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REGIONAL ROUND-UP
ROCKING THE DAISIES COMBINING INTERNATIONAL STARS SUCH AS THE 1975 WITH A SLEW OF LOCAL TALENT, ROCKING THE DAISIES RETURNS FOR ITS 14TH YEAR. TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH THE TEAM TASKED WITH DESIGNING AND PRODUCING THE FESTIVAL, BAD WEATHER PRODUCTIONS.
Taking place in Cape Town over the weekend of 4-6 October, this year’s iteration of the annual Rocking the Daisies music festival saw international acts such as the UK’s The 1975, American rapper, Russ, and Australian indie artist Tash Sultana, join a range of popular South African stars including Nasty C, Sho Madjozi and Busiswa. Tasked with designing and producing the festival was Bad Weather Productions. The creative design company has a longstanding relationship with festival owners, Steyn Entertainment, having delivered full design and technical production on Rocking the Daisies, as well as Johannesburg festival, In the City, for
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the past three years. “We have formed a close working relationship and consult throughout the year to bring these world-class events to life,” opened Bad Weather Productions Creative Director, Jonathan Bandli. “Each year, the festival has adapted and always strives to bring the most relevant musicians from South Africa and around the world. This is reflected in the consistent and increasing attendance of not only Rocking the Daisies, but also In the City, Johannesburg.” This year’s Rocking the Daisies was set across three main arenas: The Can Do Main Stage, the Visa Beach Club and the Johnnie Walker Jungle. From a technical standpoint, the stages and
structures have also gone through different stages of evolution. In the early years of Rocking the Daisies, an electronic dome was a massive feature, however with hip-hop now far more popular, this has been replaced by a heavily clad set structures with technical elements to highlight organic materials and textures. “A festival of this scale demands a massive amount of structures and technical equipment and wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of several different technical suppliers around the country,” commented Bandli. “It was incredible to see how seamlessly these companies work together to create the amazing stages and experiences at Rocking the