I put on every scrap of clothing I had, and still couldn’t feel my extremities because of the bone-chilling night-time temperatures. That’s what I recall of the first Oppikoppi festival held in Pretoria two years ago.
The August event took place for many years at the original bushveld venue on the way to Thabazimbi — a golden opportunity to escape Gauteng’s chills and polluted winter air for a few days of balmy weather, cold beer and hot tunes.
The move to Pretoria certainly helped with logistics: getting state-of-the-art equipment for several well-equipped stages — not to mention demanding musicians — to a faraway farm was no mean feat. Many punters were happy not to have to drive along potholed roads for hours to get there, but others lamented the loss of Oppikoppi’s unique atmosphere.
The ever-vigilant Oppikoppi crew took note of these concerns and a few months ago Oppikoppi fans voted online, choosing between another Pretoria festival and a return to the original Oppikoppi. The surprising result was an announcement that both would be taking place this year.
So, taking place over the Women’s Day weekend as usual, will be a bushveld bash of note, titled Hond uit ‘n Box. Oppikoppi’s musical charm has its roots in the variety of genres on offer by established acts as well as newcomers, and this year is no different. Big rock names such as Karen Zoid, Jack Hammer, and Not My Dog stand side-by-side with promising acts such as up-and-coming rockers Prime Circle; former Springbok Nude Girls singer Arno Carstens’s latest project, the innovative New Porn (who have not often been seen up here); the hip-hop poetry of Jo’burg’s Tumi and the Volume; a cross-generational collaboration between Ollie Viljoen and blues-guitar whizz Albert Frost; and Angolan muso Jorge de Almeida.
Young rock bands will strut their stuff on the Black Label Gig Rig stage and the body-rocking dance beats will again be provided by the terrific 206 DJ posse.
At past festivals it has always been thrilling to look down from the titular koppie over the farm, with tents stretching away under the trees. Often these campsites are not much more than an awkwardly parked car and a dilapidated tent, but this year prizes are up for grabs for the festival-goers with the best-looking camp.
Then, from November 28 to 30 (thankfully well into summer) Oppikoppi invades Pretoria once more, with the focus shifting to more progressive acts as well as electronica, theatre and performance art.
The established annual overseas exchange programme this year sees the reunited Max Normal, Godessa and kwaito man Mandoza flying off to the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium and the Lowlands festival in The Netherlands. In return, for the November event the Oppikoppi management is making arrangements with musicians from Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. More international flavour will be lent by a Mmino-funded project hosting artists from Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Oppikoppi succeeds year after year because of its instigators’ unbounded love for music, and its supporters’ loyalty: plan a weekend away and experience it all first-hand.
Who will be there?
Friday:Main stage: Rhütz, Soil 7T7, Cutting Jade, Tidal Waves, Jack Hammer, The Narrow, Misericord; Top stage: Surreal, Luna, Kristoe Strauss, N8ive, Dave Goldblum and Greg Georgiades, Mamba Washamba, Dan Patlanski and Mississippi Muthas, Plum; Gig Rig: Grounded, The Fallen, Orange, Wickhead, Evenflow, Toxic Shame and others.
Saturday: Main stage: Ystervark, Gary Two Teeth, AK Massive, Marlowe, Hog Hoggiddy Hog, The Finkelstiens, Beeskraal, Not My Dog, New Porn, Karen Zoid, Max Normal, Pestroy; Top stage: Andries Bezuidenhout, Trike, Tribe, Jorge de Almeida, Gert Vlok Nel, Ollie Viljoen and Albert Frost, Brothers from the Y, Füz, 340ml, Tumi and the Volume; Gig Rig: Citizen Cane, Killjoy, Walt, Shine, Little Oblivion, Prime Circle, Marlowe and others.
Sunday: Liela Groenewald, Anika and others on the top stage.
Buy tickets at R250 at Gauteng Look and Listen stores, online at Look & Listen or Artslink (or at the gate, of course). More information: online at Oppikoppi’s website or Tel: (012) 460 7431.