Myburgh "Woestyn" - August 2010

Myburgh Grobbelaar is no stranger to the SA music landscape. From his early days as singer for The Fauves with Albert Frost, David Poole and Tim Rankin to producing his EP “Burnt Bachelor” and music videos on MK he has developed a very personal style. After travelling overseas for a few years, Myburgh returned home and has now moved to Cape Town. He was lucky enough to work with some famous names on this, his first full-length album, such as Albert Frost (who produced the album and played all guitar), Tim Rankin (drummer for Bed on Bricks), Schalk van der Merwe (bassist for Bed on Bricks) and Adriaan Brand (trumpet player for Springbok Nude Girls).

Laid back, folk inspired and touched by some good old Texas blues grit, Myburgh takes listeners on an intimate journey through local landscapes and nostalgia with “Woestyn”. Most of the songs are sung in his home language Afrikaans (there are two English tracks) that gives it an authentic and rustic feel.

The combination of Adriaan’s horn and Alberts Southern-swagger guitar sound gives “Iets Kry” a Mexican tumbleweed feel. The title track’s vocal melodies in the verse set a sombre and thoughtful mood, while the chorus breaks out into an explosion of driving guitar and drums. “Betyds” is a beautiful tapestry of guitar and vocals. The type of song that makes you want to lie back on some soft grass on a hot summers day and just soak it up.

The overall mood of the album is pensive and slightly sad but also offers a reflective acceptance that all is good in the world. “Woestyn” is definitely destined for your car CD player on that next road trip.

Words: Etienne Buys

Rebel Records - Compilations – July 2010

Rebel records are the most recent addition to the SA music industry record labels. Their creed is to become major supporters of South African music by signing local acts and marketing them to local and especially international audiences. Rebel Record’s first releases are three compilations – South African Acoustic, South African Rock, Pop and Dance, and Barney Simon’s Radio Revolution.

South African Acoustic
This compilation, as the title suggests, is comprised of various “acoustic” tracks from local artists such as aKing, Fokofpolisiekar, Karen Zoid, New Holland, Ashtray Electric and many more. The aim is obviously to showcase the mellower side of SA rock. The track selection is a nice mix of some classic stuff, like Van Coke Kartel’s acoustic version of “Algehele Kontrole” and Dear Readers “Great White Bear”, and some lesser known songs, like Beatenberg’s “Lost in Translation”. If you’re in the mood for some chilled driving music, and don’t mind getting a bit commercial then you’ll dig this.

South African Rock, Pop and Dance
Although, generally the track selection is interesting, the cover art for all the Rebel Records compilations needs quite a bit of work. If this label plans on marketing SA bands overseas, they had better pull up their socks when it comes to design and marketing. “South African Rock, Pop and Dance” is a snapshot of SA bands that have achieved commercial success over the past few years. The tracks lean towards the pop rather than real rock and dance though, with Jax Panic “Cigarettes and Cinnamon”, The Parlotones “Should We Fight Back?”, CrashCarBurn “Under a Falling Sky” and Jesse Clegg “Heartbreak Street”. There are however, some out of the box selections, like Gazelle “She Did Me In” and Blk Jks “Lakeside”.

Barney Simon’s Radio Revolution
For me this was by far the best of these compilations. Mainly because there are plenty of tracks here that I have never heard (the older Afrikaan stuff) and some tracks that brought back some awesome memories. The album consists of two disks, one with pretty much all Afrikaans rock and blues on it and the other with predominantly English SA rock. Barney Simon is a legend of the SA music scene, famous for his show on Radio 5 that featured mainly SA rock. Some cool tracks on CD 1 are – Karen Zoid “Afrikaners Is Plesierig” and Valiant swart “Die Mystic Boer”. On CD 2 the SA rock original hard hitters are featured – Lithium “Broken”, Battery 9 “Kiss the Machine”, Saron Gas “69 Tea” and Sugardrive “Disco Lazarus” to mention a few.

Words: Etienne Buys

The Plastics "Shark" – July 2010

The Launch
Last weekend saw the launch party for The Plastics’ debut album “Shark”. The build up sucked everyone in over the preceding weeks, and we were all ready to see what all the fuss was about. The big fuss was mostly caused by the fact that The Plastics managed to get acclaimed producer Gordon Raphael to fly down and work on their album, which is super cool. Whether they got him by pure luck or pure talent I don’t think anyone really gives a shit, the point is they got him.

The Assembly was draped in Shark paraphernalia including a Jaws cardboard cutout for our photo-snapping pleasure and big teeth around the entrance. Unfortunately we missed the opening act, Holiday Murray but managed to catch Captain Stu who are always cool to watch. I am not the biggest ska fan, but they have been around for a long time and in that time have managed to polish their live performance to a sparkly gleam.

I had only seen The Plastics once before and to be honest couldn’t remember much about the encounter. I was ready to see whether they lived up to the hype. They started their set super-cool and nonchalant as Pascal (lead singer) sauntered through their indie fun time vibes. They played loads of songs off their new album to a foot-stomping and appreciative crowd.

The beer did run rivers and the performance ebbed and flowed. Things got so mad that at one stage there was continual crowd surfing for what seemed like half an hour.
The Plastics put on a pretty mature performance for such a young band, but I have to say I lost interest every few songs only to be drawn back in by moments of awesomeness.

“Jukebox”, which they pulled off with a string quartet, a guest performance by Paul Maree of The Beams on synth and their new single “Caves” were highlights for me.

The Album
This album takes you on holiday to your favourite beach, causing shit with your friends and feeling hardcore for smoking a joint. It captures a kind of immature abandon that most of us really miss.

Track one “Jukebox” begins with whimsical piano chords and a vocal melody reminiscent of The Beatles. The album immediately picks up-tempo with “Unusable Block”.

“Caves” their radio single, is an extremely well crafted track, with a great chorus vocal melody, fun and up tempo drums and jangly verses. It really is amazing what a great producer does for an album and for individual tracks, taking the songs and shaping them into well-balanced and interesting mini adventures.

My favourite track is the seriously catchy “Banks of the Breede”. This track is epic and nostalgic, reminding me of good times. “Stereo Kids” starts with a moody intro, which switches to a head-bobbing verse and chorus.

It seems The Plastics have taken an awesome opportunity in working with a world-class producer and squeezed every drop out of it. The album is catchy, cool and honest. Dig it!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Rebel Records - Compilations – July 2010

Rebel records are the most recent addition to the SA music industry record labels. Their creed is to become major supporters of South African music by signing local acts and marketing them to local and especially international audiences. Rebel Record’s first releases are three compilations – South African Acoustic, South African Rock, Pop and Dance, and Barney Simon’s Radio Revolution.

South African Acoustic
This compilation, as the title suggests, is comprised of various “acoustic” tracks from local artists such as aKing, Fokofpolisiekar, Karen Zoid, New Holland, Ashtray Electric and many more. The aim is obviously to showcase the mellower side of SA rock. The track selection is a nice mix of some classic stuff, like Van Coke Kartel’s acoustic version of “Algehele Kontrole” and Dear Readers “Great White Bear”, and some lesser known songs, like Beatenberg’s “Lost in Translation”. If you’re in the mood for some chilled driving music, and don’t mind getting a bit commercial then you’ll dig this.

South African Rock, Pop and Dance
Although, generally the track selection is interesting, the cover art for all the Rebel Records compilations needs quite a bit of work. If this label plans on marketing SA bands overseas, they had better pull up their socks when it comes to design and marketing. “South African Rock, Pop and Dance” is a snapshot of SA bands that have achieved commercial success over the past few years. The tracks lean towards the pop rather than real rock and dance though, with Jax Panic “Cigarettes and Cinnamon”, The Parlotones “Should We Fight Back?”, CrashCarBurn “Under a Falling Sky” and Jesse Clegg “Heartbreak Street”. There are however, some out of the box selections, like Gazelle “She Did Me In” and Blk Jks “Lakeside”.

