If this year’s festival edition was anything to go by, it’s clear that Rocking The Daisies has now morphed into one of SA’s biggest music festivals and is now its own beast entirely.
But while insurmountable highs were experienced, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. Here, Nathan Levinrad takes you through some the highs and lows his experienced at this year’s festivities.
High: The Wait is Over
I felt very fortunate to attend the first Daisies to be held in a whole three years since the pandemic began. This gratitude seemed to be felt by everyone and there was definitely exuberant energy amongst the attendees arriving on Friday.
The event organisers knew how high the stakes were and did not let us down. Steyn Entertainment pulled off a well-run, visually stunning and, maybe, most importantly, incredible-sounding event – the scale of which was the biggest since COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted on gatherings.
It was clear that every artist felt honoured to be there and for good reason, for local and international acts alike, the Daisies crowd was the biggest they had entertained in three years. The gratitude to perform after a long spell of uncertainty seemed to humble every artist I spoke to during the weekend.
Low: So much for Priority Camping
I stayed in the priority camping and despite having separate parking closer to the camping grounds and a separate checking-in line, many campers who had bought the pass remarked that they felt under-catered for.
Firstly, The priority camping queue to get one’s armband was much more congested than the two general camping queues which didn’t seem to make sense.
Secondly, the lines to the showers were also long and slow-moving. I waited over two hours to clean myself for less than six minutes on Saturday morning. There were people in camping chairs who applauded as each person exited the portable cubicles.
It felt as if the festival organisers had failed to adjust accordingly for how many people had purchased priority camping passes.
High: Saba
Chicago rapper Saba had the crowd at The Heineken House Stage going wild on Friday night. As soon as Saba got on stage, he wasted no time getting into his set with technical rapping, crazy breath control and precise flow that blew my mind.
Saba the Saber blasted through his twenty-two setlist with tracks, Starting with his track “One Way, ” “Come My way,” and “Fearmonger” off his latest album Few Good Things. Before launching into fan favourites “Stoney,” “Photosynthesis” and “2012” off of 2016’s Buck List Project.
Despite the high tempo of the show, Saba maintained interactions with the crowd throughout the hour-long performance. This hip hop masterclass ended with tracks “LIFE” –off 2018’s CARE FOR ME–and “Stop That.”
This set was one of the best I have ever been lucky enough to witness. This will go down in the books as one of the best rap performances Daisies has ever hosted–for me second only to the late, great Mac Miller.
High: Ubereats
Queueing in lines is an unavoidable part of any festival experience however the cunning addition of Ubereats pick-up and delivery options at the festival made getting food and drinks much faster.
By ordering food and drinks on one’s Ubereats App, one could spend the time one would have spent waiting to be served at the bar soaking up the vibes and the sunshine.
The Ubereat collab for this year’s Daisies was one of the most effective. When you’re spending the whole weekend walking it’s incredibly satisfying to have a Steer’s cheeseburger delivered to the entrance to the camping site.
Lows: Not Enough Variety at the Food Court.
The selection of vendors at the Food Court, which included local franchises like the OG Butlers Pizza stand, Shawarma X-press and Kauai, kept festival goers fed at all hours.
However, the variety of meals available seemed to start and end with pizza and burgers – both of which were the most widely available at the festival. I think that the event could have benefitted from more light meals, more breakfast options and healthier alternatives to festival staples that are fried and largely carbs.
High: Savanah Beach Club
Since its inception, the Savanna Beach Club has been a favourite of each year of Daisy attendees. This year was no exception with a line-up of the country’s biggest and best names in house music.
The dance floor was covered in beach sand brought in for the express purpose of allowing the crowd to go barefoot. The bar’s close proximity to the dam meant a quick dip was only a short walk away.
This stage catered for house fans on all three days. Beginning on Friday morning as people arrived and it was the last stage still running on Sunday afternoon with a We House Summer takeover including Cassiem Latief, Lawrence Dix and Leighton Moody. Highlights of the stage were Kid Fonque, Sun-El musician and DWSN.
Low: Too many MCs and DJs, not enough bands
Running the risk of sounding like that one out-of-touch music dude, this Daisies had strikingly fewer live music acts than in previous years.
Aside from exceptions like two of the headliners Clean Bandit and X Ambassadors, who both had a phenomenal performances on the Johnny Walker Jungle stage, the festivals line-up was notably missing in live instrumentation.
A festival on the scale of this year’s JWxRTD has the potential to cater for many diverse tastes. It has the mandate to fulfil one of the best parts of attending a festival, the chance to encounter something new and unexpected – whether that’s a live act, a DJ with sick selection or a whole new genre.
For local acts its an opportunity to gain exposure. All I am saying is the festival could have done with more local musicians on this year’s stages.
