That Animal Connection – Music Festival review: That 70’s Fest, 2-3 April, Tweefontein Melkery, Gauteng

Jungle of Mischief opening That 70s Fest with a funky set and some kind of beer chugging telescope. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza
Natalie Murfin takes a ludicrously lekker tour through an old school style underground rock festival and revels again in the sheer animal human connection of the post-Covid dance floor.
Words by Murf. Photos by Nathan Smith and Jason Knell.
Trundling through the rustling cosmos on a mild autumn morning, our half-packed tent (accompanied by a total of three pegs and one rogue, half-empty pack of Pall Malls) rolling around the boot, we thought we’d gotten lost. That was until we spotted the festival car in front of us.
You know the type? The bashed-up Polo, dotted with band stickers and packed so tightly that if you open the wrong door you need to treat it like a live grenade? That’s when we started smiling. And we didn’t stop until we drove back up that same dirt road from That ‘70s Fest on Sunday, shaking the mud from our bellbottoms and the ringing from our ears.
From 2-3 April, Tweefontein Melkery, which sits on the border between Kempton Park and Centurion, opened its doors to the movers, the shakers, and the enthusiastic stumblers of the Gauteng psychedelic rock scene for That ‘70s Fest.
Organised by the ever-present crew from Boogy Central, the one-night festival invited jollers to “step into a time machine and take a visceral journey through music, space, and of course; the 1970s”.
When you venture into the main hall, it’s like the rock’n’roll thrift store of Tommy Chong’s daydreams, and every hideaway and corridor is adorned by interesting memorabilia that tells you the owner has DEFINITELY lived a more interesting life than you.
Upon arrival, the aesthetic was exactly what we expected. Strolling around the campsite was an array of paisley silks, curly hair, and people dressed far better than anyone has been since 1981. We settled into our campsite at the end of the field, and went exploring.

Band: Tough Guy. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer
Tweefontein Melkery is an anomaly of a festival venue. It’s just big enough and surrounded by enough open fields that you feel like you can go on an adventure. It’s also intimate enough that if you get distracted by a rollicking set and suddenly find yourself turning into a popsicle, you can scuttle back to your spot to find a jersey before the frostbite takes a toe.
The camping grounds are fantastic and their outdoor stage was well-sheltered by a (surprisingly acoustically solid) marquee. When you venture into the main hall, it’s like the rock’n’roll thrift store of Tommy Chong’s daydreams, and every hideaway and corridor is adorned by interesting memorabilia that tells you the owner has DEFINITELY lived a more interesting life than you.
Rather than using words to describe how everyone was moving, we’d like you to imagine a dance floor full of those flailing wind-sock guys outside a used car dealership.
The barmen are also far too much fun to talk to, which you may come to regret when you smell the slight tequila whiff on everything you own the next day. That’s on you, though.
The tunes started off with a jaunty set from Jungle of Mischief. The first slot is always a difficult one to fill and hats off to these newcomers for packing the dancefloor with a fun, funky set that got hips loosened and hands held. Double Sun came up next, with some expertly executed experimental, psychedelic grooves that firmly set the tone for what was to come.
Caution Boy, the absolute juggernauts of post-lockdown Gauteng gig bills followed. Their cross-over, punk-leaning performance showed off just how tightly their outfit can rip through a set that always feels like it’s over too soon. As the afternoon wound down, Painted Flowers took to the stage and gave us some sultry, summery, seventies songs that sent winding grooves out to the setting sun.

