Majozi

THE LUMINEERS JOBURG: STRAW HATS AND FLOWER HEADBANDS EVERYWHERE
Ed December 10, 2014 Event Reviews, Events
Flower head-bands and straw hats seem to have become a necessity for any festival nowadays, and I never understood the fad, and need for it until I pitched up at The Lumineers show on Saturday to take part in the #Cuervolucion

I attended The Lumineers show at the Emmerentia Dam in Joburg – Joburg has been my Achilles heel when it comes to festivals; I’m always hesitant to venture into the concrete jungle right next to Pretoria. But on Saturday, I decided that I should lay my apprehensions to rest and just go (thanks to the guys at Jose Cuervo who gave us front row seats to the #Cuervolucion). I had to face it, even with the possibility of being burnt…

So on the day, we got there early with the scorching sun on our backs, and I immediately regretted my decision to leave my straw hat at home. The sun was blazing UV rays and cooking all who were making their way to the entrance. Luckily for us, Cuervo organized shaded seating and plenty of drinks for us to keep the heat stroke at bay. The masses of hipsters and the like entered the arena with thier umbrellas, coolers, vintage clothing, and good spirits to do their part in the #Cuervolucion. The area filled up pretty quickly, and in no time the area in front of the stage was packed to the limit.

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A few drinks were consumed in the beer garden area with Braaiboy, Shané Mc Mahon, Henno Kruger, Arné Dunckers and Baas de Beer – a few of us had a little too much to drink the night before, but we braved the “Braai Weather” and quickly got into the festivities that the day had to offer. We listened to a few of the opening acts: MAJOZI stood out for me, they had the crowd at their feet (literally) during their set. “Lekker Groovy Beats Bru” was heard throughout when we trekked to the Jose Cuervo deck for tequilas – the #Cuervolucion was starting!

As soon as The Lumineers appeared on stage, the flower head band girls (with ridiculously high waisted shorts) were on their feet. Their set consisted of all of their tracks from their Self-Titled album, playing almost every song in chronological order. When “Ho Hey” started, no asses were left on the grass, the #Cuervolucion was in full swing. Hands and cell phones were in the air, trying to get a good shot of the band. BUT WAIT! To the amazement of the whole crowd, Wesley Schultz stopped mid-song and asked everyone to put down their phones and cameras, as “The Lumineers were here for them,” and not for the electronic devices… I loved it!

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They were nearing the end of their set a few tracks after that, and were then prevented from leaving the stage by the crowd chanting for an encore of note. And of course, they happily obliged, bringing energy and one last “Hoorah” to the crowd, leaving smiles and loved ones in each others arms all around. Love was in the air!

We had a few drinks with the guys from Shortstraw on the Jose Cuervo deck while watching The Lumineers ending off their entertaining encore with an abundance of folk, chilled vibes, and one beautiful beard belonging to Wesley. Capping off a great day in the sun (the sunburn is strong with this one) with loads of Jose Cuervo tequila making the #Cuervolucion a reality!

Thanks to Jose Cuervo for having me as one of their guests, and keeping the drinks flowing throughout. See you next time! -

Heading to the picturesque Cape Town City Hall for any sort of musical affair, let alone an evening of an abundant 15-odd acts, was certainly an unprecedented venture for me. Taking the time constraint of the evening and the generous amount of acts into account, I was initially skeptical of the imminent success of the inaugural Nu-Breed Folk Music Festival backed by Jim Bean and hosted by Real Wired Music – the curators behind the renowned Cape Town Folk ‘n Acoustic Music Festivals. Little did I know that behind the hard-pressed coordination lay an array of determined and successful pioneers of sound, décor and everything in between.

