‘Cape Town’s glamorous and elite will be gathering at St Yves in Camps Bay for the first Little Black Book and 2Oceansvibe event’ on the 19^th of March. Mix in a bit of booze, add some phenomenal finger food, throw in The Wedding DJs and you have all the right ingredients for a massive night. To make it even better I have 10 tickets to give away.

Click for details

Nice. I’ll even throw my tickets in the mix, not because I don’t want to go, because I’ll be in Mauritius from the 17^th snorkelling in crystal clear water, sipping cocktails on the beach and looking for a French-Mauritian wife.

You should probably go through. You’re bound to bump into some interesting people, and I heard a little rumour that the thought to be dead Shaun Oakes will be there. He’ll be standing in for me at the bar.

For your chance at a ticket all you need to do is leave a comment at the end of this post. It’s that easy.

Winners announced on Monday.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: WIN 10 Tickets To ‘The Vibe’ At St Yves

Last week The Filmo, Banks and I hit Stellenbosch for a night of complete and utter madness (story here). The Filmo was there with his Lomo camera and I finally have the shots from that crazy night for you. You obviously remember how awesome the Lomography photos from Ramfest were.

Full gallery after the jump.

Sick!

Are you in any of those photos? Know anyone in a shot? Drop me a line if you want the original.

Check out the rest of The Filmo’s work at www.thefilmo.com

Till next time.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Jack Parow & Die Mystic Boer Lomography Photos

Goodness me, I’m typing this out as my head lulls from side to side and my ‘blinks’ last longer and longer. My belly is full, my hunger satisfied and my mood is chilled to the max. I have just experienced a breakfast at Olympia Cafe. And what an experience it was.

Full review after the jump.

The Baroldo, The Guitarist and I ( the Board Members of Club Med and The Deck) hit Olympia Cafe this morning for breakfast and a little taste of heaven. The Guitarist and Baroldo had the croissant baked with ham and mozzarella and I had the omelette with mozzarella, watercress and sweet chilli sauce. Obviously we all kicked off with a cappuccino.

Now, I am a serious fan of coffee, so when I tell you that the cappuccino at Olympia is superb you know it is. Seriously, if I had a spare stomach I would have had another three before we left. Anyway, the food. The croissants did not come with the ham and cheese on the side. The ham and mozzarella were literally baked inside the croissant. Inside the croissant. They were incredible.

Now, my omelette. Firstly, it was the size of my head, pretty large, and it had the consistency of a children’s book cloud. It was so light I fluffy I could hardly control myself. I needed to know how the chef made it. And the filling? Delicious! I was a bit worried I wouldn’t finish but I soon pushed such defeatist thoughts out of my mind and conquered the meal. Mind over matter, and the fact that my tongue wouldn’t let me stop putting the food in my mouth got me through it.

Beside the food, the general vibe of Olympia Cafe is exactly what you would expect of a trendy Kalk Bay venue. The patrons are chilled, especially the table of extremely attractive moms next to us - all still in their gym kit, and so are the staff – though they still provide great service. The restaurant decor comprises of a collection of wildlife photography (at the moment – it changes as it is sold and replaced) and an eclectic mix of framed, permanent pictures and chalk boards displaying specials and the bakery delicacies.

Everything is well priced and you most certainly get more than you pay for. It doesn’t really matter what time you get there because it is always full, we were lucky to get a table as we walked in. But make sure you stick it out it out if you miss one. Grab a glass of wine, a coffee or a beer, the wait is well worth it.

Olympia Cafe 134 main Road Kalk Bay, Cape Town
021 788 6396

Nash…
Out.

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Eat Here: Olympia Cafe, Kalk Bay

Right, the start of Snoddie’s show ‘I’m So Lonely’ is one sleep away and I have tickets for you. Because I know you have been lazy and haven’t booked your tickets yet. Seriously, just log onto Computicket, it’s that easy. Or, OR…leave a comment at the end of this post to stand a chance of winning a pair.

Book NOW!

I’ll be going tomorrow night, front row. But if he picks on me I’ll punch him in the knee cap.

Leave a comment, claim your tickets, join be at the Baxter bar tomorrow.

