 | What happens in Joburg stays in Joburg and if you put in enough effort you probably won’t remember most of it anyway… The days preceding Jozifest are consumed by the controversy of Die Antwoord pulling out – after being invited to the David Letterman Show – and HAEZER pulling out due to a commitment to the Paul Van Dyk event in Cape Town and the lack of Red Eye flights to jet him up to Joburg afterwards. With two of ...read more |
What Happens in Joburg
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 by Angela Weickl, images by Mack Michael Magagane
Tall Man Crush
Monday, February 13th, 2012 by Andrei Van Wyk, images by Paris Brummer
 | Formal seating always throws everyone off. The venue, built for a classic ensemble or self-help seminar, contrasts with the dingy bar gigs we are all used to. People are spilling drinks on the red carpet as they stumble through the ticket check. As I speak to people, and eavesdrop on conversations, one refrain becomes apparent; the majority of the audience do not know any of the acts playing. ...read more |
Old People and Farmers
Friday, February 10th, 2012 by Kai Linder, images by Richard Johnson
 | After spreading the word and love of Up the Creek, I was a little worried that 2012 would not measure up to expectations. Let’s be honest, I have fallen for festivals in the past. I’ve sung their praises to my friends and exhorted them to join me for the next year, only to be bitterly disappointed by masses of new people, huge lines of humanity and being horribly overcharged. Thus, I entered the gates of Up the Creek with just ...read more |
Ten$ion
Thursday, February 9th, 2012 by Roger Young
 | Every artist essentially returns again and again to the same themes. For Ninja it’s jealousy and fame (‘Jou Ma Se Poes In A Fish Paste Jar’, ‘I Fink U Freeky’), For Yo-landi, it’s identity and place, (“My naam is Yo-landi Vi$$er and I’m all up in this place” – ‘Fok Julle Naaiers’). For myself it’s the role of memory and fiction in creating personal history (that is, always being the guy who has to review Die Antwoord albums). ...read more |
Beats as Baton
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 by Roger Young, images by Dave Southwood
 | The stagnant, leaf filled water dimly reflects the fading light glancing off the back of the mountain. Under the unfinished swimming pool is a secret tunnel that ends in what was probably meant to be a room for some sort of electronic control devices, temperature, filtration, and the mechanism to open the doors to the underground rocket launch pad. The abandoned mansion has a whiff of ridiculously grand ideals just out of reach, it’s heart-breaking, and yet almost comically whimsical. ...read more |
Idealistic Animals
Monday, February 6th, 2012 by Toast Coetzer
 | Whilst I saw Harris Tweed (Dear Reader singer Cherilyn Macneil’s previous band) live back in the day and was aware of the waves Dear Reader’s first album made, I only ever really listened to that album (2009’s Replace Why With Funny) properly after Idealistic Animals had already been spinning in my car for weeks. In a way then, Idealistic Animals arrived in my ears with very little pre-story or expectation. ...read more |
One on One | The Roots
Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by Ts'eliso Monaheng
 | Driven by their street-corner beginnings and dreams to one day make it ‘big’, The Square Roots started off in earnest in 1993 as a five-piece formation. In the years which have elapsed since then, they have managed to inhabit a corner in hip hop that is distinctly theirs, while toying with music that is heavily-layered and rife with social commentary. Do you want more, their debut on the then rock-only label Geffen records, went by largely ignored, but they introduced ...read more |
Oh Snap!
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 by Themba Kriger
 | Christian Tiger School were already playing when we arrived. He had wanted to get there earlier, but had lost track of time, watching YouTube videos and hitting bongs. On the way to the bar he takes off my lens cap and switches me on, making sure everything is still set to ‘Auto’. He turns on the flash, and takes a few crowd shots. Little hipsters in training, none older than 22. The flashing catches the attention of two chicks in ...read more |
Where The Jazz Cats Graze
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 by Max Barashenkov, images by Jonx Pillemer
 | He could watch Kesivan Naidoo play the drums for hours. He would get stoned and surrender to the careless but precise flicks, the blistering snare rolls, the myriad of movements that somehow conjured a unified sound. He did not understand this music, his closest references being Weather Report and Miles Davis. ...read more |
Bass in the Background
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 by Themba Kriger
 | It was late afternoon, but the sun still hovered high in the sky, avoiding the horizon like a child wanting to stay up for the late night movie. Francois was leaning against the bar, drinking his double brandy and coke in large gulps in an effort to keep cool. He brushed his fingers through his straight, black hair, combing it to the left, partially covering the undercut on that side, while examining the people strewn out across the rooftop. ...read more |