Barney Simon’s Radio Revolution
For me this was by far the best of these compilations. Mainly because there are plenty of tracks here that I have never heard (the older Afrikaan stuff) and some tracks that brought back some awesome memories. The album consists of two disks, one with pretty much all Afrikaans rock and blues on it and the other with predominantly English SA rock. Barney Simon is a legend of the SA music scene, famous for his show on Radio 5 that featured mainly SA rock. Some cool tracks on CD 1 are – Karen Zoid “Afrikaners Is Plesierig” and Valiant swart “Die Mystic Boer”. On CD 2 the SA rock original hard hitters are featured – Lithium “Broken”, Battery 9 “Kiss the Machine”, Saron Gas “69 Tea” and Sugardrive “Disco Lazarus” to mention a few.

Words: Etienne Buys

Die Antwoord – Kak Kool in Plumstead

Who knew that South African white trash culture would get so huge? …definitely not me. The first time I saw Die Antwoord was at Ramfest two years back, and to be honest I thought they were super shit. Maybe I wasn’t drunk enough, but I just didn’t get it. Things changed quite a bit when I experienced the music video for “Enter the Ninja”. It all suddenly came together. The video was original, well produced and for the first time I could see what they were on about. Die Antwoord is Waddy Jones’ big fuck you to everything anyone ever thought was cool. Die Antwoord embrace everything that’s weird, twisted and off limits in our society. It’s so fucked up that it’s genius. Over 5 million views on Youtube, and a record deal with Interscope records later, Die Antwoord are suddenly the biggest music export SA has ever seen.

They kicked off their “Poes Groot World Tour” in Cape Town at a venue well known back in the late 90’s for the massive raves held there. By 22h30 the 3 Arts Theatre in Plumstead was heaving with a sold out crowd of 3500 people. By the time the intro to “Enter the Ninja” started most people had been drinking for at least two hours and were there to go mad. Yolandi and the Ninja strutted as only they can, riling up the masses, getting them ready for the messy shit. They began a choreographed dance routine and Yolandi got things started with her, by now famous line “Ai, yai, yai I am your butterfly…” You can’t help but be shit scared of the Ninja… he just stood there looking like a prison crack addict with his fists in the air, owning the crowd.

Seeing local artists get that many people off is awesome to see. The whole performance seemed to put everyone into a drunken trance, like a crowd at a boxing match baying for blood. The theatrics of the whole show, including the freaky dancers, Ninja scowling at the crowd and Yolandi tuning everybody “Jou Ma se poes!” blended into a massive spectacle that you kind of get a sick pleasure from being a part of.

Highlights of the night were Die Antwoords drinking anthem “Doos Dronk” and of course the Ninja had to stage dive, giving the fans a chance to get a piece of him. During “Wie Maak die Jol Vol” a crew of MC’s stepped onto stage including Isaac Mutant, Knoffel, Jaak Paarl and Scallywag. Near the end of their set Yolansi Vi$$er put on her J-Lo bling and shaked her booty to “Rich Bitch”.

Die Antwoord are proof that there is a new way of doing things in the global music business these days, new ways of being noticed. I think it’s totally awesome that the power is slowly slipping away from the massive record companies (not that they don’t have there place in the industry) and into the hands of the masses. For the first time music fans globally can pick and choose what they want to listen to, instead of being dictated to.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Taxi Violence – “Venus Fly Trap” video launch

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a gig at Mercury, and it’s also been a while since I’ve made an effort to go and see some new bands. Two acts opened for Taxi Violence on Friday, namely Red Huxley and Great Apes. Both I had heard of but had never seen. Red Huxley sorted out some straight up blues-rock. They are a tight three piece that got the smallish early crew in front of the stage swaying and bobbing their heads. The vocals bellowing out from behind a main of hair and guitar bleeding out of the speakers, driven by an energetic rhythm section made me feel good about life in general and way too sober at the same time.

Second up were Great Apes, who attempt a punk-blues blend of messy brain haemorrhage but sometimes forget about the punk-blues part. The lead singer heaved menacingly over the monitors on stage and seemed to get the growing crowd riled up for mayhem. After hammering away for about 45 minutes the mess subsided and it was time for the real deal.

Before the real deal however, the new music video was aired. Filmed at Mercury Live and directed by Loedi van Reenen, the basic idea is that the band are jamming in a sea of writhing party animals who eventually take over completely and carry the band off to body surfing nirvana. It’s pretty cool.

Taxi Violence took to stage all swagger and confidence. Obviously the band everyone was here to head-bang to. There are a handful of bands in SA that are as tight as these guys. Their riff-based grinding rock taps into the sound that originally earned rock n roll the label of Devil’s music. You can actually feel your inhibitions burn away in the heat of hundreds of sweaty bodies jamming to the relentless drone of Rian’s guitar and George’s hypnotic vocals.

TV played plenty songs off their second Album “The Turn” and ended with an oldie “Untie Yourself”. It was a great night out and always a pleasure watching Taxi Violence belt it out.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Wrestlerish “The Rude Mechanical” – May 2010

More and more it seems that music genres in general are just not keeping up with the weird and wonderful mixed genre shit that seems to find its way to our ears these days. Wrestlerish are one of those bands that are just rude enough not to conform, and just can’t sit, well behaved in their little “rock”, “folk” or “post-hardcore” corners. When I first heard their music described as “indie-country” I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised not to hear what in my mind would have been a fucked up combination of Bloc Party and Dolly Parton.

Wrestlerish have just released their debut album “The Rude Mechanical” through legendary local label Rhythm Records and to be honest, it does kind of have some country in it, and even some indie, but there’s plenty more to their unique sound.

Wrestlerish combine sweet sounding vocals, jangly guitars and feel good lyrics to make you feel like you are literally floating down memory lane, joint in mouth and soft serve ice cream in hand. It’s definitely listenable stuff. I especially like their use of a variety of cool instruments (like trumpet, accordion and piano) and a smattering of samples that seem to add a little something extra to their songs.

On “Nextolgia”, the fourth track on the album, Werner Olckers’ high vocals remind me of Plush’s Rory Eliot. The song starts with a really happy guitar riff and the lyrics “This photograph. Just keep it in your pocket. Before you know. Looks like you’ve gone and lost it” The chorus is a jump around and nod your head vibe with real clapping… yep real clapping! Are we feeling awesome yet?

It’s not all fun and games though as the title track delves into deep, dark and depressing territory. At one point sombre acoustic guitar provides an appropriate backdrop to some haunting slide guitar.

The track everyone’s on about “Oliver Tambourine” combines a foot stomping backbeat, acoustic guitar and upbeat lyrics to good effect in a really catchy chorus.

Wrestlerish are chilled, but awesome chilled. They have an unusually cool mix of sappy folk styles and more epic dancy stuff, but more importantly listening to “The Rude Mechanical” will make you feel happy and that all is good in the world… even the kak stuff.

Words: Etienne Buys

Van Coke Kartel “Skop, Skiet en Donner” – April 2010

The Launch
14 Hope Street is a massive hall, probably mostly used for school assemblies and similar events. Last weekend Van Coke Kartel chose to transform this venue into a freak show of dressed-up party animals and alternative music as part of the Toffie Popular Cultural Festival and “Skop, Skiet en Donner” album launch. As I mentioned the venue is huge, and even though there were a lot of people it always seemed like a bit of a poor turn out (maybe the R90 at the door scared a few hundred people away). The people that did rock up were fully into it though, dressed to the nines in all sorts of fucked up costumes.

We arrived during the end of Oorlog Frankenstein’s set (a Van Coke/Van Pletzen monster), and were greeted with visuals of a dancing penis and Francois repeating “Penis, penis, penis!” That kind of weirdness set the tone for the rest of the evening. To follow was Argentine electro-punk band Manta Raya. They reminded me of a cross between Blondie and The Sex Pistols, although the chick from Blondie can actually hold a note from time to time, so maybe that’s a bit optimistic. They blared on for what seemed like an eternity after which the band everyone came to see took to the stage.

Van Coke Kartel is basically Francois and Wynand of Fokof doing their own thing. They originally started as a three piece with a drummer and now have a new drummer and very talented lead guitarist, who if I’m not mistaken I remember from The Armchair Theatre as the guys from Cruel April. If you haven’t heard the new Van Coke Kartel album, you are in for a shock. They have ventured off into a weird and wonderful musical acid trip, throwing in samples/synth, crazy leads and electro (which is a far cry from their last two albums). They put on a spectacular show, and are tighter than I have ever seen them. The addition of the new band members is definitely a big improvement and widens the scope of their sound substantially. We were treated to some insane, shredding leads and solid drumming as well as the customer chemistry between Francois and Wynand. It was an awesome show!