Nash…
OUT!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: WIN Tickets For ‘I’m So Lonely’ Ft. Taxi Violence & Andy Lund

Last night we had a discussion on The Deck regarding inappropriate man on man behaviour. For example, is it ok for a dude to give another dude a massage? Or is it ok to apply sunscreen to your bro’s back? Of course it is, BUT there is a fine line when it comes to all dude on bro activities. The key is not crossing that line.

‘The line’ isn’t always that clear so today we will look at a few activities and I shall highlight which is appropriate, which is not and why. It’ll make your, and your bros life a lot easier.

Eyes front, general banter, no contact – Fine

See how not to cross the inappropriate line after the jump.

Right, let’s start things off with a common dilemma every dude has faced in his life – the application of sunscreen to another guys back. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. For one, it’s functional – you are protecting your buddy against possible skin cancer, sunburn and old wrinkly skin. If your wingman got any of the above his chances, and therefore your chances, of hooking up become far less likely.

Now, to illustrate how fine that inappropriate line can be I’ll hit you with this…it is completely inappropriate to apply any form of moisturiser, balm or after-sun to your pals back. This is the sole property of girlfriends, mothers or female strangers in tight bikinis.

Seeing as rubbing in sunscreen is fine what about a massage? Absolutely not. Yes it’s the same thing but with some added pressure, but a dude giving another dude a massage is not ok. Unless, and this needs to be adhered to strictly, your mate pulled a muscle in a bare knuckle boxing match, rescuing his mother, girlfriend or small child from a burning building/wreck/sinking ship, fell down a mountain attempting a mountain biking land speed record, ate it on an 8 foot plus wave, or hurt himself carrying a full 30 litre keg of beer into a party you are attending. Under no other circumstance is it ok to firmly rub another man’s back.

Blatant nakedness around the house. This is a tricky one and a hotly debated point amongst the more homophobic of men out there. Being naked in your own house, the house of a friend, camp site, holiday house, hotel room, sports event or general gathering is completely acceptable providing there is more than one person in the immediate vicinity.

I.e. searching for your jeans around the house while naked is perfectly fine if you have two housemates and they are both home. Blatant nakedness and exhibitionism in the company of one other male is considered a sexual advance and may be treated as assault.

The fixing of another man’s clothing i.e. collar, exposed label, etc. There is nothing wrong with fixing your mates collar, in fact you should. If he looks like a tit it reflects on you. But, under no circumstances can you make eye contact with your bud while correcting his shabby appearance.

Now, onto a few smaller points that I often get questioned on. These are small day to day activities and situations you may find yourself in.

Communal showering. Obviously this is completely acceptable unless you are in an indoor home shower and the bathroom door is closed. Though contact should be avoided, eye contact should never be made and conversation should be kept to that of general banter.

Hugging. There is nothing wrong with a good hug. In fact I’m a strong advocate of the hug. You should hug your mates more often and with more of a squeeze. Throw in a little kiss on the cheek if you feel like it – just make sure it is dry, you don’t linger and there is absolutely NO eye contact.

That pretty much covers the main points a few of you seem to have issues with. I do hope I cleared things up for you. If you have any others mail them through and I’ll gladly address them.

Nash…
Out.

Read More on Bangers and Nash: The Do’s And Don’ts Of Male Male Friendship

You know those American college movies where all the chicks get naked and tuck into each other, the dudes get wildly and everyone drinks beer out of a keg? Well you can now throw a party EXACTLY like that. Or, you know, a more civilised version. The point is, you can have the golden goodness pouring out of taps at your party.

Today I found out about Keg King – the providers of good times and cold beer.

Check out their vibe after the jump.

Keg King doesn’t just provide Kegs. They do Brutal Fruit Slush Mixes, Full Party Bar Service, Corporate Bar Stock Service, Barmen & Bar Infrastructure, Event & Festival Bars. So they pretty much cover everything there. But why would you want a Keg at your jol, beside for the awesome factor?

This is what the boys at Keg King have to say:

1.Less Mess – no bottles and broken glass or cans to pick up, just stackable plastic cups.

2.It’s Fun – guys love pouring their own draught form the tap and it’s definitely a talking point.

