Fest Up: Parklife makes food rock

30 April 2015 - 10:25 By Yolisa Mkele

Sugar, spice and everything nice. If you mix these three ingredients, you get a great festival. Taking place this weekend, the Parklife Festival is a blend of food and fun for all ages.Launched in 2013, the festival has grown quickly using gourmet food, popular indie rock acts and sunshine as bait.This year the lure is particularly enticing, with the musical line-up including Modest Mouse, feel-good rockers American Authors, Jeremy Loops and French house producer Klingande.Arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated acts is American Authors, a four-piece indie rock band who sound like sunshine without the toothpaste advert cheesiness.They became a huge overnight success story with a string of hits such as Best Day of My Life and Oh, What a Life."It wasn't really overnight.We had been playing and touring together for years. It was through that hard work that we're here now," said lead singer and songwriter Zac Barnett.Besides their work ethic, the band's appeal is rooted in their sound, which blends ostensibly disparate genres to create something upbeat and fun."We have a whole lot of influences from Latin percussion to hip-hop to traditional rock instrumentation all on top of a traditional background."For our next album we may even pick up a couple of new instruments," said Barnett.Perhaps the biggest reason behind the band's success is how personable they are. Barnett seems like the slightly kooky guy you went on university benders with before spending the following morning discussing girls, philosophy and travel plans.The Parklife Festival is on Saturday at Green Point Cricket Oval. www.parklifefestival.co.za..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.