Hit the mountains for Splashy Fen

ANNUAL music festival, Splashy Fen will once again be held from 3 to 6 April and will offer a line-up of more than 80 of the country’s hottest acts.

Credited for projecting many new artists into the big time, this year’s Splashy Fen, sponsored by Tourism KZN, will be no exception.

The festival, now in its 26th year, has debuted countless young bands, many of which went on to become household names across the country.

South Africa’s international blues maestro Dan Patlansky always credits Splashy Fen with helping him launch his career.

He calls his debut at Splashy in 2002 his first ‘really big gig’ and one that opened doors to more bookings.

Says festival organiser Pedro Carlo: ‘As one of the premier live music showcases in the country, Splashy is obviously a great way for up-and-coming artists to share their music with larger audiences, and we’re passionate about giving them that opportunity.’

‘Of course, it’s great to have top established artists in the line-up, but it’s often the lesser-known names that make the biggest impression and become the ‘finds’ of the festival. For us, a successful line-up is one that includes a balanced mix of new and established artists.’

Last year’s winner of Splashy Fen’s prestigious Battle of the Bands was Mickey Burns.

The Durban five-piece opened the festival last year, which in itself is a huge accolade for any aspiring young band, gaining them invaluable experience on a big festival stage as well as wide media exposure.

The band then went on to record their debut single Recovery, which is currently receiving airplay and climbing the charts on radio stations around the country.

Some other new acts to look out for are:

Howie Combrink

Eat It While It’s Hot is Howie Combrink’s debut solo album, and what an album it is. Not only did he play all the instruments on each of the 11 tracks, but he also wrote, recorded and produced the entire album. Having just recently bagged two nominations for the 2015 South African Music Awards in the categories Best Newcomer of the Year and Best Adult Contemporary Album, Combrink is certainly hot right now.

Based in Johannesburg, Combrink describes his music as ‘acoustic funk reggae folk’ and there is also a strong pop sensibility deeply entwined in his song writing.

Die Wolwedans

Arising from the ashes of The AK Massive, Die Wolwedans has been around for six months.

Lead singer and guitarist Mark McMahon says the four-piece band was formed because they all missed the live music scene.

Explaining the name, McMahon says, ‘It is taken from a cult 1970s Afrikaans radio show, Wolwedans in die Skemer.

Wolwedans translates into ‘The Wolf’s Dance’, which is the perfect South African hipster rock ‘n roll name.

Moonchild Sanelly

If a sexy underground take on a fusion of jazz, R&B, pop, rock and poetry sounds good to you, then the gorgeous Moonchild Sanelly is your lady.

Recording and performing with a five-piece band, this unconventional young artist honed her skills on the Durban music scene.

Visitors can look forward to multiple stages, a new EDM marquee featuring more than 30 DJs, as well as a craft beer arena, drum village, loads of food and drink outlets, plus a colourful craft market and retail zone.

For more information, visit www.splashyfen.co.za for full programme.