By Ash
On the 28th of December 2018, I set off with my crew towards the Northern Drakensberg – to kick off what would become a 2018 New Year’s jol to be remembered!
The Smoking Dragon NYE festival is held at the Amphitheatre Backpackers every year from the 29th – 31st of December. The uKhahlamba Drakensberg means the Dragon Mountain and stretches for 150km separating Lesotho from SA. In winter, the mountain becomes layered with the fluff of snow and at night smoke can be seen coming out of the valleys from the fires of the locals and hikers. The smoke of the fire and the cold morning mist become that of the Dragons Smoke.
Leaving the Spruit and following the backroads towards the Free State took us on an interesting journey through small little towns, pothole-filled roads and flatlands- they say that you know you have entered the Free State when your dog runs away from you and you can see him running for 3 days. After 6 hours of travelling it was time for a pitstop, a beer stop more accurately and we settled down in Harrismith for the next hour. Here we stocked up on our food and booze for the next few days and we set off once again towards our destination, travelling on the most picturesque road. Having not seen this part of the country since I was a child, I was awestruck at the beauty of South Africa and the constant diversity in the landscape we too casually take for granted.
We finally arrived at Amphitheatre Backpackers, a day before the festival would begin and we set up our tent, got our things in order and set off to explore our home for the next few days. WOW. As a backpacker myself, I have seen and stayed in countless backpackers but I had yet to experience a place like this. A standing piece of artwork – the best way I could describe where we had just arrived. The outside scenery was that out of a painting, with the famous mountain encircling us and the green fields for as far as the eyes could see. The backpackers itself was a conglomeration of wonderfully thought out architecture, interior and exterior design, embraced by a rustic nostalgic style that was begging to be explored.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music Blog)
We had a few drinks at the bar, danced within the cosiness of good music and well-insulated walls and took in a deep breath of like-mindedness, festivity and excitement for what would be to come. The backpackers itself, including the bar, was to be part of the VIP area for the next few days and sported a Jacuzzi two steps from getting your drink and a sauna. How cool? The first night, festival goers were already getting into the swing of things, with big laughs and fewer worries, enjoying the Jacuzzi and sipping on a beer. Outside encompassed a particularly inviting swimming pool, surrounded by rocks and great lighting.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music Blog)
On the 29th, the festival began in the early afternoon and the tents started becoming more densely populated, the food stalls began popping up and the stretch tents were being assembled. With the rush of people pulling in from all across the country (mostly GP actually), it started to become packed. But not Oppi packed – being quite an intimate festival in my books. This meant that if you happened to meet someone one night, you were bound to pop into them the following day – whether you liked it or not.
The festival boasted four stages, the Pink Tent supported and advocated LGBTQ rights, “LOVE IS LOVE” was the motto of the day, where everyone was free to be who they wanted to be. The Fringe Tent was a space supporting new musos and up and coming artists. Heaps of Hip Hop, Poetry, Jazz and Afro music could be heard here. The Ripple Zone Tent was one of the nicest spots, right next to the dam and with the amphitheatre mountain as a backdrop. Here DJs and bands kept the crowd entertained while they cooled off from the blistering heat.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music Blog)
The Electric Jungle (my personal favourite, of course) was the place to be from dusk till dawn with a wide array of DJ’s killing it and keeping us electro kids entertained for hours on end. Whether you were interested in techno, house, trance, drum and bass, trap or dubstep – you were accounted for. Lastly, the Mainstream Tent was where all the big acts could be found, with every day wearing a new theme – 29th was Smoking Diva, 30th was The Best of Last Year and the 31st was a Smoking Hot New Year’s Eve Jol.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music Blog)
To keep things a bit more interesting, various activities were taking place throughout the festival – giving the crowd a bit of a break from dancing, listening and singing and allowing them to express themselves in other ways. At 10 AM morning, Yoga took place at the Ripple Tent, overlooking the dam – the dam which also offered festival-goers the opportunity to cool down, make mud masks and throw each other with ‘seaweed’ balls.
