I know, I know. It's already been a week since the dust settled over Northam and I'm only doing this post now. Bad blogger, bad. My excuse? Death by post-festival flu. Between being unable to breathe through my nostrils and being on the verge of coughing up a lung, I somehow managed to make it through the week. I didn't get to enjoy Oppikoppi in the same way that other festival-goers did because I covered the event for Perdeby. This involved a jam-packed interview schedule that included both local and international bands. It was absolute madness but equally rewarding in that I learned a whole darn lot.
Want to know what I learned?
1. How to deal with stroppy artists.
2. Not too panic when there isn't internet connection, even at the most crucial of times.
3. Some of the best musicians in South Africa are also the most underrated ones, like Jeremy Loops.
4. Electro is huge. Massive. Enormous. The Red Bull Stage proved it.
5. Just how long I can survive without caffeine. Ricoffy doesn't count. Who are you kidding?
6. No matter what they tell you, hand sanitizer doesn't work. It just swishes the dirt around. With every day that went by, I looked a shade darker. And dealt with it.
Enough of me rambling. Here's some photos.
 |
| Ready. Steady. Go. |
 |
| Navigating around (and sometimes through, I have to admit) potholes... |
 |
| ... to be met by a long, long queue of cars. It's a bit disheartening when you can't see the end of the line for two hours but at least helping to push-start an old turquoise Beetle was quite a laugh. Who takes a Beetle to Oppikoppi? Who? Hmm? |
 |
| This is the hippie your parents warned you about. Hey guy, hope you survived the festival on the hill. |
 |
| A marching band with a Pied Piper following. |
 |
| I managed to catch a glimpse of Peachy Keen while grabbing a bite to eat. |
 |
| Peter Rabbit performing on the MK Cube. They are possibly the band with the coolest name and the weirdest lyrics. Example? "My love for you is functional, I want to have your babies." |
 |
| Les Doigts de L'Homme, a gypsy-jazz band from France. They were one of my favourite bands to see over the weekend. This may be because I fell in love with the second dude from the left. You pretty thing, you. |
 |
| Balkanology, baby. |
 |
| Diplo performing at the Red Bull Stage. We also 'got down like animals' when P.H. Fat performed there on Friday night. I love me some P.H. Fat. |
