WILLOW-RUBY VAN DER BERG
This year several students decided to sell their Rocking the Daisies tickets for various reasons. For some it was a case of being a more responsible student and rather using the time to focus on their studies, while others felt that the ticket prices did not fit their budgets. Then there was also the fact that Daisies enforced a new rule where people weren’t allowed to take their own alcohol into the festival area.
Many music enthusiasts also seem to frown upon the festival these days as it has shifted from rock to mainstream music. Endless Daze music festival, hosted by Psych Night and Vans South Africa, is the perfect substitute for those seeking world class rock music at a budget-friendly, outdoor festival. Oh yes, whenever Psych Night is involved with something, you know it’s going to be good.
Psych Night was started by five passionate music-lover friends from Cape Town, and since 2012 they have done an impressive job of putting alternative music on the map in Cape Town. After partnering with Vans South Africa, they were able to tour nine international bands through South Africa, including Nightbeats, Black lips, Allah-las, Froth and Thee Oh Sees.
In 2016 Psych Night kicked off the Endless Daze music festival, this being inspired by one of their favorite music festivals, Levitation.
“Four out of the five of us have attend Levitation (formerly Austin Psych Fest) in Texas and loved it. It’s no secret that Endless Daze has been heavily influenced by them. The celebration of the strange at that festival was (and still is) hugely inspiring. Also, the smaller scale is something that has always appealed to us,” says André Leo, one of the members of Psych Night.
Endless Daze is a boutique music festival that takes place from 2-4 November at the Silwerstroom resort along the beautiful West Coast.
“It’s the perfect size for us to ensure that we can host a safe, clean and comfortable festival. The fact that it’s close to Cape Town is a big bonus. And, of course, the ocean can’t really be beat,” says Leo.
Endless Daze showcases some of the best international and local psych rock talent and the lineup for this year is one for the books.
The latest announcement to join the bill is a US outfit called A Place To Bury Strangers. Adding to the magic is fellow American psych rock legend Dead Meadow that was formed in 1998 and is known for hits like ‘Sleepy Silver Door’ and ‘What Needs Must Be’. Then there is of course the psych-rock veterans: We Intend To Cause Havoc (WITCH), a Zambian rock band that dates all the way back to the 70s who were joined by the Dutch Musician, Jacco Gardener, in 2016 to form the six-person ensemble which will entertain us in the first weekend of November.
No time to get short of breath now because the names keep on coming faster than a punk band on a mission. The Swedish post-punk/coldwave band, Nonn, is added to the mix, and to stir it up even more is Candice Gordon – the lovely Berlin based Dubliner who always gets us with her tongue-in-cheek humour between her existential lyrics. Lastly, we have A.S. Fanning, the singer-songwriter from Dublin who knows how to mix folk music, 60’s psychedelia and gothic rock ‘n roll better than anyone else.
That’s not all, folks! Psych Night have also included some of South Africa’s best psychedelic rock bands to the bill.
“There definitely isn’t a drought of weird, wild and wonderful sounds,” says Leo about the local psych rock scene. This is evident with the local talent who will be hitting the stage.
Medicine Boy, Runaway Nuns, Black Lung, Black Math, Holy Funk, Kidofdoom, The Brother Moves, Diamond Thug, Sakawa Boys, Msaki, Them Fads, Julia Robert, Clayton Human, The Dinosaurs, Yndian Mynah, Dumama & Kechou, Morena Leraba, Luma, The Brothers Moves On, Zoo Lake, Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys and DJ Mighty.
“You gotta see them all,” says Leo.
I don’t know about you, but a weekend along the beautiful West Coast where you have the opportunity to see some of the best psychedelic rock bands live sounds like the best escape from exam stress to me. If you don’t trust me, just take Leo’s word on what Endless Daze means to him: “Tap in. Drop out.”
PHOTO: Dirk Steenkamp
