Blankets and Wine is the brainchild of multi-media artist Muthoni Ndonga. Started in 2008 with an audience of just 120 people, the music festival has grown to attract audiences in the thousands and expanded it's platform to feature upcoming fashion designers and visual artists. They celebrated their 10th annivesary  last Sunday by hosting an all Kenyan edition. The artists featured had in one way of another attributed their success in the music industry to the platform.
The concert was iconic in in many ways to Blinky Bill and Sauti Sol. For Blinky Bill, the performance of his album, Everybody Is Winging it and Other Fly Tales, was his first one in Kenya. His set was a sonic delight which prepared the audience to expect  a sound that is both fresh and very experimental. Sauti Sol's set was a walk down memory lane. They guided fans through the journey of their growth with performances of their hits from Lazizi to Melanin.
Suraj, had the first set of the day. His set was a mix of remixes of local afro-fusion tracks, interpolated melodies and original songs, entertaining the crowd with his ecclectic EDM sound. Nyashinki was a crowd favorite. Muthoni Drummer Queen's set was lacklustre in comparison to the other performances. She sounded out of breath which affected her diction making it hard to enjoy the music she was playing.
The crowd at Blankets and Wine is what pulls me to these type of shows. The fans are testament to the vibrancy of Kenya's festival culture. Fashion in all its colour thrives in this environment. The style raged from throw back looks from the 90s, flowy dresses and flower crowns to bold and original designs.
The food situation was disappointing. The portion sizes were tiny and the meals under-cooked. The lines at the toilets seemed to stretch on forever which made answering the call of nature a major hassle.
View the Blankets and Wine gallery here.

About The Author

Author
Alix Grubel

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