I really enjoyed their set. It’s a pity that I didn’t get any good pictures of them though (kids, this happens when you accidentally switch off your camera’s image stablizer option) I blame the Jagermeister and the Tequila for that and I will definitely make it up to them, I promise.

After this I enjoyed the Bobbejaan DJ set in the Cathedral before I finally crawled into my tent around 2:30 AM. If you haven’t experienced Bobbejaan’s DJ set yet, you should really make an effort to experience it. You won’t be disaapointed. Gary and I left at the crack of dawn and before I could utter the words “Creame Soda” I was back home safe in Pretoria.

Kudos to Boogy Central, the folks at Tweefontein Melkery and everyone else who was involved with the 2nd edition of That 70s Fest. You guys and girls rock! Thanks for letting us enjoy a well-organized event featuring some great bands and DJs. Things will only get bigger and better moving forward if you ask me. See you in 2019 for number 3!

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