In Retrospect: Seasons Wither 4 – Beauty and the Beasts

MusicReview recount their experience at Seasons Wither 4 – Beauty and the Beasts. With Seasons Wither 4 done and dusted, it is time to sit back and think about just how awesome this event was.  Why exactly was it a success and why did it run into the difficulties that it did? Read below.

From undercover cops to angry underage visitors and rough bouncers, Seasons Wither 4 had already hit the headlines before we’d even woken up. On arrival, we were pretty blown away by the number of people already there, who were drunk and having a good time.  Once we had walked past the twenty-odd open car-boots blaring some form of metal, and handed in our press passes (although there was much confusion at the gate over which queue to stand in), we were in and ready to experience the event.

One of the most, albeit bizarrely, entertaining experiences of the event was the MMA punch-out.  Wow, those people were scary – certainly not the type to bump into in a dark alley – especially that guy who knocked out the 130kg+ fighter in 58 seconds.  Ouch!  Watching these guys fight each other, while sipping an ice cold – but expensive Peroni – felt almost surreal.  Sort of illegal.

So many people wearing black, a few break-ups, one crying lesbian, some heavy tunes drifting out of the nightclub’s entrance and loads of latex wearing hotties (much to the MusicReview editor’s delight) pretty much characterised an event which one really has to experience at least once a year.

In terms of the musical acts there, the event’s title of ‘Beauty and the Beasts’ pretty much sums up the music we saw and heard before us.  Some bands were exceptionally brilliant – one such band which really blew us away was Man as Machine.  Wow, where on earth did these guys come from?  Since then, the MusicReview office has pretty much had Man as Machine’s EP on repeat.  Did I say wow?  If anything, this event was worth attending just to see this band.

Hard rockers Knave came onto stage with a really nice surprise for the crowd – a brand new band member. Former Chromium guitarist/vocalist Matthew Engelbrecht was formally introduced as Knave’s second guitarist – pretty insane move and I’m sure Matt’s addition will take them to the next level. After everyone managed to process this initial shock, Knave got the moshpits going with their infectious hard-hitting rock. Absolutely top-notch!

Another notable act, which really got the crowd going, were the hooligans, commonly known as Fuzigish.  Their set was dirty (partly the fault of Facing the Gallows blowing half the system with their powerful set), but really got the crowd going.  In fact, they got the crowd rocking like no other.  Another band which really surprised us in their ability to get the crowd going was CrashCarBurn.  But honestly, we can’t see why.  A regurgitated Tweak with forced American accents, uninspiring songs and structure, and a weak medley of AC/DC, Metallica and Bon Jovi left us feeling so uninspired that we went out to get more drinks.

Speaking of drinks, one of the most common critiques of the night were prices.  We can’t remember much about exact prices, but we remember spending something like R19 a beer and R14 a coke.  Although this is expensive, people tend to make more of a scene about this than is necessary.  Clubs + Music + People = Expensive drinks.  Nothing has changed, it has always been that way. So save up and get over it.

Apart from the heavyweights on the main stage, we also managed to creep into Stage 3 & 4 from time-to-time (we’ll discuss the logistical problem of the 4 stages in the next paragraph). Even though local metallers Arise To Conquer played to what looked like a 3-man-moshpit at Stage 4, they absolutely nailed a jaw-dropping rendition of Sepultura’s ‘Roots Bloody Roots’. These guys packed quite a punch, and if they just developed a little more stage presence, they could go far in the metal scene. The craziest thing was that immediately after ATC finished their set, the audience just turned around and watched Fragmented Children on Stage 3. I actually felt bad for FC, because the sound levels were exceptionally terrible and I think a few people went home with ruptured eardrums because of the bass explosion, strangely reminiscent to a Citi Golf’s sound system outside of a Boksburg nightclub.

We tended to spend most of our time at Stage 1.  And there is a reason for this.  Trying to juggle 4 stages was an obscene concept – especially considering the amount of people at this event.  In fact, it was so packed, that if you got a nice space at Stage 1, it was in your best interests to stay there.  Stage 3 & 4 were particularly neglected by the Seasons Wither crowd.  Being an under-18 area, no bar was on offer.  In fact, no food or cool drink stands were there either.  Although, we were pretty amped to see bands on these stages, it just didn’t work out well.  Less stages next year, guys!  Too much of a good thing!

Another major talking point was the time change and short set of Afrikaans rap phenomenon Jack Parow. Parow only performed 3 songs and played much earlier than originally advertised, leaving many fans annoyed and actually causing people at the gate to turn around and go home. I do know that Parow performed in Cape Town on Saturday night as well, so perhaps he played an earlier set to catch a flight. Who knows? Everyone is still awaiting the official word from the organisers on this matter, as of the time of writing.

While this festival was marked with its difficulties, so is any festival, and this didn’t stop us from experiencing one of the best music events of the year.  It was an experience, not just a gig.  It was like homecoming for a day, something to lament about in the future.  In fact, Seasons Wither is such a good, fun and popular event, that we think it has outgrown its residence at Jet.  This year seemed to be the biggest turnout (can anyone confirm this?), and we can’t see this number doing anything but growing in the coming years.  Here’s to Bianca, Jean and Louie – see you next year!

- Bret Dugmore
- Sergio Pereira
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