3.No Refrigeration – No need to take over your whole fridge or have a messy tubs of ice cluttering up your space and freezing your hands when you delve in for a cold one.

4.Hassle free – One phone call and we will help you work out what you need, how much you need, then deliver it all to your place, set it up and then pick it up when you’re done!

5.Draught Beer is best – Get fresh beer on tap. Draught beer always tastes better!

I’m sold. But the cost? It’s not too bad, check it.

I’m no scientist but that looks like it’s the equivalent of a bloody good time.

Give the boys a shout. Check out their site and make your booking – kegking.co.za

I’ll be testing them out soon.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Keg King – Draught Beer For YOUR Party

The Attorney is down for a bit of a holiday so last night we hit Simon’s for their lamb chops on mash, a bottle or two of white and some live jazz – something that has become something of a custom. Except this time there were no chops, the staff didn’t want us there and the food was disgusting.

It seems the general consensus on Simon’s is that it is terrible, something I hadn’t experienced until last night. Perhaps I had just been lucky every other time? Hard to believe.

My main course

Full story after the jump.

The Attorney and I arrived just before 8pm, a little late for a dinner perhaps but the band hadn’t even had their halftime break and the restaurant was relatively full. The hostess was pleasant enough as she seated us in the dark. There was absolutely no lighting in the garden, there were lanterns everywhere but none of them were lit. How the elderly people around us read the menu or ate their food is beyond me.

Our waiter arrived with a grunt and took our drinks order then just hung around, there was a moment of silence before he grunted ‘Can you order your food now because the kitchen is closing early’. At 8pm? A bit surprised but not phased, as we knew exactly what we wanted, we both ordered the lamb. ‘No lamb’ barked our server without so much as a hint of a recommendation or explanation. He went to get our ice for the wine while we searched for an alternative.

Surely the hostess should have informed us that the kitchen was closing and that they were out of lamb on our arrival? Anyway, we made our decisions just as our ice arrived in a water jug with no spoon or means of getting it out. I looked around at all the empty ice buckets, tables and bar. Surely there was some other vessel that could contain our ice? Grumpy  took our order, Sirloin with mushroom sauce and the linefish.

Our dead animals arrived overcooked, dry and cold. One lacking the mushroom sauce the other lacking any flavour whatsoever. The veggie variety consisted of three small pieces of butternut and a whole lot of beetroot. Now maybe it’s just me, because I hate beetroot, but did we get the bottom of the pot selection? Both the sirloin and the linefish tasted as if they had been cooked last Thursday, frozen, and then reheated in a microwave.

As we, and a few other patrons ate the staff began cleaning up around us, this was before 9pm. They cleared tables, lanterns and the cushions off the chairs – EVEN off the empty chairs at tables people were sitting at. All of this took a few minutes, something that they could have easily done once we had all left. I understand waiters want to go home on a Sunday, I’ve done my time waiting for people to finish up, but there are other things to prep and sort before the end of a shift than the cushions from under your patrons.

The Attorney finished before me and her plate was cleared before I was done, a big no-no in my books. Our dude finally brought us a glass of ice after he saw me with my hand stuck in the jug, and I handed him my plate. We requested the bill as we had no intention of staying any longer. He brought it to the table and returned two minutes later. I hadn’t even looked at it yet as we still had half a bottle of wine left and were enjoying the jazz. I asked him for a few more minutes and he replied with ‘You can still pay now then drink your wine.’ Can you believe that! I would have loved to have seen the look on my face. Needless to say we payed and left with the remainder of our wine.

I can honestly say I will not be returning to Simon’s again, which is such a pity. I really enjoyed my other Sunday experiences there and couldn’t fault them on anything, but it’s hard to believe that last night was a once off ‘bad night’. I didn’t see management anywhere, the staff were rude and pushy, the food was disgusting, and feeling unwelcome as you sit down is unacceptable.

What was your Simon’s experience like? Did I get it on a bad night?

Nash…
Out.

Read More on Bangers and Nash: An Appalling Night At Simon’s Restaurant

The 82^nd Annual Oscars just finished up and I have the full list of winners for you. There weren’t any real surprises, except for the number of Oscars ‘The Hurt Locker’ received and even that wasn’t very surprising. Other than that I’m stoked my two boys, Jeff Bridges and Christoph Waltz, took their respective categories down.