The Album
One of the greatest bands in the world The Beatles produced amazing music throughout their career, but even they went through a drug infused, messy and experimental stage during the sixties and produced the very weird “Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. For me “Skop, Skiet en Donner” is Francois and Wynand’s “Sergeant Peppers”. After listening to this album a number of times I still can’t seem to figure out where the hell it is coming from, it is a mish-mash of electro-hard-rock that is as in your face as you would expect, but seems to lose the plot along the way (in a good way).

If your are expecting the Van Coke Kartel you know and love in this album, you will be surprised to find an entirely new animal. Acclaimed producer Peach Van Pletzen was brought in to produce the album, and drums on most tracks as well as adds the eighties throw back-indie touch with the sytnth and samples. Nathan Smith also adds some impressive lead guitar to the mix.

The album starts with Van Coke Kartel’s radio hit “Voor Ons Stof Word” which in itself is a great composition, showcasing the album well. My favourite song is “Man Sonder Missie” which features an awesome guitar riff, and driving drums. For the first time since “New World Inside” Francois sings a few songs in English, both of which are covers. Namely, “Cocaine” and “Maniac”. Maybe it’s just that you expect Francois to sing in Afrikaans, but I think he is a far more powerful Afrikaans singer than English. I’ve always thought that if an established original band plays covers you had better put a very different spin on it, and do it well. Van Coke Kartel didn’t achieve this, especially with the classic “Cocaine” which seemed to me like a bit of regurgitation.

This album has definitely given new direction to Van Coke Kartel and the new material is also epic on stage!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Ashtray Electric and Wrestlerish – March 2010

Words: Etienne Buys

Pro X Games – March 2010

Heat, dirt, beers and extreme air was the name of the game at this year’s Pro X games. The event took place at the dry and dusty Zone 7 off the N7 on the way to Malmesbury. CTU made the mission out to see what was going down.

We arrived around 11AM in 40-degree heat, and proceeded to the nearest beer tent to quench our ever-present thirst. Luckily we didn’t have to go far to get a piece of the action as the FMX (Freestyle Motocross) started a practice session right next door. Having never witnessed tricks like this up close and personal, I was absolutely blown away by what these guys were pulling off. Easily 20metres in the air, some of them were at one stage actually letting go of their handlebars completely and sailing through the air like superman! The main tricks on display were whip’s (the bike is “whipped” to the side – the further to the side the bigger the trick), the cliffhanger (the rider lifts off his seat whilst still holding the handlebars…. Upside down!) and the superman seatgrab (the rider lets go of the handlebars and grabs the seat… did I mention they are upside down?!). Yep, this just wet my appetite for the day and we decided to go check out some other events.

The actual venue was massive and had a festival layout, with food stalls, pota-loo’s, beer tents, a stage area (bands played the following night) all interspersed between the various ramps, dirt tracks and obstacle courses. Next we stopped off at the mountain bike obstacle course (Trials). This, for me was probably the most impressive event, as these guys have patience and muscle control on another level. The obstacle course consisted of various logs, bridges, and even went up into the trees. The contenders hopped around like mountain goats, over and onto obstacles and even managed to get about 10 metres up onto a platform and then jump back down again. Freakin’ insane I tell you! The only major wipeout I witnessed for the day was here, when one of the bridges about 10 metres up on a tree, came apart with a rider on it. Luckily he managed to remain unscathed.

Honestly I don’t know how anyone could perform in that kind of heat, but perform they did. We sauntered on over to the BMX track to check out what these skinny jean wearing athletes were up to. The track consisted of a massive ramp that the riders sped down, and various sized jumps for them to do some crazy tricks. It was quite awesome to see how creative these guys get. After a few more drinks I actually saw the first back flip of the day!

The following event took place, I think, at the hottest part of the day, and I was ready to pass the freak out (I was nursing a monster hangover). In the Supercross event the riders raced and diced each other to get the biggest air and whipped their bikes around like skateboards. To be honest I didn’t really know what the hell was going on, so I just looked on in amazement whilst licking an ice cream. Great!

After severe heat exposure and dehydration due to beer exposure the night before, we decided to leave with smiles on out faces. Unfortunately the wakeboarding event was cancelled due to the inflatable wakeboarding pool being damaged the day before (it turned into a play pool on Sunday, with everyone with board shorts or a bikini cooling off in it). I am a bit disappointed I missed the skateboarding event, which was apparently moved to another location. So it was all bikes, and all good fun. I recommend checking out next year if you missed out this time around it was definitely extreme!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

RAMFest IV – February 2010

With the massive increase in live music festival options in and around Cape Town over the past few years and the resultant competition, the organisers of RAMFest have managed to position it as the only Real Alternative Music festival. This year not only saw a massive increase in the number of festivalgoers but also the inclusion of RAMFest Joburg, which took place at the Emmarentia Dam. CTU went along to the Cape Town event to drink, swelter in the sun and of course, watch some epic live music!

Friday

The line-up this year consisted of some of the best bands from around the country as well as a bit of international flavour thrown into the mix. On Friday night after a few beers to make the heat almost bearable, we headed for the main stage to grab a show or two and meander around to see what was different this year in terms of food, loo’s and general festival layout. It really is awesome to see a festival like RAMFest just get better and better each year. This year we were treated to the biggest food selection yet, a club within a festival with a birds-eye-view of the main stage and plenty other cool essential stuff. The schedule for the weekend was however a little illusive, but not to worry we were probably to hammered to care.

The first band we were treated to was Johnny Foreigner, who hail from the UK and were on a tour of the country at the time. They were in your face, edgy indie punk rock with stroppy English accents and had plenty of energy on stage. I am not entirely sure if this was some kind of tactic by the sound crew, but the sound seemed slightly subdued at the beginning of the night and seemed to pick up near the end. Anyways it seemed to detract a bit from this particular band’s performance.

Next up were The Dirty Skirts who, probably never disappoint and are definitely a crowd favourite. After having seen them a kazillion times since they released their last album though, I found myself wishing for a few new songs. The Narrow, a Joburg based band who have been making waves in Europe were next. Holy Crap! I have heard them before but they absolutely blew me away this time around (probably one of the tightest acts of the weekend). The usual big-hitters came next with Fokofpolisiekar doing their epic stuff and Peach van Pletzen, aka Yesterday’s Pupil, blowing minds with his one-man super-electro-head-bopping show.

Saturday

Ok, so if you’ve ever been to any music festivals you’ll know that Saturday mornings are pretty much touch and go. We generally overdo it on the Friday and suffer the consequences in the blazing sun the next day only to get even more wasted that night and scurry home on the Sunday. Well this Saturday morning was no different, and we dragged ourselves off to the food area first thing to fix whatever we had broken.

The rest of the day was spent, under cover at our camp area, and randomly ducking down to the river for a dip. Now, usually the river is a place for hippos. People love to go there and float around with only their heads peaking out whilst at the same time sipping on a cold one. This is freaking great. This year however, the Breede River bank was transformed into Camps Bay boulevard meets Long Street, complete with cocktail bar, and I’m-to-sexy-for-my-neon-shades dance music. There was a camera crew, and about a million people squashed onto about 20 metres squared of riverbank. Needless to say, I did my time in the water and didn’t stick around for the cocktail.

After hiding from the sun for the entire day we ventured out on wobbly legs to the main stage area again to watch our first band of Saturday evening, Taxi Violence. These Cape Town blues-rocking bad boys have got to be one of the best live acts around. They were slotted for the always-awesome “fading-light” sessions, and got the crowd frenzied with new and old songs. They even had a little help from Freddy Kruger wearing women’s clothing and brandishing a grinder, scary!

For me the stand out performance was Lark. Another band I have seen a lot, but they took me and probably everyone else by surprise with a world-class show. Lark have always been tight, and an extremely enthralling band to watch, but this time round decided to pretty much rewrite all of their old songs as well as throw in some new stuff. This gig was the start of their V tour, and it seems that they are bent on making people stand up and see them for what they truly are, and that’s (hopefully) the next internationally famous South African band!

