“Jo’burg a-r-e you
ready?” screeched spirited front-woman Skin to a sea of 11,000 indie rockers at
Friday’s Vodacom In the City in downtown Jo’burg’s Mary Fitzgerald Square. As Cass’ bass-beat pulsed through the bodies
of the sweat-streaked fans, the air was filled with thousands of cellphones
held up to capture Skunk Anansie’s long-awaited return to South Africa. As the
unofficial headline act of the evening, they thrilled the crowds with Skin’s
crowd surfing, cementing the iconic British band’s performance as one of the
best ever seen in SA.
The whole vibe of the
festival was electric! As the only local
act on the line up, Al Bairre played an outstanding opening set, so it’s no
surprise that they’d won the Vodacom ‘Open the City’ competition that saw over
18,500 votes from the public.
Alternative UK indie
rock quartet alt-J were welcomed in traditional alt-J fashion with the crowd
displaying the band’s triangle ∆ symbol with their fingers. When the opening chords of their hit single
‘Tesselate’ echoed off the stage, you couldn’t even hear the band for the crowd
singing along.
Swedish rockers The
Hives stole the show in their custom tailored mariachi outfits. Previously quoted as saying that they ‘hoped
the crowds would go crazy’, they were not disappointed – who wouldn’t go nuts
to The Hives’ highly rated live show?
‘Go right ahead’ and ‘Walk Idiot Walk’ were clear favourites and
vocalist Pelle Almqvist’s showmanship and scissor kicks went down a treat.
The final act of the
evening was German DJ Boys Noize, who closed the festival with his techno EDM
beats and one final burst of party energy.
Presenting sponsor
Vodacom’s concert-first free Wi-Fi, recharge stations, sound-proof phone-boxes
and photo booths were a hit, as were Jose Cuervo’s Watering Holes that were
dotted around the square. Those who
tweeted a hashtag of themselves being a party animal stood the chance to win a
signed guitar.
Revellers flocked to
GWM’s recently launched quirky C20R hatchback for the opportunity to win a
tablet with Vodacom data. Wrapped in the
event’s branding, the affordable crossover added a level of fun to the night.
Seed Experiences, the
award-winning company behind the event, pulled out all the stops to ensure the
best consumer experience ever. Not only
did they put the best production and security teams in place, but they
installed a 140m bar and booked 300 bar staff to ensure minimum time queuing
for drinks to give fans maximum time in front of the stage.
Recognised as one of
the edgiest and most anticipated music events on the South African calendar,
Vodacom In the City 2013 has taken Jo’burg festivals to the next level. Keep your eye on facebook.com/InTheCityJHB
for all the 2014 line-up.
This year was crazy, we had a great rocking time, can't wait for next year, Thank you Vodacom, seed experiences, jose Cuervo’s and one-eyed jack
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