Should have been Best Actor

See the full winners list after the jump.

- Motion Picture: “The Hurt Locker.”

- Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker.”

- Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, “The Hurt Locker.”

- Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker.”

- Sound Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

- Film Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

- Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart.”

- Original Song: “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart,” Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

- Art Direction: “Avatar.”

- Cinematography: “Avatar.”

- Visual Effects: “Avatar.”

- Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.”

- Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side.”

- Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

- Foreign Film: “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Argentina.

- Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ by Sapphire.”

- Animated Feature Film: “Up.”

- Original Score: “Up,” Michael Giacchino.

- Costume: “The Young Victoria.”

- Documentary Feature: “The Cove.”

- Documentary (short subject): “Music by Prudence.”

- Makeup: “Star Trek.”

- Animated Short Film: “Logorama.”

- Live Action Short Film: “The New Tenants.”

And there you go. James’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, owned him. Claiming six awards. Now I really do need to see ‘The Hurt Locker’.

Nash…
Out.

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Academy Awards 2010: Winners List

We have had an interesting week haven’t we darling. Especially after such a large weekend. It’s the end of the day, so let’s sit back, relax and take a look back at everything we have covered this week.

Red Bull Project Goldsmith Ft. Jordy Smith and Goldfish

My Account Of Ramfest 2010

Ramfest 2010 Lomography Photos by The Filmo

The Ama-Zing Race with Apple and Mini

A listen to what other comics had to say about Paul ‘Snoddie’ Snodgrass and his show ‘I’m So Lonely’

A Night Of Madness In Stellies With Jack Parow – Story and Pics

aaand we checked out Friday’s Friend: Chocolate Covered Heidi Klum

So a relatively quiet week in terms of number of posts but a story filled one none the less.

I hope you enjoyed it darling.

Have a big one this weekend. If it’s huge send me pics and your story, maybe it’ll make it up next week.

Be safe, or find me at the bar.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: The Weekly Roundup: 1st ¼ March

Seeing as tonight is the ‘Music Like Chocolate’ pairing of all things good – music, chocolate and beer, I thought I’d add another thing that goes extremely well with chocolate – girls. Specifically Heidi Klum, naked and covered in chocolate. Obviously I don’t know if it is actually Lindt chocolate but what else would she be covered in? I mean, the best deserves the best.

More pics after the jump.

BOOM!

I think I’ll keep a bit of chocolate from tonight’s event for this weekend. The Attorney is coming down to Cape Town and a chocolate body paint pairing with her would most certainly be delightful.

See you at &Union later.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Friday’s Friend: Lindt Covered Heidi Klum

Plans of a quiet week went out the window when a little reminder popped up telling me that Jack Parow, Thieve and Die Heuwels Fantasties were jamming at Klein Libertas Theatre. I still hadn’t seen Die Heuwels and after Ramfest I had to see Jack again. I sent the message out.

The Filmo, reluctant at first, was the first to confirm followed shortly by Banks. It was on. I promised myself it would be a quiet night, a few beers at the back of the crowd, just taking it all in. There was absolutely no need to get ridiculous. No need at all.

Unfortunately my name is Nash and quietly is not how I roll. Things got out of hand and I found myself back in Cape Town just before sunrise. Full story after the jump.

So Banks picked The Filmo and me up from his HQ, on Sea Point beach road – excuse me, and we set off for one of my favourite towns, Stellenbosch. Unfortunately we didn’t read the event info correctly and arrived just in time for jack Parow but missed everyone else. Bleak but excited for Jack we hit the bar. I suppose starting with two drinks each was an indication of the direction the night would take, but I chose to ignore it.

We squeezed our way to the front for Parow’s show and the madness began. The dude is so incredible to watch. With his signature long peaked cap, short shorts and wife-beater with ‘Congratulations you have just met Jack Parow’ written on it he rocked the crowd. The kids around us knew every single word and went absolutely mental.

Jack pulled the tidiest little brunette onto the stage and from there things got crazy. She pulled up as many girls as she could, beer cans were flying, rude words flashed on the back screen, and kids screamed Jack’s lyrics back at him. It was awesome!