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza
After a quick chow, outfit change, and shouting of, “oh my GOD this is FUN!” to anyone who would listen, we were launched into the night-time leg of the line-up. Evert Snyman, the man who churns out bangers like an Eskort sausage factory, didn’t disappoint with his band, Evert Snyman and the Aviary.
Rather than using words to describe how everyone was moving, we’d like you to imagine a dance floor full of those flailing wind-sock guys outside a used car dealership. Directly afterward, we were treated to an earful of Durban’s favourite garage-psych-rock band, Mouse. If we were to trust any drummer to pilot a spaceship, this would be the guy. What’s in the air in KZN? Does everyone there get born with the ability to create mind-bending loops, or does that just come with the bunny chows?
Carrying on with our national South African Ludicrously Lekker Tour, we got a visit from Sold Ash. Walls of full, meaty grooves painted soundscapes that would be harder to climb than Lion’s Head, and, like, twelve times as satisfying. As an aside, that band has STYLE, man. Tell us all how to dress, please.

Band: Sold Ash. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer
Shameless circled us back closer to home with an unmistakable Jozi punk kick that made every ‘vaalie in the joint want to go breakneck, balls to the wall insane. As someone with a particular attachment to keeping my glasses on my face, this pit made me – gleefully – hold my spectacles to my head the whole time. To whoever got the brunt of my flung beer, cheers?
At this point, when we say groove was in the heart (and feet, and arms, and smiles and sweat-drenched t-shirts) we mean it. After two years of carefully considering the consequences of every touch, every moment, and every space, we’ve been starved of the sheer, animal connection of a dancefloor.
The festival’s headliner, Black Math, lived up to, and then far exceeded the expectations associated with their slot. Their stage presence was only matched by their staggering technicality. The crowd’s energy was so electric I was almost convinced I could light a gwaai by holding it up in the air.
The crowd was hungry and eating up every single little sound. Tough Guy’s heavier, harder set fed us what we wanted. When you need to pull a power stance because you’re so hammered by riffs that you feel as if you may be sliding off the grass – that’s Tough Guy.

Band: Festival headliners Black Math rocked the house. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer
The festival’s headliner, Black Math, lived up to, and then far exceeded the expectations associated with their slot. Their stage presence was only matched by their staggering technicality. The crowd’s energy was so electric I was almost convinced I could light a gwaai by holding it up in the air.
Rather than describe their sound, I’ll give you an insight into the after-effects of their set I’ve been feeling well into this week: 2x battered feet, 1x strangely shaped rib bruise, the neck mobility of a rheumatic pensioner, and the fullest, most beaming enthusiasm I’ve felt for live music since we had to start rinsing our groceries.
In between all of my (admitted) fangirling, punctuated by the heavy breathing of someone lank unfit, lay small vignettes of genuine interaction. There was an innocent, enthusiastic cadence to the people at That ‘70s fest. In the spaces between bands, there was a DJ spinning vintage classics inside, where people met to twirl and laugh and compliment each other on their immaculate pants.

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza
Logistically, the event went off without any perceivable hitches and the chaos element one tends to associate with outdoor festivals was tempered by people who were genuinely happy to see other ones. The intimate nature of the setup meant an easy intermingling of the dive-bar-veterans of the alternative scene and new faces who just wanted to soak in a little slice of radness. Also, as expressed by more people than you’d expect, the soup from the Melkery kitchen was bloody good.
Are we all back to easy, expected social routines, and seeing bands we know every weekend? No. But maybe that’s a good thing. That ‘70s Fest was the first time many of the bands on this lineup had walked onto a festival stage in longer than we’d like to think about, and the first time many fans had stood to watch them do it.
Festivals aren’t the same anymore, but in the best way possible. These musicians have so much to express, and these spectators have infinitely more gratefulness for that expression. That ‘70s Fest was exactly that sentiment, but wearing tiny purple sunglasses.
(We regret to inform you, though, that inflatable-mattress hangovers have stayed exactly the same.)
Follow That 70s Fest on Instagram.
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Check out the photo gallery below:

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Tough Guy. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Tough Guy. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Sold Ash. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Sold Ash. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Shameless Band. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Shameless Band. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Shameless Band. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Shameless Band. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Mouse. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Mouse. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Mouse. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

That 70s Fest. Photo: Jason Knell @knellmediaza

Band: Black Math. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer

Band: Black Math. Photo: Nathan Smith @klein_beer
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