BY DANÉ DOOGE
DO you love Stellies? Because I Love Stellies. The “Karnaval of Crazy” is the theme of this year’s I Love Stellies festival. And, let’s just say this Saturday looks set to be a lively one. With performances by Fokofpolisiekar, PHFAT and aKING to be expected, the festival might just be as crazy as advertised.
However, it’s not only the big dogs who will be keeping festival goers entertained. Some alternative and remote artists were also invited to the party. These bands include Willim Welsyn, The Valley, Runaway Nuns, Kontras, Red Sheep, Lat Patrollie, Jeandre Swanepoel and more. Everyone who will be hitting the stage on Saturday are sure to rock your first (to final) year socks off.
The Valley’s vocalist, Anton Louw, for instance said that: “We’ve been on our longest hiatus since we formed the band, so we’re really hungry to get back on stage, especially a festival stage in front of a familiar Stellenbosch crowd. You can definitely expect us to be loud and ready,” said Louw.
I Love Stellies is the ideal event for your first jol of the year and is sure to end your Ou-Week on a high note. It’s also not just an event to benefit the party-goers but it is also a marvelous platform to showcase some of South-Africa’s top talent.
“I think it’s exactly what the music scene needs. We’ve seen a few venues disappear over the years that limit the platforms available to musicians. Stellenbosch is the perfect place to host the event with its vibrant student life. Local music needs a lot more support and this is the way to do it.”
Willim Welsyn, who was nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA) in 2018, will also be performing. Welsyn looks to be a real highlight in the day’s proceedings.
“The crowd can expect a very energetic but poetic Afrikaans rock show extraordinaire – no -bonanza. I will also be performing some of my English material from my album Shunt under the pseudonym, William Welfare,” he said.
Welsyn is also very positive about the platform that the festival creates for artists in South Africa.
“I support this platform fully and would like to give a shout out to Markus Oosthuizen and the people of Aandklas who are still very passionate about live original music in Stellenbosch. These people keep the scene alive.”
Not only can you expect to jam along to live music, but I Love Stellies will also feature the craziest of crazy – a foam party, a fat-suit fighting competition and dunking celebrities for charity. For those who are fans of the more traditional activities, there will also be a comedy show and a market with over 70 stalls, so it’s impossible for you to be bored this Saturday.
This festival will be hosted on the Van der Stel sport’s grounds on Saturday, 1 February, from 12:00. If you are keen to join the crazy and have a lekker jol be sure to buy your ticket.