When the set finished up we were obviously on a big of a high and not ready to go home. Robo_ert had told me earlier that Hazer was playing at Die Mystic Boer so we thought we’d give it a go, just for one or two.

We arrived to a packed bar/club and got stuck into our first round as we headed upstairs to the dance floor. The DJ was playing a mash-up of Jack Parow tracks as the TV next to the bar screened Parow’s music video on MK…an overload van die pirate van die caravan park and a good indication of how big the dude is getting.

To say it was hot up there is a massive understatement, we were suffering but hit the floor anyway. Thirty minutes in the DJ, who had the most amazing vibe – super quiet and it looked like he was fresh off the farm, dropped a crazy dubstep mix. Needless to say the party started.

It got so crazy in there and it was like partying in an attic. Sweat was literally dripping off the ceiling. We all looked like we had been swimming, the drinks kept coming and so did the tunes. The Filmo was doing his thing with his Lomography Cam (pics coming soon) and the dance floor just kept getting busier. Wrapped up in the good times 4am rolled in sharpish, the music stopped and we were left with buzzing ears, wet clothes and no idea where we could go next.

Luckily the lovely Elsa Marie, whom I met on the dance floor of the Electro Dome at Ramfest, directed us to Springboks, the only place that would be open. We hit it. Unfortunately it was super crap. We stayed for a drink and a little jam amongst the testosterone filled students. It seems the uglier or fatter the dudes are the greater their need to fight. Must be something to do with the lack of sex they must surely be suffering from. An outlet perhaps. Or maybe daddy just didn’t love them enough.

Hunger soon took over and we headed across the road to the perfectly located McDonalds. All I wanted was a Quarter-Pounder Deluxe with a chocolate milkshake. Unfortunately they had neither. I settled for a Big Mac and made a new friend while I waited.

Her name was Vicky and she was a lovely Afrikaans girl. I had some of her pie, she had some of my burger and she obviously thought I was hilarious when I told The Filmo and Banks I’d see them back in Cape Town because I was staying the night with her, just not funny enough to actually let me stay over. It was a 50/50 call a strategy you should all go for at 5am. No time to waste time.

The rest of the night is blurry. I fell asleep as we left the garage – from complete exhaustion NOT because I had been drinking, I can handle my booze better than all of you. I woke up in Sea Point at The Filmo’s and the rest, as they say, is history.

Once again Stellies delivered. I don’t know why I don’t party there anymore. I think I’m going to make a concerted effort to get there more often. Let’s do a Wednesday business lunch followed by a night out. That sound good to you? Sweet, drop me a line and we’ll set it up.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: A Night Of Madness In Stellies Ft. Jack Parow & Die Mystic Boer

Check it uit! Paul ‘Snoddie’ Snodgrass is putting on a show for YOU starting next week. Taxi Violence and Andy Lund will be in support melting faces and hearts and there will be a bar that sells alcohol. I’ll be there with a host of other extremely cool people and if I know Snoddie there will be a plethora of hot chicks. You don’t want to miss this.

A few of his ‘mates’ and fellow funny men had a few things to say about Snoddie and his show on Heart FM the other day. Obviously they are quite funny and I have them all for you. Have a listen.

‘Little orange leprechaun’

Nice.

Nash…
OUT!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Paul ‘Snoddie’ Snodgrass ‘I’m So Lonely’

Now this is pairing I am looking forward to, music and chocolate. If there is one thing I like more than music it’s chocolate. Chocolate and beer. And tonight, TONGIHT, I get all three at the same time.

More after the jump.

Smart Casual Events have teamed up with &Union and Lindt to bring you “Music Like Chocolate”, which is real beer and chocolate tasting, complimented by a great acoustic performance by Wrestlerish – who have been flown down specifically for this event because they’re just that awesome.

How incredible is that? We haven’t seen Wrestlerish in some time so I’m rather excited for that. Obviously the beer is going to be phenomenal, but this little piggy is going to devour the chocolate. I eat so much chocolate I’m basically a chocolate expert. I happen to know everything there is to know about chocolate. I love chocolate on pancakes, I love it on pizza! I love to take chocolate and put a little bit in my hair when I’ve had a rough week. What do you think holds it up, slick?

