The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo —
WITH just a few weeks to go before the year ends, the festive season and holiday plans are in full swing. Being one of the best tourist resorts in the country, Victoria Falls will be laden with activity during this period.
From December 29, one of the biggest New Year celebration parties on the continent, the Jameson Vic Falls Carnival, will roar to life with an array of both local and international acts taking turns to usher thousands of merrymakers into 2017.
One of the headline acts, LCNVL (Locnville) is already promising music fans who are attending the event a unique experience. The electro-pop duo made up of twins Andrew and Brian Chaplin is not new to performing on the big stage having graced many prestigious festivals around the world.
In an interview from their base in South Africa, one of the LCNVL twins, Andrew Chaplin said it was a great feeling having been selected to be part of this year’s edition of the carnival.
“It’s always great to perform at festivals that are well organised, because for this event we know there are going to be massive crowds and the sound is also going to be on point.
“I think this festival concept is great, unique in many ways and we are really looking forward to sharing the party spirit with everyone,” he said.
This will not be the first time for the group to perform locally.
“We have performed in Zimbabwe a few times before and have had a fantastic time on every gig we have played. People are generally misinformed about Zimbabwe, but the events we have been to that side are some of the best shows we have had in our careers,” added Chaplin.
With a couple of weeks to go before the carnival and considering that these boys have a habit of dropping a hit every now and then, carnival-goers are likely to be dancing to new music come New Year’s Eve.
Chaplin added that people who are coming for the festival should expect all the hits they know and a few surprises in their set with new music being a guarantee.
While many locals usually appreciate groups that perform using live bands, LCVNL explained why they do not use live instrumentation during their performances, which is usually the norm for electro-music acts.
“We don’t like to use bands as we feel it takes a lot away from the electronic nature of our music. We have also taken so much effort with the production of our music so we would not want to lose anything from it.”
The duo launched their own record label, CB (ContraBanned), earlier this year with their first signing being talented rapper Chad. They have several international awards under their belt, including the Best African Act at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Selling Album at the 2011 SAMAs, among others.
Meanwhile, organisers for the event have also added another top South African outfit to the carnival acts. Goodluck, which was also on the line-up for last year’s carnival, has been slotted again for this year’s edition and will add their electronic flair to the carnival mood.
Other performers include Sketchy Bongo and The Kiffness with the regular Train Party wheel spinner, DJ Francis being brought back again. An array of local acts are also set to add steam to the line-up but the names of the artistes are yet to be released with the organisers still compiling the final list.
his year, organisers are offering travel and accommodation packages for those coming from any country in Southern Africa. Tickets for the famous Train Party set for December 30 have been pegged at US$60, while the New Year’s Eve Concert will cost US$65 with the two-day pass going for US$100.
Festival organisers have, however, promised reduced ticket prices for locals who have complained of high prices in the past.
