I know I usually do a full Splashy Fen review, but this year the guys and girls from Blunt magazine not only beat me to it, but wrote such a classic piece that I don't think I want to compete. There's even an awesome montage video! Check it out at Blunt magazine:

http://www.bluntmag.co.za/site/awdep.asp?depnum=25036

We're back from the second White Mountain festival which was a roaring success in every meaningful way: great music, chilled out vibes, warm fires, good facilities and bucketfuls of beer.

As promised, it was unlike the carnage of Splashy, instead more of a grown-up affair that never threatened to get out of control.

"I dunno... I'm a bit tired..." I sighed feebly down the phone. On the other side my friend was convincing me to attend the Levi's gig at Blue Waters hotel.

"You're on the list, you have to come!" he protested, suggesting that somehow being important enough to make a guest list would be sufficient to persuade me to go.

Turns out, it was. I'm shallow like that. But it also turns out that the "guest list" at the door was divided into thick volumes, quite like a telephone directory, and that the only people paying the R20 entrance fee were a few plebby tourists who wandered down from their rooms to investigate why the pictures were falling off their bedroom walls.

As I reflected on the fantastic turn-out, I realised that there was some critically important psychology behind the "guest list", something that all would-be promoters should take note of.

Magna CartaLast year there was quite a bit of fanfare surrounding the first of the 'White Mountain Folk Festivals'. I hate to be the one who re-opens old wounds, but in this case I'm going to have to do my part and make a pre-emptive strike, so that when Lloyd Gedye writes another whining piece about how White Mountain is too white, there'll at least be a paper trail as defense. My plea goes like this:

If there are any black people out there listening, PLEASE do make an effort to come along. The 'white' in 'White Mountain' does not allude to any racial discrimination, I swear. Even though I've never been before, I can highly recommend many of the fantastic artists that will be performing and I'm sure you'll love them too.

The master is back by popular demand, playing to a full house crowd at Catalina Theatre on Wilson's Wharf. He's still doing some amazing guitar magic, but with a slightly different twist to his set - it's more accessible, with a few extra upbeat numbers, including a new track called "D.I.Y." that is a major play into more easy-listening blues style.

Nasty, urban techno with a smear of street filth: that's the sound of Liberator! Kicked into life in 1996 by underground free party addicts, the liberator dj's and Paul Harding have gone on to exemplify everything modern techno should be - twisted, hard, gritty, punchy and alive with the noise and feel of the city. Consistently gut-wrenching, never less than mind-bending. Techno is the dirty underbelly Liberator sound. All hail the new scum!

Friday night at the Bat Centre was nothing short of that - a perfect flow of electronic mayhem. A live performance by Seake was a great start to the evening as their beats take on quite the minimal feel, and towards the end had many a toe tapping and head twitching. The change in dancefloor set-up led many to observe from behind in the early part of the night, but by the end of Seake's set enough alcohol had been absorbed by the wriggling tummies of those who had been the brave few to occupy the floor! A big thank you goes out to Luke and Malcolm for doing a benefit set in light of the high event costs for the hosting of Chris Liberator!

I decided that this review would not resort to the cheap tactic of throw-away cliche lines, like "Durban's liberation at the hands of techno legend dj" or "A liberating experience techno style"...nah that would be cheap and nasty...

So the Bat Centre Friday the 27th, saw another Trip Hazard party mission going down eThekweni style, with a slightly different flavour. Durban is most known for supporting breaks, hip-hop and house, so how was this world renowned techno DJ going to be received...

For a while now, Radar Complex has supported other acts at various venues around the city. That's not a bad strategy to get started, but it sometimes resulted in a clash of vibes, where their special breed of chilled-out lounge music didn't get a perfect response from a crowd geared up for hard rock or electro.

So what do you do when the right jol for your tunes doesn't exist? Why, you MAKE that jol happen! And this is precisely what they did on Saturday night: hooked up help from various other interested parties and set up an event that complemented their music to perfection!

I kid you not, there were gorgeous chicks running in this year's 13th race! Ladies, this is a tradition that I would really love to see more female representation in. Don't let the guys have all the fun, get naked and represent dammit!

Here's a video of the two sweethearts on the close side of the track. Guys, see if you can spot them in the sausage fest, clicking on the image on the right may give you a clue.

Ladies... well, just enjoy!

Balloon headed monkeys mingle with faceless children, talking loaves of bread, and limbless Christmas shoppers. The pick of Icebox for me was definitely this animated short called "Marvelous, Keen Loony Bin", a surreal and exquisitely produced piece of art.

For those who don't know, Icebox is a collection of animation and visual art totaling just over an hour, screened this year at the Kwasuka Theatre as part of the DIFF. This was to be followed by a very well-promoted "party of the year" event involving the Rustpunk crew, at a bit of an unusual venue.