The Year That Was 2012

2012 has been an awesome year with numerous ups and downs. I can not believe that this year is almost over, it feels like it was the 1st of January yesterday. I’ve been to some awesome festivals, networked my arse off and made some great friends in 2012.

On the domestic side I moved in with my friend and partner in crime @BaasDeBeer in February and it has been a blast so far. Some of my friends might say that two guys tweeting each other in adjacent rooms to argue about who is making the morning coffee is not normal, but I don’t find it uncommon in the digital age – so my advise is that you should get used to it.

In February I made my way to Up The Creek in the Western Cape and it was a blast. It’s definitely was one of the best festivals that I’ve been to. Some festival highlights included the sizzling hot ladies, tequila shots with @texxonfire and @garethwilsonsa at the bar, getting sunburnt with my good friend @SniperMime, finally meeting @lousteyl and @ice_carstens, being blown away by excellent performances by KONGOS, Taxi Violence, Dan Patlansky, aKING, Shadowclub and others, having Mojito slushies next to river and discovering the awesomeness that is the Titanic and the Iceberg. Reflecting about this got me truly psyched up about Up The Creek 2013.

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RAMFest 2012 Johannesburg was definitely one of the highlights of this year for me. It was awesome seeing and photographing some of the top local acts and 3 international bands at this one day festival. Fokofpolisiekar’s performance was definitely one of the most memorable ones of the year. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to photograph them in a media pit. The Narrow’s performance was also legendary. And let’s not forget the awesomeness that was AWOLNATION and In Flames. According to some of my friends the mosh pit during the In Flames set reached epic levels of hectic. I’m looking forward to RAMFest 2o13. I can’t wait to see Rise Against live.

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I was also extremely honored to be invited the 2012 MK Awards in late March. It was awesome to mingle with all the artists and like-minded folks involved in the SA Music industry at the State Theatre in Pretoria. Some highlights on the night include the free pre-ceremony drinks, chit-chatting with good friends like @RobForbesDJ and sharing a lift down to the parking garage with Francois Van Coke, Tamara Dey and Arno Carstens. The MK Awards after party (featuring Bittereinder, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Gazelle and Jack Parow) was also a blast at Arcade Empire.

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There’s one month that I always look forward to in a year and it’s August. Regular readers of this blog will know that this is because it’s Oppikoppi month. I attended my 14th Oppikoppi festival this year and it’s packed with some really awesome memories. Kudos to @BaasDeBeer, @GigiGumdrop, @KonstantDeVos, @Vicky_Jkwitz, @Jaczer_SA, @StellaTeleur, @SchweppsRocka, @texxonfire, @chrismaider, @rudi_cronje and everyone else that was involved in making this one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Oppikoppi 2012 Sweet Thing was one of the best organized festivals that I’ve attended. Things can only get bigger from here. I’m looking forward to doing something special for my 15th Oppikoppi festival next year.

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October saw the second Mieliepop festival being hosted near Lothair in Mpumlanga. This was definitely a festival I will remember. Besides the fact that Uriah Heep headlined it and that The Smoking Mojos, Shotgun Tori, Jeremy Loops and various other bands played at it, it was also one of the best parties that I’ve had in 2012. The vibe was absolutely amazing and I’m hoping to check it out in 2013. It was nice bumping into some old friends that I lost along the way and making some new ones.

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In December I finally got the chance to see The Prodigy live in South Africa. Their performance at Synergy Live at Riversands Farm in Johannesburg was one of the best that I saw this year. The line-up had no shortage of awesome SA talent. The Narrow, Bittereinder, Desmond and the Tutu’s and Man As Machine completely blew the 8,000 strong crowd away. Kudos to the guys from Hotbox Express for getting me there in one piece and to the organizers for pulling off an amazing festival.

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Besides all these festivals I also had a blast at all the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens gigs, all the Park Acoustics gigs, Vredefest April 2012, Skyrooom Live, the two Vanfokkingtasties shows (at the Atterbury Theatre and Dozi’s Back to the Roots), Vanfokkingparow,  Die Tuindwergies launch  party at Firkin Centurion, Hatfield Carnival, Bloc Party at In the City and various other shows. 2012 was a year choc-a-block full of awesome live music shows, and I’m expecting 2013 to be even more exciting.

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On the work side I feel that I’ve grown professionally in 2012. I’ve learned how to manage my time better and I’ve learned a lot when it comes to Social Media. Besides this I’ve also worked with some amazing people, brands and agencies this year. I’m truly grateful for that. I’m looking forward building stronger relationships, forging new ones and growing professionally in 2013. Special thanks to Liny Kruger, Ice Carstens, Louise Crouse, Fleishman Hillard, Tuks FM, Arcade Empire, Aandklas, BraaiBoy, Retroviral, Activation Media, @BaasDeBeer, Park Acoustics, Hilltop Live and Brandsrock for making 2o12 one of my best years.

And last but not least, thanks to all the readers of Running Wolf’s Rant. Without you guys this blog would not be possible. Thanks to everyone who shared or commented on a post. And thanks to all the models, musicians and other Interesting Tweople that agreed to be interviewed. I’m planning huge things for this blog in 2013, so watch this space.

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