How to Attend ALL the Festivals (and make it out alive) - Part 1

Big cars, band boys and streaking in a field of flowers on the New Tracks Tour with Leah Jasmine Reed

My eyes flew open at 4.30am, butterflies already making a home in my tummy. Early mornings are not usually my thing, but my corpse sprang out of bed as my partner Cleo and I dashed to make it to the meeting point on time. Car packing is no light business, and in just under an hour, six cars full of beautiful people pulled their way out of Sandton onto the open road. The New Tracks Tour was well underway.

From behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Captiva, I’ve got to say that car is a dream. I spent a considerable amount of time shouting at band boys to get down from the sunroof, but they didn’t care. The wind in their manes evoked the same sensation as a labrador with his head out the window; the world whizzing by sickly fast, the skin on your face pulling back against your bones. It’s a thrill.

It takes a certain kind of crazy to say yes when a stranger on the internet offers you the adventure of a lifetime. This really looked too good to be true, I could have trafficked any of the five photographers whom I had never met, but that’s trust in the right place and the right time. Trust in the last remaining goodness of humankind. Trust that I wouldn’t stuff them in my boot and drive them into Swaziland. The crew was just right.

Having attended Mieliepop Festival the week before, I had an idea of how Lush would be.

A festival called Lush has to be pretty leafy, right?

Mount Horeb treated us to a smile as we pulled into Clarens. It yellows this time of year, the green poplars turning a brilliant gold. Sadly, the golden (Orange) Free State festival fought us with dust, and only a few lush grasses beneath our feet. It would be robbery if I didn’t credit Lush for its location; however, the festival layout could have been better considered.

Lush festival felt like Pinterest hippieville dressed exclusively in H&M, which is not a bad thing if that’s your vibe. The crowd was enthusiastic, if a little dry while the sun was up, but we can’t judge how people feel on the first day. Go Barefoot ran immediately from the gate to the stage and kicked off the weekend with a killer set. Shoulders swayed and silence dawned between tracks as every ear in the venue opened, and every mouth shut.

BOXER followed, having recently released an EP, and they’re at the top of their game. The whole audience stood up to party to the irresistible beats and the group was received with open arms.

Josh Kempen took to the stage shortly after – all band members were present with Saul Nossel on Drums, Noah Bamberger on keyboard, and Jenny Dison filling the air with dreamy backup vocals. Josh has a charisma that captivates audiences. Not a lyric was missed as the full attention of the marquee focused on his heartfelt music.

At this point I was pretty ravenous, so it was time to explore the food stalls. This is an important part of the festival experience; you need to know what kind of sustenance will best keep you alive for jolling long into the night. I was quickly captured by the loud invitations of Sumting Fresh, who make the best parmesan chicken IN THE WORLD. If you spot them, eat their food. I don’t even eat chicken. Take it from me.

It was then that I realised a couple of impracticalities at this festival:

Parking was situated pretty far from both the camp sites and festival, requiring a hop, skip and a stumble in the dust between party and home base.
The significant lack of toilet paper FROM DAY TWO. This is basic.
The layout was also confusing and reminded me of a less-harsh Oppikoppi that doesn’t try as hard to kill you.

I don’t think the organisers are oblivious to these issues though; a recent post on the event portrayed a lot of transparency around what the problems were and how they plan to address them in the future.

This festival has a lot of potential, and offers a great alternative for Gauteng- and Free State-based folks, particularly if they continue to share a majority of their line-up with Splashy Fen. However, if this festival wants to compete with boutique fests such as Mieliepop, their lineup is going to have to bring something really special.

I was sad to miss Adelle Nqeto, Abbey Grange, Goodluck, Grassy Spark and Pop Art Live, all of which contributed to a grander Lush experience than my short window could have.

What bothered me the most was the significant lack of diversity at this festival. I’m left wondering if our industry is even aware of its exclusivity. I didn’t see any artists of colour during my time at Lush, though I know a few were booked. How do we address inclusivity in our scene? Perhaps an article of its own.

Shortstraw took up their headline slot and did what they do best – performed to a crowd that knew every line of every song and competed with the sound system for attention. The crux of the performance was during Tom Revington’s guitar solo in Keanu Reeves, when a member of Al Bairre charged the stage and mounted Tom on his shoulders. He performed the entire solo elevated, and somehow managed to kill it, as usual. This band brings something special to each performance, particularly at festivals, and this was no different.

An early start is the nature of the tour beast, so an early night was the reality for most of the squad. A few stayed up, however, and caught a squeaky gumboot in the rave forest, a tree-filled wonderland made exclusively for dance. This was one of the most spectacular elements of this festival, and I hope to see it again next year.