By BRUCE DENNILL
Now Now Festival 2026 / Marks Park, Emmarentia, Johannesburg
Joining a stable of festival brands including Up The Creek, Park Live and On The Lawn (all run by Breakout Events), the Now Now Festival line-up didn’t leap out, line-up-wise, as an event that’s differentiated much from the competition, other than in the international bands – headliners The Human League and electro-pop duo Blancmange – sharing a love for synthesizers.
The other bands were all well-known guitar-led rock acts – Wonderboom’s Cito and Sugardrive’s Paul E Flynn’s cover songs side project Absinthé, Arno Carstens with his two-piece band, and Prime Circle. All of this meant, tenuous themes aside, that there was a fair bit of scope on offer in terms of taste – originals and covers, pop and rock, electric and acoustic, and even English and a bit of (in Carsten’s set) Afrikaans.
Beautiful weather for an outdoor concert and an audience well-versed in staying comfortable for an afternoon and evening spent out on a large grass field (read: loads of camping chairs, picnic blankets, hats and bar budget) created a relaxed, friendly, cheerful atmosphere for Absinthé to step into. As hugely experienced musicians Cito and Flynn’s mien matched the audience’s and with alternative classics including Monkey Gone To Heaven by Pixies and Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart and arrangements that showcased both singers’ distinctive voices well, the tone was set for an event of consistent quality and entertainment.
Arno Carstens, never one to kowtow to mainstream expectations, played a set devoid of Springbok Nude Girls songs and largely devoted more to his own new material than his more established solo repertoire. The result? A powerful performance including songs in both English and Afrikaans and both more acoustic (driven by guitar, trumpet and drums) and layered with tracks – including a gospel choir backing. It was interesting to note the development of an already storied career through what was and was not included here.
Blancmange (included as special guests of The Human League) are probably best known for Living On The Ceiling, their biggest hit and the one with the song structure closest to “traditional” – and the most obvious hits. Outside of that tune, many South Africans may have been hard-pressed to identify some of the rest of their setlist. But tall, engaging singer Neil Arthur short-circuited any concerns in that regard with authoritative vocals and an easy connection with the crowd, with that relationship boosted by the inclusion of Depeche Mode’s pop standard Just Can’t Get Enough, to loud cheers.
Prime Circle, fronted by Gavin Edwards, connected strongly and immediately with the crowd thanks to a joy in performance (drummer Dale Schnettler, as ever, taking the lead in this regard) and a willingness to pack their set with hits and crowd favourites. For those who have not seen this 2.0 version of the band, post founding singer Ross Learmonth leaving to focus on solo work, Edwards did a persuasive job behind the mic. His singing voice is an excellent rock instrument – different to Learmonth’s but well-suited to the band’s back catalogue and its new material.
Relatively pumped up after this rock innings – the festival’s pacing was not particularly urgent, and waits between acts meant having adrenaline levels dip regularly before the lights went up again – the crowd was more than ready for the arrival of The Human League, with fans streaming forward towards the standing area in front of the stage, abandoning their camping chairs and blankets to sing and dance.
The band made an immediate visual impact, with the tall, bald, constantly moving singer Philip Oakey flanked by fellow singers Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall and two keytar players (not something you see too often). They too are an outfit completely comfortable with their legacy of radio hits and anyone outside of their devoted fanbase probably found themselves happily surprised by how many songs they not only recognised, but really enjoyed listening to. Mirror Man, Soundtrack To A Generation, The Lebanon, Human, Love Action (I Believe In Love), (Keep Feeling) Fascination and mega-hit Don’t You Want Me are all part of a packed, punchy, populace-pleasing presentation that, as was the case all day, was delivered with a level of smiling, gentle engagement that made the whole festival feel like a party for a large bunch of friends.
Oakey, at 70, has fantastic energy and stage presence, built around extraordinarily strong, pure vocals that sound as good as they did at the band’s peak. His performance particularly ensured that Now Now ended on a high, established as a platform that will easily arouse interest next time it comes around.