Another, incredible performance was by BOO! Yep, you read it BOO! Chris Chameleon and friends have made a come back, and it happened at RAMFest. This being my first time seeing BOO! live, I was absolutely impressed. Chris Chameleon has no skaam, the man put on high-heels and a leotard, and played that bass like a demon, a consummate performer. As great as they were I couldn’t help feeling like the music seemed a touch dated for the crowd though. On the other hand, BOO! Have been recording a new album, which is due for release later this year. Looking forward to it!

Another international act at RAMFest was the headliners, Pendulum. My god, if you aren’t into drum and bass, you should be. I think the last time I went off like that I was on lsd at Synergy 1999. Hectic! Again the sound for me detracted from the performance initially, but it seemed to be sorted out after about twenty minutes. After going ballistic for about two hours, we wandered off into the night with awesomeness ringing in our ears.

Sunday

AAARGHH!!!!!!!! Don’t mention Sunday! Ja, I saw you guys at the Engen/Wimpy the following morning trying to cure the hangover with bacon and eggs just like me. See you next year…

Check out the gallery for more amazing RAMFest pics...

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Just Jinjer at Kirstenbosch – February 2010

Words: Etienne Buys

Southern Ink Xposure

Tattoo’s and tattoo culture has always been a part of the underground scene here in Cape Town and almost every other city in the world. When thinking of tattoos my mind immediately wonders to images of sailors, bikers, goths and social deviants. Over the years however, getting inked has become increasingly more mainstream to the extent that just about every graphic designer and every second person walking down Long Street is sporting a full sleeve tattoo. Tattoo’s have become a more acceptable means of self-expression, but the pain and permanence aspects of the art form will always attract to it a certain type of individual. Southern Ink Xposure is the largest, if not the only event catering for such individuals in Africa and debuted in Cape Town last year.

This year, tattoo enthusiasts and anyone interested in something different descended on the Cape Town International Convention Centre to mingle, get inked and watch the spectacle of some of the world’s finest tattoo artists do there thing live!

The convention itself was set up like any other expo with stalls for the artists and other tattoo related products. Not being tattooed myself it was quite interesting to see it actually getting done on other people. All my friends that have tattoos have always said that the process is not all that painful, but I think they were lying. At the “White Trash Matt” stall, we witnessed a guy getting tattooed on his fingers… ouch! There were some other interesting things to check out such as Colin Dale’s stall where he tattoos using ancient tattoo instruments and techniques. Other attractions included a display of some awesome Harley Davidson motorcycles, vintage cars, an art exhibition of some very interesting hearts, and stalls selling everything from clothing to books and jewellery.

The great thing about this event is that it incorporates everything related to tattoo culture including music. As part of the convention, bands played at two of Cape Town’s top music venues. Some of the bands performing were Damn Right, Them Tornadoes, The Rudamentals, The Ragdolls and Jack Parow.

Check out our gallery section for more awesome photography of this event!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Just Jinger "Milk and Honies"

After spending the last ten years in the UK and The States, one of the biggest rock bands in SA, Just Jinger have returned. They are now signed to a Nashville based label, Curb, and are tighter than ever. To mark their return they have released an 8 track EP entitled “Milk and Honies”.

Included on the EP are some their US recordings, “Subject” and “Milk and Honies”. Three new songs, “Mr. Morgan”, “Lost and Found” and “My My My” were recorded at B-Sharp studio’s in Boksburg.

Just Jinger have always had a knack for writing catchy, distinctive and beautiful songs, and this release has a few keepers on it. Major radio stations locally are already punting the title track, “Milk and Honies”. This particular song was inspired by Ard’s (lead singer) love of South Africa, and begins with haunting vocals, head-bobbing backbeat and folk-style acoustic strumming. “Milk and Honies” would provide the perfect soundtrack to a road trip to just about anywhere in SA. “Mr. Morgan” is a politically motivated song; a call to “fight for Zimbabwe” and support a free election there. My favourite track is the awesome acoustic version of their nation wide hit “What He Means”. Listening to this track gives me goose bumps, and is a testament to the incredible poetry of Ard’s lyrics combined with his overall song writing ability.

I have to admit I’ve never been a huge fan of Just Jinger, but since their return they have really caught my attention and gained my respect. These guys have inserted themselves into the centre of the SA music scene and have succeeded in capturing the hearts and minds of a huge audience. They also had the balls to mission overseas and make things happen on their own terms. Listen to the EP, it inspires and even though they have been overseas for a long time Just Jinger’s sound still has a very original and distinctly South African flavour.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

South African Indie

What with Christmas around the corner and all, I’m sure many of you are looking for a stocking-filler or two. Rhythm Records have just released South African Indie, a compilation of some of our favourite local indie acts. Featured are amongst others, Ashtray Electric, Fokofpolisiekar, New Holland and The Dirty Skirts. Listening to this compilation you realise just what a wide variety of awesome quality comes out of SA. Some cool lesser-known tracks are thrown in along with the usual suspects, such as The Cavalier “Lonely King of Hearts”, Straatligkinders “Gewonde Standbeeld” and Wrestlerish “Sleep”. Looking at the track list it’s almost half Afrikaans, which just goes to show how many Afrikaans bands are making an impact on the local scene.

Words: Etienne Buys

Mix n Blend - Look Mom, No Hands

South Africa is not only home to lions and giant, flightless birds but also some of the sickest electronic beats around! African Dope Records have been supporting the best electronic acts in SA for many years and now have a new crew in their stable. Mix n Blend are Kevin, Jon and Ross and they have just released their debut album “Look Mom, No Hands” full of monster bass, reggae backbeats and toe-tapping funk. The album is an awesome mix of many influences and genres but there is a definitive ska and funk undertone to it. Although Mix n Blend are an electric act, they have made an effort to include plenty live instrumentation and have collaborated with some of the Mother City’s finest vocalists.

From the get go, the bass blows your mind and the funk seeps into your pores. “Bass Nitties”, the first track on the album, starts things off with a slow but steady pulse and increases the tempo near the end. “Shall We Swing”, featuring African Dope’s own Fletcher doing his electronic wizardry and Sindi on vocals with a bit of scat. It’s quite awesome to hear the progression through various genres, yet Mix n Blend still manage to hold a common edgy thread throughout.

Farrel Adams features on the funk infused “Lazy Friday Sounds”. Picture a Cadillac cruising down Camps Bay main road pumping some bass and stinking of the meanest skunk, and you’ll have some idea of how this track vibes. Keeping with the “days of the week” theme, “Sunday Afternoon Dub” is a laid back one, complete with reggae guitar and the smooth vocals of Pedro Pinto from 340ml. “Sik Wid It” drops the phattest intro and then breaks down into huge bass and some tripped out sounds.. a Sik track! My favourite track on this album is the ethereal, dark and otherworldly “First Light”.

So, if you’re looking for a party, or just wanna lay back and chill, then this album has it all! There is something special in every track, taking you on an aural journey like you’ve never been on. Buy it at all good music stores or get it online at http://www.africandope.co.za/

Words: Etienne Buys

Dane Taylor Trio – Foreword

It’s not often that you hear of a three-piece band these days, and especially not a three-piece that actually pulls it off. If you haven’t heard of the Dane Taylor Trio it’s probably because they haven’t been around long, but they certainly sound like they have been. They are a three-piece blues/rock outfit hailing from Cape Town and seem set to take the Cape of Storms by storm, if their first release “Foreword” is anything to go by.

Being a huge fan of the blues I took to their sound immediately, hearing serious Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix and John Mayer influences. Dane’s voice is clean and mellow and is backed by a solid rhythm section comprising Justin Mark and Rob Shaw. Any blues based music has a huge emphasis on the guitar and Dane pulls off beautifully chilled intros, clean chords and some awesome solo’s with ease.

My only criticism is that they seem to lean a bit too close to their influences and maybe need to identify their own sound a bit more (which is a difficult thing to do with the blues as it’s based on a formula). That being said “Foreword” is an awesome combination of mellow blues and driving traditional rock. My favourite moments are: the energetic intro to “Say You Do”, the beautiful lead near the end of “In The Rain” and the riff for “I Got The Remedies”. I cannot wait to see these guys live! Check out www.danetaylortrio.com for more.

Words: Etienne Buys

Mavis Vermaak

This Afrikaans spoken word artist exists in a weird and wonderful dimension, occupied by electronic eccentricities, acoustic meanderings and mellow, contemplative vocals. She recently released her debut, self-titled EP including four atmospheric compositions.

