Knysna’s deep shades of Crimson

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KNYSNA NEWS - Crimson House returned to Knysna last weekend to perform the penultimate show in Better Live's line-up for the Knysna Oyster Festival, and emphatically wowed all in attendance with their skill set that transcended several genres of music.

The show took place on Saturday 9 July, and was organised by Better Live at The Knysna Experience, which was the home of all of their concerts and shows throughout the Knysna Oyster Festival.

PHOTO GALLERY: Crimson House at Oyster Festival

Organisers also selected an opening act befitting of Crimson House - The Cottonfields, a four-piece eclectic mix of musicians who are brilliant in their own right.

The Cottonfields' musical make-up is a wonderful melting pot of rock n roll, rap, bluegrass, punk, folk, and a fun take on the traditional hillbilly sound. Their set was great, and proved the perfect antidote to combat the blues that many felt after South Africa's loss to Wales in the rugby a little earlier.

Second vocalist of The Cottonfields, Megan du Toit.

It didn't take long for people to hop to their feet and start bouncing about. Their musical stylings flowed perfectly into what was to come from the main act for the evening, Crimson House.

Crimson House is a gypsy rock band that strings together a vast number of genres, but their overarching styles are ska, Afro blues, hip hop, blues and rock.

This incredible blend means the seven-member band is always a treat for music lovers in Knysna.

And they have a special connection in the town too. They provided the inspiration and motivation for Better Live founders Dominic Morel and Jackie Barham to dive head-first into the eventing business in 2015 after a successful running of the Knysna Blues Festival.

"Without them, there would be no Better Live," Morel said during his introductory speech that brought the group to the stage on Saturday.

What followed was a phenomenal showcase of what music can and should sound like when seven of SA's top performers in their individual instruments come together and create what can only be described as art. With Riaan Smit on lead vocal and guitar, the brilliant skills of Gareth Harvey (brass), Ashley Hilton (bass), Christoph de Chavonnes Vrugt (drums), Arno van Zyl (guitar), Carla Stokes (saxophone) and Luca Hart (violin) were on full display throughout their set.

Their ability to seamlessly bounce off of one another seemed effortless at all times, but make no mistake - when they start having instrumental duels with fellow band members, every ounce of class pours out through their pores and into their weapon of choice. These duels often led into songs and showgoers were kept on their toes, moving to the music from start to finish. There was never a dull moment during the Crimson House set, to say the very least.

Lead vocalist of The Cottonfields. Photos: Blake Linder