Firestone Tyres kept the crowd entertained and in stitches with their Karaoke VW van – what a joke. This was definitely one of the highlights for me, walking from tent to tent and waiting at the food stalls, the beautiful sounds of seals screaming coming out of those vans kept the tears rolling.
After the second day at Smoking Dragon, you get the feel of the weather and even though it’s drastic you know what to expect – wake up in your tent smothered by heat, rush out to try to get some fresh air, get no fresh air. Have a shower, have a swim, have a drink and COOL DOWN. OR at least try. Prepare for the rain. In the late afternoon the rain pours down, your tent gets soaked and you’re left running from tent to tent looking for some good music and shelter.
The line-up for Smoking Dragon 2018 did not leave room for much expectation. Personally, most of the acts were unknown to me other than a few headliners such as Tidal Waves, Nonku Phiri, Mi Casa, PHFat, Niskerone, Ryan Murgatroyd, Haezer and so on.
However, it was the acts I was not prepared for that managed to blow my socks off (even though I was barefoot). PG13, an Afropunk band, started my goosebumps off with their African style metal. Spoken poetry mixed with powerful vocals and beautiful, driving instrumentals leaves you jumping, dancing, crying and stopping in awe. Alt-pop duo from Cape Town, Lo Ghost had me trembling at my feet with their heart crunching lyrics and attention demanding stage presence. Sun-Xa Experiment was a breath of fresh air with their spiritual and culturally unique performance. Rambling Bones pulled on my indie heart with their folk and soulful sounds – who were then followed by the talented trio which makes Savage Lucy.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music Blog)
The Electric Jungle had me stomping and splashing to the sounds of GREAT TECHNO and spine shaking bass drops. Artists such as Pascal and Pearce and Mark Stent had me in shock as they steered away from their usual commercial acts and pumped some hard driving tunes to the fully accepting crowd. Psytrance DJ, Headroom had me making holes in the ground until 6 am the next day, whilst artists such as Groove Doctorz and Shaolin Funk introduced themselves to my playlist with a banging entry.
(photo by Ash/Small Town Music blog)
The Electric Jungle had me stomping and splashing to the sounds of GREAT TECHNO and spine shaking bass drops. Artists such as Pascal and Pearce and Mark Stent had me in shock as they steered away from their usual commercial acts and pumped some hard driving tunes to the fully accepting crowd. Psytrance DJ, Headroom had me making holes in the ground until 6 am the next day, whilst artists such as Groove Doctorz and Shaolin Funk introduced themselves to my playlist with a banging entry.
Whilst Smoking Dragon was one jol of a New Year’s party, there are always some grey areas that could be improved for the future. The general ablution blocks (porter potties) were out of order for what felt like every morning. The bar staff had what I expect to be no previous training in the art of pouring a drink, and after a while, the safest bet was to just buy beer. Even ordering 3 Jägermeister’s seemed a challenge as they all got poured into one glass? Ice ran out way too quickly and the partnership with It’sNot Made in China water was great and all for art sake, but R15 for a bottle of water was a bit steep. Or was it R17? OR WAS IT R25? We will never know because the prices seemed to fluctuate with each passing hour.
The food stalls that left an impression on my crew and I was the vegan truck – Flipside Café, with delicious alternatives including vegan cheeseburgers, hot dogs, burritos, activated charcoal lemonade (great after a heavy night) and sweet potato fries. The Pizza Cone was a hit within my friends’ group but left a bitter taste in my mouth – so mixed reviews. However, we were lucky enough to have a pancake and coffee stall right outside our tent for the duration of the festival – which came in real handy for a stubborn hangover.
All in all, WHAT A BLAST. Thank you to all the organisers that made Smoking Dragon 2018 possible, to Amphitheatre Backpackers for hosting us, to the musicians that make it worth every minute and to all the crazy individuals who keep us going – CHEERS.
Til’ next time, LONG LIVE THE DRAGON.