Tracks that stood out -
“Still” is an eerie synth drenched track, that leaves you floating and bobbing your head at the same time. “Kaapstadslaapstad” tells stories of Cape Town against the backdrop of a haunting bass line and sounds of the ocean lapping the sandy beach.

The lyrics are intensely personal and local. They paint sombre and asymmetrical pictures of the places we ourselves have been and can relate to.

I really enjoyed the unique combinations of electronic and acoustic instruments on most tracks and the hypnotizing effect of the almost whispered vocals.

Words: Etienne Buys

Thieve "Gold"

Thieve have not been around for long, but have made a substantial impact on the local music scene since they arrived. They have appeared on the Belville Rock City soundtrack and performed alongside the likes of aKing. Their music is a catchy blend of indie-pop-rock, and is now available on CD. Thieve have just released their debut album “Gold” and we were interested to see what all the fuss is about.

From the first track I had my foot tapping along to some seriously infectious tunes. Thieve’s creed is to take what you want from your influences and, from that, to make something new. I think they have definitely achieved this in their sound. Thieve kind of float on the edge of The Police, Chesney Hawkes and Fleetwood Mac but at the same time occupy their very own uplifting, pop-induced, party space.

The harmonies on this album are outstanding; something I think is overlooked by a lot of local bands. The overall composition of songs is also of a very high standard, remaining simply accessible but adequately complex so as to avoid the boredom factor. They seem to maintain a healthy blend of plucky, atmospheric guitar chords and riffs, electronic samples and hard, driving drums and bass without sounding like just about any other indie/80’s throwback band out there.

Songs that made me want jump were “Another Night”, with its awesome “drive song” chorus and synth riff. The super funky “Live It Down” is the ultimate feel good song, featuring acoustic guitars and a great little piano riff. Of course Thieves hit song “Last Day December” stands out as one of the best songs on the album with an epic vocal line and jumpy beat.

Words: Etienne Buys

Rocking the Daisies

This year saw the masses descend on the Cloof wine estate in Darling for the third Rocking the Daisies Festival, South Africa’s only eco friendly music festival. With the issues that plagued the organisers last year they seemed very well prepared to give us the best, and most organised festival yet. The line-up included massive SA performers such as Just Jinjer, Prime Circle and Goldfish and many lesser-known acts who did not disappoint.

Friday
We arrived fairly late in the afternoon after an amazingly scenic drive to Darling, and were impressed to find a smooth transition from the entrance to the media and VIP campsite. After rushing to get our tent up before the sun went down we downed a few beers and missioned to the main camp area to find friends and fellow troublemakers to jam with till the early hours of the morning. At the entrance we were provided with a very handy little booklet that had every bit of information you might need to have a fantastic time, including a map of the entire festival. We spent quite a while exploring the different tents and attractions around the festival and had a previous engagement to interview the legendary dance duo, Goldfish so missed most of the earlier acts (The Plastics, Gang of Instrumentals and Ashtray Electric amongst others). We did however manage to catch the main acts of the evening. aKing, as usual, put on a crowd pleasing performance playing a lot of their newer songs but also jamming some of their oldies which the crowd eagerly sang along to. The next act, and for me, the highlight of the Friday line-up was Goldfish. Damn! These guys have been hailed as the future of dance music all over the world with their awesome combination of electronic beats and live double bass, key boards and sax. Even through the bitter cold wind, just about everybody packed in close to the main stage to jam to some incredible music. The rest of the night was a blur although I do vaguely remember stumbling down to the Red Bull tent and going off to some awesome trance and electro.

Saturday
The following morning saw the dishevelled partygoers drawn to the Seattle Coffee Co tent for morning lattes and cappuccinos like kudu to a watering hole (what a pleasure). For breakfast there were many options in the food area, but it must be said nothing at this festival was cheap. We opted to make a go of our gas stove to make some epic bacon and eggs in the morning sun. Most of that day was spent getting boozed and chilling by the small lake on the estate and randomly watching some of the day time acts, notably She Man Lion who put on an energetic performance to win the Red Bull Radar challenge! After an extended lunchtime cooking session we headed off to see the main acts of the evening. I have never been a huge Freshly Ground fan, in fact just the phrase “Afro Pop” sets off the convulsions, but the crowd seemed to enjoy them. The highlight of the entire festival for me was Just Jinjer. This band have been overseas for a number of years touring and landing themselves an international record contract, and the experience has paid off big time. Art owned the stage as they performed some of their best-loved songs (Sugarman, Shallow Waters, Father and Farther and more). Everyone was blown away when Art and drummer, Brent Harris, performed an incredible drum solo on two snare drums and a cowbell. Prime Circle took to the stage next with an epic rock performance. The only other time I have seen them live was at an acoustic gig at the Armchair Theatre, so seeing them on this platform was a pleasure.

Sunday
For me, the best overall day of the festival was Sunday. As any festivalgoer knows it is the day when you can either stay and be hardcore, drowning your hangover in more beer and burning it out under the scathing sun or put your tail between your legs and run home to nurse the wounds. Luckily we decided to be strong and party on. There were still some awesome acts performing on the main stage to keep the faithful going. Son of a Thousand Blues and 340ml were amongst the line-up, but the best party band around ended the event off with a bang! If you have never seen Bed on Bricks perform, shame on you, they are one of the tightest and funkiest bands around. After jamming to some of their awesome tunes and getting downright dirty we decided to call it a weekend and head on home to mend our broken bodies. What a party!

See you all next year…

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

New Holland “Exploded Views”

The Launch
It seems that every time a local band launches a new album they have to up the ante in terms of venue. New Holland chose the House of Rasputin, a classy strip joint to launch their second album “Exploded Views”. I initially failed to see how the venue fits in with their music and image, but realised upon entering the plush Champaigne bar that maybe this was some kind of tribute to Amsterdam, or maybe they just thought it would be cool.

After mingling a bit and watching Eastern European girls bust some “exotic dance” moves on stage, the band commenced. I have to admit that this was the first time I have ever seen New Holland live, having only heard them on radio. I was impressed by their stage presence and strong performance. They are extremely tight and didn’t miss a beat at any point. Their music definitely lends itself to a bit of bouncing around, and so we did. The band have apparently only been playing for a short period, which impressed me even more, because to get to the level that they are at currently takes a lot of work. New Holland played some amazing tracks off their new album (which is being punted relentlessly on radio 5) and ended their set by sharing the stage with some of the ladies who had been so graciously entertaining the crowd for the first half of the evening.

The Album
New Holland’s strength is in producing beautiful, melody driven songs with a solid beat. I was captivated from the very first track (Freedom!) on this album by the awesome mix of harmonies (worthy of The Beatles), driving rhythms and expansive sound. Their influences seem extremely diverse as almost every other song slips into another blend of genres. The lead singer “Teejay Terblanche” has one of the most amazing voices I’ve heard in a while, and this vocal strength helps define their sound. There is a heavy use of synth and electronic arrangements on this album, which adds to the “stellar” feel emphasised by the album artwork. With this album New Holland have launched themselves into the lofty heights amongst local song writing superstars aKing, but also rival the epic sounds of bands such as The Killers and Muse.

The second track “The Son” has an epic guitar and drum driven chorus, and breaks down into a focus on a minimalist guitar solo and funk bass jam. The use of synth on the intro to “In Silence” mixed with Teejay’s awesome vocal melody literally gave me goose bumps. The song then progresses with acoustic strumming and huge drums. What an incredible track! The diverse nature of their music comes through in tracks like “Thank You, Gautama” (an acoustic folk song with brilliant vocal harmonies) and the synth drenched 80’s anthem “Something to believe in”.

New Holland is fast becoming one of SA’s hottest acts. Get “Exploded Views” at all good record stores and rock out to their awesome sound, religiously like everyone else!

Words: Etienne Buys

Derek Gripper “Kai Kai”

Derek Gripper, a guitarist, songwriter and composer based in Cape Town has been producing his own brand of “new Cape music” for the past few years. His style has developed from his early training in classical music and later explorations into local jazz as well as South Indian Carnatic music.

