With festival fans (ourselves included) gearing up for Splashy ’23, there’s no doubt it’s going to be a fun-filled Easter weekend with music and entertainment for all. And you would be crazy to miss out!
The good vibes have gotten particularly exciting for fans of South Africa’s longest running music festival, who are looking forward to the best selection of musical talent from local and international acts who travel from far and wide to perform at the unforgettable foothills of the Drakensberg.
While the festival’s early focus was folk and light rock, today it sees the inclusion of African music styles, light rock, pop and electro – offering something special for everyone. This said, who better to celebrate and feel the summer vibes with than an act that needs absolutely no introduction … one that is as much a part of the Splashy Fen furniture as the hay bales themselves. Of course, we’re talking about the beat-mashing, party-making, good-vibes-creating Durban duo Veranda Panda.
Veranda Panda (Jane and Liam Magner) have been on our radar for ages. This happy, hopeful and high-energy husband and wife team from Musgrave, celebrated the most incredible wedding just before Covid struck, and then having to spend the better part of their honeymoon phase in lockdown. With the pandemic taking its toll on the entertainment industry, the couple was not spared, but thankfully have moved passed that. Their unlikely combination of electronic dance music (EDM) and violin have become one of the country’s most original and popular acts. Liam and Jane have a repertoire, style and energy that is unmatched by anyone in their field.
Avid festival campers who’ve enjoyed the beauty of Splashy’s location and performed as Veranda Panda for the past decade, the handsome and playful couple are playing at the River Stage this year. It’s the last show of the day – and their favourite kind of gig – where they get to build the set organically with the energy of the crowd. Quite the contrast to Liam’s earlier years spent performing at the festival as part of a comedy band and a three-man rap group.
“I think this is my 24th festival. I started going in 1999, and have not missed a single one since,” says Liam. “I have always maintained that there is magic in those mountains. We call it home. Rolling around the corner and seeing the campsites is always a heart-warming experience. It’s a place where the pressures of the real world are replaced with a sense of mental and physical freedom that is hard to reproduce anywhere else. It’s an X-factor that has become an integral part of our lives. We have memories attached to so many places on the site and, in recent years, it really has matured into a beautifully safe space where people of all ages can mingle and get to know each other.”
They describe their music – using machines and a violin – as a form of energy … electronic, vibey and bass-driven, rather than a genre. Liam is on vocals and live synths and samplers. Jane, a classically-trained violinist and an electronic music producer, who also dabbles in some keys and vocals, is predominantly on the violin. Off stage, she’s got a penchant for playing the guitar, saxophone, Irish penny-whistle, marimba and anything else she can find!
Reflecting on their first gig together, they laugh about the spontaneity of it all.
“It was 2010. I was an MC at the Durban July. Jane was playing with her quartet at the show. We got chatting, and I casually threw her an invite to join me at Origin nightclub where I was a resident at the time. She agreed, and I didn’t actually think she would come. Next thing, there she was … jamming her violin over my DJ set! No rehearsals, no practice! That was that, and so we began doing more and more together, until eventually we became Veranda Panda – the name I’d used as a pseudonym since early 2003 for all my terrible mixtapes! It had an irreverence to it that I always liked … a bit undefinable and casual.”
The two worked together for about six years before admitting that they actually loved each other.
“Working together is the best part of what we do. We both have alternative sources of income, so Veranda Panda is our happy place. We went through plenty of years of building the brand, and fighting with each other. All those years have made where we are now, much easier,” says Liam. “There is a synergy which we are very grateful to have achieved. I think it comes from having to trust each other on stage, and in high pressure situations. It makes everyday problems like a busted geyser seem insignificant, and because of this, we can happily spend weeks at a time together on the road.”
And speaking of road tripping, they’re big fans of scenic, peaceful routes coupled with music that makes them feel.
“This can be anything from a hip-hop instrumental to a Miley Cyrus tune” says Liam. “We have attached many memories to songs and albums over the years, so I guess we do like to get a little sentimental on road trips. We do two major trips across the country every year, and whenever we gear up for these, we make sure we have a playlist of music to sing along to, that will revive a memory and spark a conversation.… from The Dandy Warholes to REM to old BUMP tracks. Just saying this, I’m realising that the music on road trips has often been a catalyst for engagement.”
When it comes to Splashy though, Jane says they like to get there as soon as they can. They always pack the car to the roof and get going before the masses arrive.
“We have always camped at the festival. We used to be happy to roll out of a tent and up onto the stage, but nowadays being a little older, and more serious maybe, we prefer to roll off the bed. That’s not to say Liam might not spend a night sleeping in an Explorer 300 under someone’s gazebo (it’s happened!) but we have found that, as performers, it helps us to prepare better if we have a little space away from things, so we’ve booked accommodation … a stone’s throw from the festival gate … and it’s pet-friendly, as this year we’re taking along our new rabbit, Oscar Wild.”
High on their list of acts to catch during the four-day festival are GoodLuck – as they never disappoint, the Pierce Brothers, Zebra and the Ndlovu Youth Choir.
“In a live performance setting we are most attracted to the energy the performers bring to the crowd, and the experience they create,” says Jane. “From our side, we love an opportunity to free ourselves up, and go with the emotion of the moment. So you can expect a bit of everything! We will also be doing some pop up DJ sets, which are always a blast! Other than that, we’ll be taking in as much of the magic as possible and hope that everyone else attending will too.”
Details: Don’t miss Splashy Fen 2023 from April 6 to 10. Tickets (R1470 each) are limited and available at www.splashyfen.co.za.
Veranda Panda’s Easter road trip playlist …
- Goodluck – Feel Alive
- REM – Orange Crush
- Aimee Mann – One
- Cat Empire – Panama
- Syria – Unders
- Hurry on Sundown – Hawkwind
- Silly Wizard – Ramblin Rover
- Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
- Fatboy Slim – Don’t let the man get you down
- Travelling Day – The Subway
- Arcade Fire – Intervention
- Dandy Warholes – STYGO
- Axel Thesleff – Bad Karma
- Jiggy – Headrush