Anyway, the beer and chocolate tastings kick off from 7pm and Wrestlerish start their set at about 8:30pm.  Entrance is free.  &Union is 110 Bree St.

BOOM!

Be there.

I will.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: ‘Music Like Chocolate’ With Wrestlerish, &Union & Lindt

Those of you who follow me on Twitter (and you all should – here) will remember that my Tuesday was spent gallivanting around Cape Town with Mellon of KPWT fame and professional male model Brandon Davis in a Mini Cooper Works. Our task? To live the dream.

Seriously, there were no clues and no challenges. All we had to do was drive around and take pictures. We managed to accomplish a lot before the car broke. We swam at Camps Bay, got the Caprice waitresses involved, visited Mandela Park, played drums with some Rastas, got arrested, and broke down in the middle of nowhere. It was incredible.

Full story and pics after the jump.

Our assembly point was the iStore in the V&A Waterfront (which is having a very naughty sale right now) and everything was run by Taryn and Dannie, two very delicious and well organised girls from Apple.  The idea behind the Ama-Zing Race is the promotion of South Africa by South Africans. Something I am a firm believer in.

Our brief? Drive around Cape Town and take shots of things that make our country/city great. You couldn’t get an easier task in Cape Town. Each team was given a Nikon digital camera and a Mini. Yes, a Mini. We had to choose the keys out of a bag and had no idea which model we would get. Unfortunately I chose a very naf off white one, but since no one else drew the convertible Cooper Works we managed to pull off a sneaky little swap thanks to Mike from Mini.

This is what we drove around for the day.

I know, it’s silly. (Specs on the Mini Cooper Works)

Now, I’m not much of a car fanatic. I don’t know what going on under the hood (in fact none of us could even figure out how to open it) but I can tell you one thing, when you put your foot down in that car your life changes. It is the most incredible car to drive. Immensely fun, incredibly powerful and goddamn attractive.

Anyway, we took a chilled drive from the Waterfront through to Camps Bay where we stripped down and hit the Atlantic. Then it was a quick stop at Caprice and on to the stretch between Camps Bay and Hout Bay, or as I now like to call it, Heaven. I threw the Mini into every bend, each one a little quicker than the previous as I got a feel for the car. It never faulted. It was exhilarating to say the least.

From there Mellon took over and we hit Llandudno, then Hout Bay. We chilled at the Harbour for a while with some Rasta dudes and a Brazilian fisherman, then we took the party on over to Mandela Park where the Mini was extremely well received. We actually couldn’t fit any more people in the cab. From there we took the scenic Chapman’s Peak route through to Noordhoek, and found a little trouble on the way.

Brandon was ‘arrested’ by some cops who got into the whole roll playing vibe wholeheartedly. I was only taking shots but the dude got a dialogue going and everything. “Haff you been drinking sur?” Loving every second of it, especially when he got to show us his cuffing technique. Who says the cops are all bad guys.

It was around this time that we noticed something was wrong with the car. Brandon was having trouble with the clutch. We decided to do the tourist thing and cruise below the speed limit for the remainder of the cliff face journey. We rolled into Noordhoek a little uneasy; as a result missing some of the best Cape Town has to offer – The Red Herring and The Toad. We cruised through Noordhoek and up Ou Kaapse Weg before promptly beaking down at the top, in the dead zone.

With no cell reception we had to freewheel backwards down the pass until we got reception. Unfortunately the reception came at the inconvenient price of shade and we spent the next forty five minutes chilling in the thirty five degree heat. But none of this prevented us from having any fun.

I did a bit of Fynbos adventuring and organised us some water from a very kindly stranger, Mellon attempted to get us a lift and Brandon used the opportunity to add to his ever expanding portfolio. As a model you always have to be prepared and luckily for us he was. Brandon had a jar of nuts, a can of tuna and some Rehydrate – he pretty much kept us alive.

Before we knew it Auto Atlantic’s rescue driver, Alfred, arrived and we set off for the Waterfront. Bleak that we didn’t get to finish our awesome adventure, because we were definitely winning in the photo category, as well as the Best Group Ever section, but stoked to be heading back to aircon and beverages.