His latest offering is a hypnotic and contemplative combination of intricate finger picking guitar and haunting vocals. For someone who is not an expert on classical or jazz music it is sometimes difficult to wrap your head around the complex arrangements of many of the songs. But once you have succumbed to the fact that not all music has to have an explicit build to a chorus, you start to hear the unique ebb and flow of each piece, which gives it a different energy every time. Each song becomes an aural painting creating epic mental landscapes and visions.

“Frankfurt” is a beautiful, moody composition, which takes one on a journey through rainy days and grey sky’s that near the end of the piece clear with a hopeful and sunny ending. “Oom Jan se Skorsies” is more of a playful frolic in the Ceres Mountains, where an old man “Oom Jan” farms his vegetables. Another song, “George” tells the ponderous story of an old grandfather clock.

On this album I especially liked the addition of the inside cover which allows one to follow the story behind each piece, which adds to it’s significance. The piece then becomes the story rather than an abstract relation to other emotions and connotations in one’s mind.

“Kai Kai” is an inspiring album that like all good music grows on you, and becomes more enjoyable with each listen.

Words: Etienne Buys

Taxi Violence "The Turn"

The Launch
Taxi Violence have been around for many years and have grown from strength to strength, developing their live performance and polishing it to brilliance. They have now, after three years, finally released their second album “The Turn” which delves deep into their clear love of ballsy blues-rock. The launch event in Cape Town took place at their stomping ground, Mercury Live.

After a media schmooze including an exclusive acoustic performance, the venue filled up quickly with a seething crowd ready for some hard, balls-to-the-wall rock n roll. Before the band took to the stage comedian Paul Snodgrass introduced, the bands’ new music video for “Devil ‘n Pistol”, and a taster of the upcoming Taxi Violence documentary.

I have seen Taxi Violence perform live on numerous occasions and on various platforms but have never seen them as at home as they clearly are at Mercury. They took to the stage and like a match dropped in a puddle of petrol the crowd burst into flames! They played mainly songs off their new album but threw in a few golden oldies for good measure. With the standard of live musical performances in SA increasing all the time, Taxi Violence are one of the bands setting the pace. I struggle to think of a band that has as much raw energy on stage.

Their relentless blues and riff induced tunes, remind me of the old Black Sabbath, and the driving rhythm of Queens of the Stone Age. You just can’t help going absolutely manic when they play, which is why there had to be a stage-diving frenzy near the end of the performance! There were guest performances by Francois van Coke (Fokofpolisiekar/Van Coke Kartel) and Gareth Vorster (Shy Guevaras), as well as some head-banging bunnies during the finale!

Taxi Violence are off to Germany on tour, so wish them luck and check them out at a live music venue near you when they return!

The Album
Three years after the release of their first album “Untie Yourself”, Taxi Violence have released their masterpiece, “The Turn”. From the very first grinding track I was absolutely blown away! The album seems to have solidified the bands sound into their own brand of straight up, no-nonsense rock ‘n roll. Think Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother and Black Sabbath and then think again!

Taxi Violence, have always been one of the country’s best live acts (and this remains) but with this album they are now also one of our best recording bands. The entire album was recorded at Kill City Blues, a hub of Captonian live music, where bands come to practice, drink beer and lay down tracks. George van der Spuy (lead singer) mastered the album and I think really captured the raw nature of the bands music.

My favourite song on the album is definitely “Church Going Man” which combines driving guitar, a souring melody (reminiscent of Chris Cornell) and an awesome build at the end. Other awesome tracks are the fast paced “Venus Fly Trap”, “Depth of Feel” and “Devil ‘n Pistol”.
If you want a piece of South African rock music history, get “The Turn”, it is a classic album, but more importantly you will be head banging in the car from the first riff!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

The Dirty Skirts “Live at The Assembly”

The Dirty Skirts never fail to impress, and their last performance at The Assembly was no different. I honestly have never seen this venue so jam-packed before. Getting to the bar, or anywhere for that matter was an absolute nightmare, with everyone jostling for the best spot to see the legends of local indie rock do their thing.

With the crowd heaving forward and screaming for their indie fix, the Skirts launched into their set. They played a good mix of music off both their albums, and I couldn’t believe how many I knew (a sign of an extremely well marketed and talented band)!
It is awesome to see a massive crowd singing along to songs by a local band, it makes one think: “screw the rest of the world we have it all right here”. After a fairly lengthy set the band were summoned back to the stage for a two-song encore.

The only blemish of the evening for me was the after-party, which could have been cool if it wasn’t for a spat between the DJ’s and the sound guys. The music started off great and everyone was into it, but then the DJ’s obviously got a bit uptight about the sound and proceeded to make public their displeasure by having an open argument with the sound guys and even turning off the tunes several times. For me this seems a tad unprofessional, I mean come on guys, we didn’t really give a shit about the sound because we were all too trashed!

If you are an indie rock fan looking for a new album for your collection, check out the Skirts’ latest album “Daddy Don’t Disco” available at all good music stores.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Derek Gripper “Ayo”

Derek Gripper has been involved in various forms of music for many years, including classical, traditional Cape Jazz, African styles, South Indian Carnatic music and more. His latest album “Ayo” is an aural and meditative landscape, which paints dramatic, and brooding pictures. His music has been described as New Cape Music and offers a new local musical perspective.

The album combines warm, classical guitar and atmospheric vocals with African influence, which leaves one imagining wind swept beaches, fynbos and ice-cold Atlantic water. If you are a lover of the avant garde and untraditional, this album will certainly push the boundaries of what you think local music should sound like.

Derek’s formal training is with the violin, but after returning to SA from India he took up guitar, experimenting with an eight string and then settling on the traditional six string. This album is a presentation of experimental compositions on this instrument, and draws on such influences as Brazil's Egberto Gismonti and Mali's Toumani Diabate.

It’s always exciting to listen to music that deviates from our personal, musical status quo. Experimental jazz-fusion always surprises and pushes boundaries of what can be done with music, and this album certainly does that. It combines varied influences and meditative aural experiments in an overall tapestry of local drama and beauty which I have not heard before.

To find out more about Derek Gripper go to www.derekgripper.com

Words: Etienne Buys

aKing “Against All Odds”

Last month the poster boys of local music, a King, released their much-anticipated follow up album to “Dutch Courage”, “Against All Odds”. The official launch party took place at the Assembly in Cape Town to a packed venue of screaming fans. Their debut album was widely acclaimed and topped charts nation wide, and their follow up therefore had to have horns of note! And horns it most definitely has.

The new album continues in the same vein as the debut but seems to have more pronounced pop and even blues influences, such as Paul Simons “Graceland” and Chris Rea’s “Road To Hell”. The bands unique head-bobbing rhythms, epic chorus melodies and soaring arrangements define their sound and set them apart from any other act around. Laudo’s whimsical and thought provoking lyrics strike home, speaking to us on a level that most of us feel but find difficult to express. The song writing abilities of both Laudo and Hunter are by far the best I’ve heard out of any band in South Africa.

Production took place at Bellville Studios by Theo Crous, who has become a guru in the local music industry (Theo also plays an incredible keyboard piece on the track “You and I”). “Against All Odds” sets the bar in terms of what good production, arrangement, song writing and musicianship should be locally. It is incredible to see how much things have changed over the past ten years in terms of the sound that local artists are able to achieve. “Against All Odds” can safely be included in the ever-increasing repertoire of local music that is finally on par with the rest of the world.

The album begins with “Set Ourselves Up”, which opens with a catchy riff reminiscent of Dire Straights and continues with seamless vocal harmonies and an epic chorus melody. It’s so hard to choose favourites on the album, but tracks that stood out for me were “Face-brick Constellations” with it’s raw, riff-powered blues verse; the albums title track, with it’s foot-stomping, funk-induced bass and rhythm section (go Hennie and Jaco!) and most definitely “Heart of a Fool”. “Heart of a Fool” has enjoyed plenty radio play and has it all, including lighter holding verse and hard- jamming and expansive chorus that makes you want to go sky-diving or drive a fast car… hell yeh!

I could ramble on forever about how awesome this album is but I’d rather you made up your own mind so get it, NOW!

Words: Etienne Buys

Fokofpolisiekar “Forgive them for they know not what they do”

No local band has made a greater impact on the South African music scene than Fokofpolisiekar. They blasted onto the scene in 2003 with their unique brand of Afrikaans punk rock and have set the standard for live music performance, marketing and recording ever since. For the first time in South African music history a documentary has been made about a local band and is being distributed commercially at cinemas around the country.

