STAYING IN THE LOOPS WITH JEREMY
Festivals are critical platforms for artists. The right act on the right stage at the right festival can lead to something special for everyone involved
ONE OF South Africa’s biggest live acts is set to headline Splashy Fen this year. Award-winning folk singer Jeremy Loops, who is no stranger to Splashy, will be performing on the Main Stage tomorrow.
Loops, who had never attended Splashy as a festival goer before performing at it, said his love for the festival began in 2012.
“Our first Splashy was way back in 2012, I think, so my memory of it is a little foggy. We had a much smaller profile at the time, and I just remember the KZN crowd really embracing us.
“People in that part of South Africa really love music and aren’t afraid to show it, and yet Durban and KZN in general have this bad reputation for being lazy about going out to shows. I’ve never witnessed that, and so we always appreciate the energy at Splashy,” he said.
Loops said it’s the energy that keeps him coming back. “We always come back because we know the crowd’s energy is going to be on point. We also have a great relationship with the festival organisers. We also don’t get many chances to go to KZN these days.”
Having performed at music festivals across the globe, Loops said the importance of festivals like Splashy cannot be overstated.
“Festivals are critical platforms for artists. They put great new acts in front of lots of eyes. It’s so important. Splashy especially has a colossal role to perform in that there aren’t that many major festivals in KZN, so they’re a key platform for shining a light on bands out of that part of the world. You can’t overstate the importance,” he said.
He said the Concert at Sea in the Netherlands and Osheaga in Canada had been highlights so far.
“My band and I have played Osheaga in Montreal, Canada, and that was spectacular because it had one of the most ridiculous line-ups we’ve ever seen, and their artist catering was run by this Michelin Star chef. You would think incredible food at festivals isn’t such a big deal, but you’d be surprised.
“We also performed at Concert at Sea. Its profile isn’t as big around the world as the five-star festivals we’ve played, but we crushed that show and I remember the next day already seeing our stock rising fast in the Netherlands off the back of it. It just proves how the right act on the right stage at the right festival can lead to something special for everyone involved,” Loops said.
Loops, who is also the co-founder of tree-planting organisation Greenpop, is also working on his second studio album.
“I’ve only put together one album and a couple of EPs, but I learned that I’m actually very good at focusing when I absolutely need to and that I’m a solid project manager.
“Making an album isn’t as simple as writing songs you like and recording and mixing them well. There are so many moving parts, especially when you’re producing your own music like I do. You have to have your head in the game fully to make it work,” Loops said.
“At university I was called ‘loopholes’ because I always found the shortest route to getting a task completed, even if it meant breaking artificial rules others followed, and often times you can’t do that with an album.
“Albums you have to plan and prepare and tweak and pull together meticulously, and I never knew I had that skill until I had to manage a project that significant.”
He said he was looking forward to Splashy and that fans can expect new music, “I can definitely say that we’re definitely playing some new songs.”
He also said that when he is not busy in the studio working on his new album, he is kept busy with his new project. “I’ve been building a musical retreat I want to turn into a getaway for me and other bands to use as a writing and recording facility off the grid and away from the city, so that’s a massive undertaking,” he said.
Splashy Fen takes place from today until Sunday.