One thing you don’t necessarily expect to see in Braamfontein are the streets shut down by thousands of kids having a rowdy, but fun, moshpit. Or what looks like a scene from a Nirvana music video being sound-tracked by Kayne West and Desiigner. But that’s exactly the positive energy that the Onyx collective have been generating with their various street market and ‘rage’ events. Bubblegumclub recently had an interview with group member Gondo, who provided us with an insight into the works of this collective of ‘black boys that have good ideas and exceptional vision’.
As he puts it ‘Onyx started as an attempt to make an event that we’d enjoy cause we didn’t like the event scene that people were giving us. We were always turned away because of the way we dressed and how young we were. The music they played at all these other parties weren’t what we’d expected, we wanted alternative music and all the stuff we weren’t hearing on the radio.’
The result has been a series of spectacular carnivals which have gathered major crowds. With regards to the Desiigner mosh-pit, Gondo notes ‘Yeah that shit was crazy! We’re the ultimate moshers. There is no average Onyx event. We always come in, play what we love, encourage the kids to be confident and to let all their aggression and issues out in the Mosh pit. Onyx events go on for as long as the music is playing, or until some official comes through to shut us down- which happened the day of the crazy mosh pit you saw. For our major events such as Street Market and Onyx Rage Festival we garner an attendance of 1500. I think this year is going to be crazier we might see a massive crowd of the kids come out to play in their numbers’.
For the future, Onyx plans to keep delivering special for its niche market.- ‘We’re very rooted in the progression of a culture of confidence and self-sufficiency in South Africa so we’re not going to run to corporations to make more money because of the money. We do it for the people’.
The next Onyx Steet Market takes place in Juta Street Braamfontein on the 09 July, from 13H00- 01H00.
