Written by: Tiisetso Tlelima
Mzansi’s only backyard music festival, JawFest, returns for another ten-hour kick-ass party in Midrand this October. It may be small, but the festival has all the ingredients of a first-rate outdoor music festival: there’s great music, you can bring your own beer and meat to braai and there’s even camping so there’s no need to drive home afterwards. The only difference is that it takes place in a very relaxed environment in someone’s garden and it’s free! The idea to start JawFest was born two years ago when four music fans decided to create their own festival to honour a friend who missed Woodstock 2007 festival because of a jaw operation she had had that weekend.
They called a few people, organized a sound system and convinced established musos such as Tim Kroon of Heroes Wear Red and David Baudains of New Academics to play for free. Since then the festival has grown significantly doubling in size with every event. The last event attracted about 90 people and 150 music fans have been confirmed for the upcoming JawFest 6. Bands like SAMA nominated Underbelly, Lindsay McGuire, Myepic, Future Records and the Holly & The Woods have played in previous events. “Jawfest is the only festival of its kind,” says festival organizer, Cyril The Shark. “It allows established artists to perform [alongside] artists who have never performed before.” The event takes place every three or four months in a different backyard each time.
Fifteen bands have already been confirmed so far for this month’s event, but the organizers prefer to keep the line-up a secret to add to the mystique. “It’s not just about bands, you know? We also want to encourage people who’ve never played in front of a crowd to step up and play a debut gig. In the ever changing music scene JawFest has become a way for new bands to showcase their talents or to hone their live skills in a relaxed and positive environment.”
JawFest accommodates all artists who want to showcase their material or those who just want to have a jam no matter what their genre or style is.
The gig takes place on the 24th of October. For more info visit www.facebook.com/jawfest. To make a submission to perform or for location details email cyril@nativenoise.co.za.
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