The documentary “Forgive them for they know not what they do” was produced by Fly On the Wall, a local film production studio, who have over the past few years also been very involved in the local music scene with their production of various music videos for local artists (Fokof included). The documentary takes a detailed look at the emergence and rise to infamy of Fokofpolisiekar, the bad boys of SA rock, within the context of a politically charged post-apartheid South Africa. The film is as much about the confused and lost generation of white (mainly Afrikaans) youth who struggled to find an identity after 1994 as it is about the music that allowed them to have a voice and a rebellion of their very own.

The film combines footage of a hauntingly familiar and recent past, with interviews conducted with various musicians, publicists, designers, journalists as well as footage of the band on tour and in studio, to tell the story. The lack of narration allows the tale to be told by the people who were involved in it, and gives it a very real and unpretentious character.

The introductory sequences consist of video clips of iconic images, artefacts and images of South Africa in the mid nineties, such as images of the old South African flag and snippets of the cult cartoon series “He-man”. The film then chronologically explores the story of Fokofpolisiekar within this context, and makes use of never before seen footage of the band on the road, in studio, back-stage and at home in the “Fokof house”. The story follows the band to the recording of their last album “Swanesong” and explores the reasons for the bands hiatus and branching off into different projects, namely Van Coke Kartel, aKing and Die Heuwels Fantasties.

The film is an honest look at a legendary band and will, I believe, be the catalyst for lively debate regarding the fate of white South Africans and our place in a the “rainbow nation”. It is incredibly inspiring to see a group of like-minded individuals give the middle finger to convention and what society expects of them!

“Forgive them for they know not what they do” will be distributed via Nu Metro Cinemas nation wide.

Words: Etienne Buys

Taxi Violence “Untie Yourself Re-launch” – June 2009

Taxi Violence has been at the forefront of the local music scene for many years now. They have gained legions of loyal fans all over the country who have been drawn to their ballsy rock ‘n roll performances and been blown away by their debut album “Untie Yourself”, released in 2006. Taxi Violence is busy with the final stages of production for their second full-length album “The Turn” which is due to be released shortly. The band decided to re-launch their debut album (with an additional track off their new album) at the Assembly with guests The Ragdolls and The Uncut.

We arrived in time to catch the ass-end of The Ragdolls’ set. The female lead singer, Sarah Pope, has the coolest voice I’ve heard in a long time, reminding me of the whisky soaked soul of Janis Joplin. The band belted out some straight rock tunes with Sarah even getting off stage and rocking in the crowd!

Next up were Joburg outfit, The Uncut, who totally impressed me with their driving sound and party-punk antics on stage. These guys definitely showed the local crowd a good time and got everybody all warmed up for the main act to follow.

It was pretty clear whom the crowd were here to see when Taxi Violence finally took to the stage, with the crowd in front of the stage suddenly increasing in size by about 300 beer-guzzling punters! From the very first overdriven guitar power chords and epic souring vocals the crowd moshed and headbanged to a fever pitch. I can honestly say that I have rarely seen a tighter and more energetic performance. These guys have come a long way and one can easily see why they were chosen to perform alongside international acts at the CokeFest this year, as well as headlining with other great SA bands at the RAMFest.

The crowd was treated to many of Taxi Violence’s old numbers and one or two new ones. They saved the best for last with “Untie Yourself” right at the end. Another aspect of the performance worth mentioning was the lighting; I was supremely impressed by the quality and choreography that went into it! If you don’t already own a copy of “Untie Yourself” (which has been sold out for some time now), get the re-release now, that way you will have started your collection of Taxi Violence albums by the time their new one comes out!

Check out taxi violence online at www.taxiviolence.com

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

aKing “Against All Odds” Launch – June 2009

On the 12th June one of the biggest bands in SA, aKing, released their second album titled “Against All Odds”. The venue was the now legendary Assembly and the turnout was impressive.

By the time we arrived there were two queues running almost round the block. Inside punters were jamming, mingling and waiting in anticipation. The opening act for the evening was new kids on the block, Thieve, who recently opened for Ashtray Electric. They played an energetic set that went down well with the crowd. This is definitely a band to keep an eye out for in the near future, with the imminent release of their debut album.

aKing came on with a bang playing there latest single “Heart of a Fool” and progressed through alternations of new and old material. I have to say that their stage performance has come a long way, seeming more and more polished every time I see them. The crowd ate up songs off their new album, but were most enthusiastic about songs that they are familiar with like “Holy Train” and “Safe as House”. Laudo (lead singer) has become quite adept at allowing the crowd to sing along, doing so on a few occasions.

The night went down without a hitch and plenty people stayed for a dance around at the end, which continued quite late due to the Assembly’s extending opening hours (open till 4AM).

aKing’s “Against All Odds” is available at all reputable record stores or at http://www.rhythmrecords.co.za.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Flat Stanley (Mac Stanley) – Live at The Assembly - May 2009

After years of sustained blood sweat and tears in the local music industry, Flat Stanley has finally broken into the international music scene. They recently landed one of the biggest international marketing contracts for a SA band ever, and are touring Europe! The band has come back home to perform a few select shows, the first being at The Assembly in Cape Town. CTU was there to record the goings on…

Operating on African time we arrived late and missed the Louise Day Band but managed to catch the ass end of Jac Sharp’s performance. To be honest I had a totally different impression of Jac Sharp and was disappointed to find that they sounded like the love child of Mango Groove and Freshly Ground. It has to be said that my disappointment was due only to my intense dislike of the music style and not of their actual execution and performance! They are actually very good live.

The rigging at this gig was absolutely insane. I have honestly seen nothing like it in a club/live music venue. The stage area looked like it was set up for a stadium performance or a freaking rocket launch, with about twenty different screens and a massive, state-of-the-art lighting rig. Just before Mac Stanley took to the stage (they have had to change their name for legal reasons now that they have hit the big time), the crowd were treated to a fantastically professional audiovisual display at the end of which the band entered with a bang!

I have to admit I have never been a huge fan of straight up pop music, but even I was blown away by the quality of the performance and powerful voice of Andrew Mac! The man is truly larger than life, and had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire performance. The guitarist, Neil, is on another level!

Anyways, as you can imagine, girls screamed (stopping just short of throwing panties) and guys bobbed their heads. The band played some of their most popular tracks and overall the show was a crowd pleaser of note.

I am really happy for these guys, purely because they have worked so long and hard to get where they are, and also because they are taking local music to new heights by exposing us to the rest of the world.

Check out their website at http://www.flatstanley.co.za/

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Isocronous – “Debut” 19 May 2009

Recently the boys from relatively new band, Isocronous, released their first full-length album. Hailing from Pretoria the band includes Richard (Vocals, Guitar), Marko (Drums), Franco (Bass, Congos, Vocals) and Alex (Keyboards).

After seeing their sterling performance at RAMFest this year I was very interested to see if their album did their epic sound justice. I was not disappointed. Reminiscent of Muse, this band has the most expansive sound I have come across from a local band. They seem to blend Richard’s soaring, cherub-like vocals, driving rhythm and some awesome guitar and synth melodies into a crescendo of orgasmic rock-fusion! Their music is complex and intricate but at the same time doesn’t bore.

Throughout the album the bass astounds, with incredible lead playing on “Beauty Queen” (probably my favourite song on the album) and an awesome intro on “Treasurebox”. The song writing on the album is solid and inspires you to continue listening. There are also so many cool layers to each song that this is the kind of album you can just lay down on your bed with your eyes closed and just listen to over and over again!

Unfortunately, like I said these guys are based in Pretoria, so we won’t often get to see them perform in Slaapstat; all the more reason to go and get the album to fill the gaps.

Words: Etienne Buys

Ashtray Electric – “Bonjour” – 16 May 2009

Last Saturday local indie outfit – Ashtray Electric – launched their new album, “Bonjour”. What better way to spend an extremely cold and wet winter evening, than indoors, rocking out to some good live music. Many loyal followers braved the weather, and were treated to a quality performance.

The opening act, Thieve got everyone warmed up with their own brand of toe-tapping indie-rock treffers. I personally have never seen them before and was impressed by their tight performance and clean sound. Watch out for them on the scene, word is they will be releasing their first album shortly.

