I missed the first Cool As Folk which happened last year, but am so glad I didn’t miss the second one that happened last Thursday.
The event was presented by GreenPop, an exciting organisation aimed at planting trees in under-greened areas, and their decor alone made the evening memorable; a large tree mural greeted everyone as they arrived and, upstairs, the stage was transformed into a forest, it was really beautiful.
Duo Two Minute Puzzle were first up, and they were pretty strange…I mean, they were entertaining in that they were pretty funny, but musically I can’t really say I’m a fan. It was quite cool when Jeremy Loops came out to lend his harmonica on their last track though.
The GreenPop guys (and girl) gave a small introductory speech afterwards, outlining some of their goals and achievements since they started. It’s all quite impressive – they’ve planted thousands of trees and hope to plant thousands more, not just in SA but abroad too.
You can get involved by volunteering or by gifting a tree to an under-greened area; it’s a great idea and really is a cause worth supporting, be sure to check out their website for more details.
Up next were Machineri. I really enjoyed their bluesy rock, and Sannie Fox’s vocals in particular. Very cool band.
The Assembly was really packed full when it came time for Jeremy Loops to perform, fuller in fact than I’ve ever seen (we literally had to swim our way out when it came time to leave). Mr Loops had a small notebook with him which I assume contained his setlist – even if it didn’t, since they’re usually sorta carelessly scribbled on scrap paper, I really like the idea of using a notebook instead. Saves paper too I guess if you reuse the same one for a couple of gigs…
Last time I saw Jeremy Loops & friends was back in February and I only caught the tail end of their set. Since then I’d been hearing a growing number of good things about their music, especially their performance at Sowing the Seeds – all accounts I heard said that they really tore it up.
Judging by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, Jeremy Loops is definitely gathering a large and dedicated following – and deservedly so. His looping and layering is compulsive to watch and his set was awesome; really infectious tunes that are folky and dancey at the same time, with cool collaborations from a saxophonist and emcee Trak.
I’ll definitely be checking them out again, super fun and an awesome end (we didn’t stick around for Toby2shoes and Tommy Gun…) to a great evening.
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Read more about GreenPop, what they do and how to get involved on their website and Facebook page.
Jeremy Loops on Facebook (with links to live videos that are definitely worth checking out)
Machineri on Facebook and Soundcloud
Two minute puzzle on Facebook and soundcloud(Guns available as a free download; ‘borrowing’ from Men At Work aside, You Speaka My Langwage is probably the track of theirs I liked the most.)
Photos on Facebook over here.