Once back we put all out photos together with the very nifty Apple Photo Book app and entered it into the competition that is running right now (enter in-store) in the hopes of winning a Mac Book. God! I would die for one of those. Life would be a lot easier. If we win it I sure as hell won’t be telling the rest of my team mates. I’ll claim it as my own.

Then, to our surprise, Taryn hooked us each up with an iPod shuffle for breaking the Mini. How incredible is that?! It’s unbelievable actually.

Right, enough from me, check out the pics.

What a day. Thanks again to Apple – the delightful Taryn and Dannie, and Mike from Mini for looking after us, and to Cape Town for putting on a good show. Cape Town really is the most beautiful city in the world.

Nash…
Out!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: The Ama-Zing Race With Apple And Mini

I wanted to keep these shots of Ramfest separate from my account of Ramfest because they need to be in their own post. Nay! They deserve to be in their own post. Shot by The Filmo, these photos seriously do justice to one of the most amazing weekends ever and the most insane Saturday night of my life.

See the full gallery after the jump.

I know! I know! How insane are those shots?

Those are the kind of shots that live on forever. Seriously, remember the post I put up of those amazing shots of famous people (here). These are in the same league, except we aren’t exactly famous and we’re all still alive, but you get the idea. The feel, the mood, the complete and utter awesomeness will make these shots timeless – to us anyway.

But fear not. The Filmo is going to be out and about shooting more of the good stuff. You may be lucky enough to find yourself in one of those.

If I owned a club I’d seriously consider hiring The Filmo to take shots *ahem*

Check him out at thefilmo.com

PARTY LOMOGRAPHY :

All photos shot on my Diana F+ on its fisheye lense with my Lomography Ringflash with a chemical yellow hard plastic gel.
Diana Settings : All pictures shot on the “partly clouded” setting.
Film Stock : Kodak E100 G 120 slide film.
Processing : All stock cross processed and pushed by a third of a stop.
All photos manually scanned in and slight grading in Photoshop.

Nash…
OUT!

Read More on Bangers and Nash: Ramfest 2010 Lomography Pics

I’m not even going to attempt to sugar coat this. My weekend at Ramfest was easily one of the best of my life. The location, the setup, the music, the people and the friends I was with made it one for the record books.

I drove straight past it last year, on the way to a skiing weekend, with only a vague idea of what it was about. It must have gone down well because the hype around it this year was amazing and the line-up that was put together was out of this world.

For my story just click ‘Read More’.

Stormin and I arrived just before 5pm on Friday, met up with The Filmo, cracked our first beers and set up camp in the would be shelter of some large bushes. Now quite used to my tent it didn’t take us long to erect our HQ for the weekend. The Filmo’s on the other hand was a little trickier. But we got it up (because we are men aaargh!) and hit the Havana Beach – which was basically a river front, for a wash in the river. We chilled there for a while, dousing ourselves in Havana – thanks to Robo_ert.

The first act we watched was Taxi Violence. Now I don’t know who the hell these guys think they are but I’m pretty sure they are pissing off a lot of other bands. I mean, who the hell do they think they are taking live performances to the next level? Did they even discuss the fact that they were going to completely OWN Ramfest with any of the other bands? Did they even warn the others?

Because if I was in another band and I knew Taxi Violence was going to bring on a dude who looked like a mash-up of Jason from ‘Friday The 13^th’, the Bride of Chucky and something out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, who then hung a steel plate around his neck and used an angle grinder on it showering the stage in sparks I may have added a little more to my performance. Seriously, you need to watch Taxi Violence at a big event. They are absolutely incredible. One of the best live acts I have ever seen.

Straight after Taxi we hit the Electro Dome for Mix n Blend, one of my favourites at the moment. The Dome setup was a little different, the entire sound rig was actually Stretch, one of Red Bull’s toys. A massive 4×4 turned into a mobile sound stage. Subs slide out the back, speakers get raised on stands, the back covering opens up and turns into a screen, the back then turns into the ‘DJ booth’. It’s like the ultimate Transformer, but instead of transforming into a fighting machine, it transforms into the weapon of mass dance floor annihilation.