Jules Terea, otherwise known by his monikor Brynn, swiftly set the evening in motion with ominous but strikingly powerful renditions of Leonard Cohen and Damien Rice. Terea’s impressive falsetto control and emotive caliber quickly silenced and captivated the audience. Abruptly and without haste, The New Zealand-hailing songsmith marched off shortly followed by a prompt entrance by the next in line: Grace de la Hunt. With a somewhat feisty persona and an admirable amount of control, Hunt’s resolute, pop-folk-esque approach and silky vocal tone effectively encompassed what the artist’s all about: sentimental dynamism.

Okay, now I see how the evening’s going to progress. The question was: Is two tracks per artist enough for them to perform an earnest and fulfilling showcase? Perhaps not, but it sure was an effective method to maintain audience attention, interest and spirit. Although a number of empty seats were noticeable, the silence during the performances and the abundance of spirit thereafter was exceedingly refreshing.

Slow Jack next took to the stage. Although relevantly new on the scene, the band seemed particularly comfortable under the glares and in front of the stares. Striking a resemblance to Alex Turner and The Neighborhood, this band’s rock ‘n’ roll persona seemed slightly ill-rehearsed. Albeit the supposedly humbling but failed rhetoric regarding Mandela’s dream was undoubtedly unnecessary, at least it fairly related to their single ‘Love To Dream’.

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Next in line was opener for James Blunt’s recent South African tour, Chris Werge. Of an amicable nature and romantic, slightly mono-dynamic style, Werge’s charming, adult-contemporary set definitely had many taking his name to note. In contrast, Sam Burger (Opposite The Other) embarked on a timbre-refreshing ordeal. Rolling an upright piano stage-center, Burger’s soulful, powerful and stirring vocal tone, similar to that of Amber Run’s Joe Keogh, scored him the loudest and longest applause thus far.

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Prior to and after the first interval, Mumford & Sons-esque collective Royal Commoners and lyrically-dark, Ben Gibbard-esque songwriter Dave Knowles took to the stage respectively. Both showcased that although the evening consisted of folk songwriters, diversity was neither scarce nor unnoticeable. Soon after, bluesman Manny Walters’ set exhibited his solemn and exceptionally heartfelt motive, including his renowned track ‘Joseph’, during which his earnest and moving vocal tone resulted in an appreciative uproar from the audience.

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The diversity of the evening persisted, with Fruit Vendor’s comedic lyrical content and noticeably trained and pristine vocal and guitar work, Julia and Tessa Johnson’s (Al Bairre) charming, amicable and quirky covers of Benjamin Francis Leftwich and The Weepies (not to mention their exquisite harmonies), Joshua K Grieson’s heavily underrated, experimental, dynamic and macabre character and, one of my personal favourites, Hatchetman’s impeccably rich and harmonious textures and mellow, Simon and Garfunkel-esque folk, closing with a comment that couldn’t be more true: “I used to perform in a lot of eisteddfods when I was younger, but it’s funny, you never stop shitting yourself.”

Perhaps the unexpectedly fantastic quality of the prior musicians had an influence, but the headliners for the evening appeared in a dimmer light than usual. Josh Wantie performed an all-too-well-rehearsed set that seemed to lack a live presence, while Paige Mac’s set received the biggest applause of the night, not to mention a full-house standing ovation – a tough act for Michael Lowman to follow. Having kept a low profile lately, Lowman’s laid-back renditions didn’t assist his follow-up to Mac’s robust and emotive performance.

A distinct number of fans couldn’t keep still when Majozi’s set had been announced, and who could blame them? His well-disposed presence, carefully-orchestrated renditions of hits ‘Fire’, ‘The Greatest Love’ and ‘Darling’, the latter which featured superlative accompaniment by the Johnson twins, and other song demands from the audience would turn any individual into an instant fan. Finally, the final act for the evening, Matthew Mole, closed the evening off with fan-favourites ‘Autumn’, ‘Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine’ and a showcase of newbie ‘Run’. Predominantly flawless albeit a few minor hiccups, Mole appeared a little absent-minded, but this subtlety had no effect on elevated and eager fans. - Texx and the City