Skateaid proves the viability of better venues for rock shows

A while back Dani wrote an article ‘it’s time to move from clubs’. I totally agree with that. On Saturday I attended the Santa Cruz bowl and moshpit art festival at Nairobi Skatepark in Loresho. I was so psyched up for this one, not because Powerslide, Crystal Axis and The Seeds of Datura were performing but because it was an outdoor event and that means enough moshing space.
When I told someone that was one of the best gigs I have ever attended he told me maybe it is because of my love for punk rock .yes,  I could feel the punk spirit hovering around the place but no that venue was just awesome and the bands killed it. The best part was when the moshpit moved to the skating hole that moshpit was crazy we were not worried about breaking tables/ bottles. The second best part was when Kevo, a small boy of 10 years, joined us in the moshpit and afterwards grabbed the mic from Dani (The Seeds of Datura). That kid made my day and we should have more outdoor gigs. Imagine a gig somewhere in the park and booze truck parked somewhere next to the moshpit(water tank too lol), I hope organisers will consider this as an opportunity to give the audience a better experience.

One of the most overlooked issues is giving the audience a better experience at an affordable price. Whoever can manage to put together a gig that takes care of this concern then we might be on our way to properly tackle the problem of attendance.
That being said, clubs are still at the moment the doorway to the scene. And until we can afford better venues it is upon us as individuals to ensure that we maintain a good working relationship with them. This means that people have to be more responsible. We need to make sure that we are good patrons, that we limit breakages and incidences of vandalism. Clubs like Blues have been good to the scene and it would be great if we paid that trust back.
Ultimately organisers need to come up with more innovative ways of entertaining the audience outside clubs while headbangers cultivate a greater sense of responsibility.
by
Yvonne Ndubi