Mix n Blend did not disappoint and by the time they finished up I was well and truly excited. Perhaps a little too excited as a walked off to the main bar for a shooter with a few people I had never met. I finally met Kitt, rolling with her Vodka/Bioplus – crazy girl, who promptly forced a shot of tequila down my gullet. About three minutes after that Rudi, from Ashtray Electric, managed to sneak another one of those dirty Mexican shots past my better judgment and a few minutes after that….my memory fades.

I may have landed back at the Electro Dome because I remember sharing a pizza with The Filmo but after that, it’s a bit of a blank. I do recall battling immensely across uneven terrain, and a promise to The Filmo that it would only be a thirty minute power nap. Of course I woke in the morning fresh as a daisy and ready for day two. Our tent was positioned perfectly. We were still in the shade and the atmosphere inside the tent was still conducive to breathing.

We took it slow at first, only opening our first beer at 9am. The majority of the day was spent at the Havana Beach, though we did make it up for Jack Parow at 11am. If you haven’t yet seen Jack Parow live you haven’t lived. The dude is so incredibly cool it’s scary. His stage presence, his lyrics, his crown interaction, all phenomenal.

After Jack it was back to the beach until Lark, whom I can’t say I really enjoyed. Straight after Lark was Boo, whom I had never seen before. What an incredible act. Chris Chameleon is utterly insane. He was dressed in very high healed stilettos, fishnet stockings and a tiny top. His stage presence is amazing and his voice is just out of this world. I couldn’t hit the notes he does if you put by nuts in a vice grip.

After Boo was Pendulum. What can I possibly say here that can come close to how absolutely mind blowing they were? I want to fly to Jo’burg to watch them again, that is how amazing they were. I had never heard them before, but had done a bit of research on the net. I was mildly excited to see them but I suspect that was mostly due to the hype. Five minutes into their set I was their biggest fan.

Seriously, I lost my mind. I looked around and it seemed I wasn’t the only one. The Filmo, Banks, Derek, Stormin and Gen, shit, the entire crown were jamming so hard with the biggest smiles on their faces. It was crazy. I hadn’t seen anything like it since Faithless, however many years ago that was. Jo’burg, I hope you are ready.

Pendulum set the mood and after two hours of jamming to them we hit the Electro Dome for Niskerone and the rest of the Electro line-up. Stretch was still pumping out the tunes and the Dome was rocked by some of the filthiest tunes I have heard in a long time. We danced until sunrise. And then some more. There were only about twenty of us left by the time it all shut down and I’m proud to say about half that contingent was made up by us.

With no music to jam to we headed down to the beach with our last remaining beers. There we met up with a few other diehards, a grumpy pair of girls, a dude who looked as if he was battling with a massive life decision and a sleeping couple. There was also a dude with us, who now that I think about it, was actually at base camp with us when we collected our beers. I can’t remember how he joined us but he had an iPhone, which was the sole source of music as Stormin’s car had been run flat.

Anyway, everyone but the pair of grumpy girls joined us and we swam and chilled until we could no longer carry on. In hind sight we should have gone to bed earlier because waking up at midday in forty five degree heat, dehydrated and hung-over, with a campsite to pack up is a fucking terrible situation to find one’s self in. Needless to say we did little packing, a lot of moaning – I was close to tears, and a lot of stuffing things into the car.

But an uncomfortable breakdown is hardly a price to pay for a weekend that will go down as one of the best I have ever had. There is absolutely no way I’ll be missing Ramfest next year. It’s on the 2011 list already. It is happening. I suggest you attend next year.

Oh, and in terms of staff, toilets, bars, food, etc, etc, it was top class. A host of porta-loos plus five or so permanent ablution blocks with showers meant there were no issue when it came to number two. The food was well priced and delicious – Stormin and I NAILED four Russian rolls each on Saturday.

A MASSIVE thank you to Red Bull for the tickets

Nash…
OUT!

GALLERY TO FOLLOW

 “Geezers on E’s and first timers, kids on wiz, darlings on Charlie, we all come together for this party, all races and many faces, where you from, what’s your name and what you on. Suns rising, we all smile, we all sing” – The Streets ‘Weak Become Heroes’

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