Yes! Alive indeed! Following up on my previous article of OppiKoppi 21 that took place last year, I'm back, and ready to tell you about my trip to the Unsea.
A quick summary of what OppiKoppi is: 22 years ago a bunch of lads in Limpopo, South Africa, decided to get together on a farm in the middle of nowhere and set up a stage to jam out to some music whilst enjoying a nice warm beer.
22 years later, approximately 20 000 humans storm the gates with vehicles filled with friends, booze and great attitudes. There, these humans go through a 3-5 day metamorphosis (Depending on how brave you are).
(Above, a human in metamorphosis)
A sweaty, dusty, drunk creature hatches. Legend says that the music and lighting preys on the power of these humans, therefore rendering most of them useless the next day. Of course, others being strong willed keep driving through night and day(Or until dehydration kicks in) making OppiKoppi the very heart of the South African music scene.
This human, yes, that's me, the guy with the beard at the back, and his trusty companions had a great time!
The main international band was August Burns Red from USA, a potent mixture to combine to amazing local acts such as Fokofpolisiekar, Bittereinder, The Kiffness and De Wallen.
Personally one of my favorite acts was De Wallen. A straight up in your face, kicking your shin, old school Rock 'n Roll band from Stellenbosch, Western Cape.
Now these dudes bring back the true nitty gritty 80's style trashcan kicking, whiskey gargling, air guitaring essence to what I see as a "lacking" rock scene in South Africa. Killer riffs, pulsing kicks, crashing cymbals and soaring vocals made De Wallen the best band at OppiKoppi 22 for me! If you'd like to have a look a them, here's their facebook link!
https://www.facebook.com/DeWallenBand/
Now, here's the twist. I worked at the Main bar, which was chaotic 19/5 (Kinda like 24/7). We were issued staff tents which I didn't quite fit into, and we were allocated right next to the DJ's main stage.
Sleep deprived, living on Pap(kinda like semonella) and beer and having a 30:70% ratio of oxygen to dust, Mordor tests the best and worst side of you. Nevertheless, it was a glorious experience!
If you want to know more about my previous encounters at OppiKoppi, check out my previous article!
In Dust We Trust!
(All images taken from the OppiKoppi and De Wallen facebook page)