The Joburg leg of Oppikoppi Productions' Campus Invasion: Bandemic Tour, sponsored by Old Mutual, MK, Channel O and Smirnoff Spin, took place at Emmarentia Dam last Saturday the 30th of January. Spanning appearances on 5 campuses across SA in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Joburg, Pretoria and Grahamstown, the tour features many of the local artists, DJ's and bands considered to be at the top of their game right now. These include aKing, Ashtray Electric, Jack Parow, Tidal Waves, Taxi Violence, New Holland, Gang of Instrumentals, Tumi, Cassette, TKZee, Ready D, Euphonic, Black Coffee and Australian guest PHDJ.
The Joburg show, held outdoors at Emmarentia Dam, was unfortunately not very well attended, as the week of almost unbroken rain leading up to the day had convinced most people that the hints of sun breaking through the clouds on the day were just a sick joke. However, not only did it not rain, it actually cleared right up to the point where the few brave fans who had ventured out received an unexpected touch of sunburn.
To their credit, the bands put their best feet forward and delivered energetic sets. Taxi Violence got perhaps the rawest deal of all as they played early on, but it was the absent punters who missed out, as Taxi Violence gave a tight, fiery performance. Tumi Molekane, MC and frontman for Tumi and The Volume, showcased his solo material backed up by an all-star band which includes members of Isochronous and Kidofdoom, as well as Yesterday's Pupil. Tumi's good friend Zubz also put in a guest appearance which got the crowd on their feet.
New Holland's cheerful Bellville indie-pop complimented an afternoon that got sunnier and hotter by the minute, as their frontman TeeJay encouraged the audience to "raak los" (loosen up). Tidal Waves blew the crowd away, showing again how they have stayed at the top of the pile as a live act for so many years, and regularly rallying the audience with their mantra: "original music for original people!"
Although they were followed by Gang of Instrumentals, aKing really seemed to be the headlining act of the day, and the crowd surged to its feet when they appeared, and sang along and moshed (to the security guards' consternation) throughout their set. Laudo Liebenberg had his audience in the palm of his hand, although it seemed he could barely see anything as the lowering sun hit the band right in the eyes - one design fault that dogs bands at Emmarentia later on in the day.
Gang of Instrumentals got a bit of a raw deal as they closed off the show, and it seemed that most people were happy just to sit and chill a bit, despite GI's best efforts to rev them up. Next door to the main stage a small DJ stage housed various DJ's, the best of which was undoubtedly the Australian visitor, PHDJ, with his funky beats and mash-ups. The one small glitch with having two stages almost back-to-back was the odd moment of sound-crossover when the level on one stage dipped below the other, but this didn't seem to dampen anyone's enthusiasm.
The Campus Invasion: Bandemic Tour moves on to UCT in Cape Town on 5 February, and wraps up at Rhodes University in Grahamstown on 11 February.
| City: | Bellville, Cape Town, Grahamstown, Joburg, Pretoria, Stellenbosch |
| Company: | Old Mutual |
| Country: | The Netherlands |
| Facility: | Emmarentia Dam |
| Medical Condition: | Sunburn |
| Music Group: | Isochronous And Kidofdoom |
| Person: | Jack Parow, Tumi Molekane, Zubz |
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