I know it’s customary to write these things straight after an event, but instead, I chose to digest my Up the Creek festival experience first.
By now you have probably already read about the amazing line-up and killer collaborations.
If you haven’t yet (Where have you been?!), here’s a quick recap of some of the stand out acts.
The December Streets pleasantly surprised me. While they are still young, these boys definitely know how to get a party started.
Watching Luna Paige share the stage with one of my personal heroes, Piet Botha was ethereal. Luna’s dreamy vocals next to Piet’s worked perfectly, setting the scene for other big things to come.
Among these “bigger things” was Doc John on stage with Dan Patlansky, Gareth Wilson beeming like a schoolgirl when Southern Gypsy Queen and Kobus from Black Cat Bones taking over the stage during Shadowclub’s set.
Karen Zoid gave one of the best performances I’ve seen her do (and I’ve seen many) on Saturday evening. It felt like the rocker chick we all loved has come back, with extra laid-back confidence.
What I really want to focus on here though, is the brilliance that makes Up the Creek such a great all-round experience.
Though I only have two Up the Creek years behind me, the festival has already become my favourite on the calendar.
This is partly because of the music, partly because of the environment, a little bit about the attitude of festival goers and a lot about the seamless machine that is Up the Creek.
The festival has been going for yonks, which means that most of the technical issues were ironed out a long time ago.
No matter how much littering goes on the night before, the next morning the festival grounds are almost spotless.
Besides a slight issue with the showers on Saturday, I was able to get a hot shower at a respectable hour, in a CLEAN bathroom. Oh, and there was always toilet paper. Being a girl, this is one very big important factor.
Also, the festival seems to attract an older crowd, which means there is not as much of the drunken rowdiness that usually goes with festivals. Most of the people are there for the music, which means you don’t have as many idiots to deal with.
Up the Creek has always been a relatively small festival. This year felt a lot bigger. I sincerely hope the intention is not to start allowing more and more people through the gate.
One of the charms of Up the Creek is the intimacy of the affair.
Whether you find yourself floating next to one of your favourite musicians in the creek, or singing along with them to a band- the camaraderie of “creekers” is an experience in itself.