Bushfire line-up performs to sold-out crowd
Mpho Tlale | Wednesday June 4, 2014 16:34
The festival, which took place from Friday to Sunday once again proved its popularity by selling out.
The police worked hard to put everything under control as people crowded the House on Fire in Malkerns Valley to purchase tickets, only to be turned away owing to tickets being sold out.
The organiser of the event Jiggs Thorne expressed that because of last minute planning people always get disappointed when tickets sell out. He said that every year the festival plays host to a multi-generational global community of up to 20,000 people.
Thorne added that he is happy with how the festival has grown over the years and still continues to gain momentum. He said that the beauty of the Bushfire Festival is that it has a diverse line up of music from different genres and artists from all over the world.
The festival, which started on Friday evening kept the audience on their toes. The main stage hosted performances by Red Five Point Star from Slovenia, Muzart, Eppelsauce and Spoek Mathambo who gave an unorthodox but breathtaking performance.
The highlight of the evening however came in the form of Christine Salem from the Reunion Islands. With her deep sultry voice, Salem mesmerised the audience with her deep soulful vocals and trance-like state of performance.
Although Saturday started on a slow note, things picked pace quickly as patrons brought their fire to the Malkerns Valley. Saturday has always been the highlight of the festival and it indeed lived up to the reputation. Patrons dined, drank, danced and above everything enjoyed the pleasures of good live music while lying down under the Swazi sun on the lawn. Families brought their young ones who also got a chance to enjoy at their kiddies’ corner.
Performers on the day included Bongo Maffin who were in their element and performed way better than they did in Botswana recently. Swaziland’s own jazzman Bholoja also worked his magic.
However, everything was sealed by a performance from Ladysmith Black Mambazo as they showed their versatility for over an hour onstage. From the high energy-charged dance moves to their rich husky voices, Ladysmith showed that they still rule. The nine-man group had the audience begging for more. Oliver Mtukudzi who worked his ‘Tuku’ magic followed them.