Ashtray Electric started their set around 11pm, and got the crowd going with some slightly more rough and ready tunes. Their music infuses old-school rock n roll and new-school indie-rock into a mesh of catchy riffs and melodies. Living up to their name, I think the band went through at least two packs of smokes while on stage. The crowd lapped up song after song and really started going ape-shit about half an hour into their set. The band played songs off their first full-length album “Bonjour” including their radio hit, “Quite Overstared”.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

RAMFest 2009

In it’s third year running, RAMFest has become the premier underground music festival in Cape Town. This year RAMFest boasted probably the best line-up of awesome talent yet! CTU has covered this amazing gathering since it’s inception and went along to RAMFest III to document the action.

Upon arriving at the Nekkies Holiday Resort (the venue for RAMFest) we set up camp and began the braaing ritual and took some time to relax and take in the scene. Once we were well lubricated with Appleton’s Rum we made our way down to the main stage to catch aKing (SA’s hottests pop-rock sensation). aKing played a magic set and the crowd sang along to every radio friendly line. For me, one of the standout performances of RAMFest III was next. Taxi Violence ruled the stage and swept everyone into hard rock induced frenzy. They were accompanied at the end of their performance by the guy who is frequently seen at Obsfest taking a grinder to a metal plate on his chest. Awesome stuff! We decided to miss the Dirty Skirts, having seen them countless times before, and instead went to see VOD (Voice Of Destruction) who were performing their first gig in something like ten years at the Black Parade stage (the second stage at RAMFest catering for an exclusively metal audience). I have to say that I was not blown away, but then again metal really isn’t my scene. Francois Blom (KOBUS/VOD) is however probably one of the most entertaining performers around and it was a pleasure to see him rain down doom and destruction on the faithless! The final bands of the evening on the main stage were Kidofdoom and Yesterday’s pupil who are incredible to watch. Kidofdoom are in a league of their own and always manage to keep the crowd engrossed in their music even without lyrics and singing. Yesterday’s Pupil is the most amazing one man show I have ever seen, with Pierre-Henri van Pletzen going off on synth, drums, guitar and vocals respectively.

The next day was spent submerged in the very cool (in all respects of the word) Breede River like hippopotami and drinking like fishes! By that evening we were charged and ready to rock out with the very large contingent of people who had descended on RAMFest while we weren’t looking.

Unfortunately due to compulsive braaing and yakking we missed the Air Guitar Championships, New Holland and Van Coke Kartel, but managed to catch the Kidofdoom spin-off band Isochronous. If you haven’t heard this band, I strongly recommend you check them out next time they are in town; they are incredible! The night just got better and better from then on with the amazing Foto Na Dans, and for me, the best performance of the entire event, Bed On Bricks. Bed On Bricks are seriously underrated, and it was so cool to see them own the stage and the crowd like no other. The crowd literally hung on every note and went off to a funk filled performance! The next performance was LARK who kicked off their “Brave” tour. The last time this band played was at the last RAMFest and I was not blown away, but it seemed the break did them good, because this time they were absolutely awesome! Inge has got a powerful stage presence and an even more powerful voice (look out for tour dates in CT in the CTU gig guide). Die Antwoord absolutely sucked and that’s all I have to say about that! The usual suspects closed the evening, namely Fokof and Battery9. Fokofpolisiekar were such a pleasure to see again. I rate them as the best band in SA by a long way. By the time Battery9 came on everyone at RAMFest was on their last legs including me. It was pretty much over and out after that.

If you have missed the RAMFest or have chosen to ignore it up until now, you are missing out on something really special. It is fast becoming the biggest gathering of likeminded live music and party loving people in CT, possibly the country. I can honestly say fuck international, the local scene has finally caught up, and is as good if not better than anything happening outside our borders. So, if you went, big-up to you, and if you didn’t, get your lazy ass their next year and be a part of something!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Bellville Rock City – December 2008

In Cape Town, North of the boerewors-curtain exists an epicentre of Cape Town rock culture. Fuelled by Afrikaans youth, a rebellion against conservatism and a need for self-expression, this place has spawned some of Cape Town and South Africa’s best loved rock bands, such as Fokofpolisiekar, VOL, Springbok Nude Girls, aKing and many more.

The latest compilation CD and DVD pack to be released by Rhythm Records includes an awesome documentary by 12 Mile Stone regarding the Bellville scene, as well as a compilation CD/DVD including songs and music video’s from some of the most well known (and not so well known) bands from Bellville. The package also includes a booklet containing quotes from various bands regarding the music and scene in Bellville and information such as band member’s logos and awards.

The documentary offers an honest look at how the Bellville scene has developed over the years and how most of the bands coming from this area are interlinked. Most of the documentary consists of interviews with the bands as well as some footage of live performances and the Bellville landscape. The production is of an extremely high quality and for most of the doccie I had to remind myself that we were viewing a movie about local bands and not The Rolling Stones or Ozzie Ozbourne!

This is a must have for anyone who is or was ever a big fan of the Bellville music scene, or any of the bands it produced. In many years time you will have a memento of a revolution that has only ever happened once and can never be repeated; a totally organic and necessary evolution in local music history.

Words: Etienne Buys

Speakerbox Radar Party - November 2008

Last weekend saw the joint collaboration of Speakerbox, Red Bull and Rocking the Daisies in a fat party with a phenomenal line-up, including some of the freshest talent in SA. Performing were ETC Crew, Jax Panik, The Plastics, Kidofdoom, Yesterday’s Pupil and DJ’s.

The vibe on the night reminded me of a festival, with quite a number of people chilling on the side and milling around, some people at the bar and not all that many people jamming in front of the stage (to begin with). We arrived just after ETC Crew started their set and as I have mentioned there weren’t all that many people up front. This changed very quickly, however, as these local hip-hop boys got stuck into there routine, getting the crowd involved and singing along. Directly after ETC Crew the much anticipated Jax Panik was displayed on screen, playing his hit song, “Cigarettes and Cinnamon”.

As the night wore on I was progressively blown away by some of the most awesome musicians and bands I have seen in a while, the first being The Plastics who manage to combine indie-rock with some serious blues and old school influences. I was impressed at how tight these guys were, and the way they were so comfortable with some really obscure rhythms.

The next band to take the stage was Kidofdoom. I am ashamed to say that I have had numerous opportunities to see them and have even interviewed the band for CTU, but had never seen them live before this night. If you have ever heard the music of Kidofdoom, you will know that they do not use vocals at all, and you will also know that this does not detract from there sound in the slightest. In fact, they are the only instrumental band that I have seen that have blown my mind in so many ways! Kidofdoom launched into an overwhelmingly sublime performance that took the crowd on a spell binding synth-drenched journey to the planet that spawned them (I am still there on holiday). Wow!!!

I think that any other performer might have been a bit intimidated trying to follow up a performance like that, but not Yesterday’s Pupil. PH van Pletzen took the crowd by their necks and throttled them awake once more, with the atmospheric, and rhythmic meanderings of a musical genius. The most awesome one-man band ever to grace any SA stage, this man plays synth, guitar and drums with incredible precision. I could not believe the sounds this one guy was producing on stage… it was quite simply an eye-opener for me in terms of what can be done with new and old technology.

Well done to everyone involved in pulling off such an awesome event, and bringing such unique creativity and professionalism into one space!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Foto Na Dans “Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke” Album Review

Foto’s latest offering – Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke - is as textured and inspiring as their first. This band does not produce albums in the traditional sense but produce masterpieces instead.

From the very beginning of the album, I was blown away by the expansive and intricate piano and synth arrangements that bleed into and infect the rest of the album.
The operatic vocals of Le Roi Nel Soar over well thought out and complex musical scores, that to me seem very Muse inspired.

This band has a versatility that I have not heard in any other local band. They combine complex musical compositions with driving and catchy rock rhythm (many have tried but few have actually pulled it off).

My favourite song on the album is “Natuurlik Verlig” which starts off with catchy but mellow backbeat and vocals, along with some jazzy guitar chords, and then launches into a driving chorus that you can’t help but rock out too. Certain sections of the song are drenched in synth and piano virtuosity.

I don’t think any other band locally can come close to the complexity of the sound that these guys produce. They really have taken things to another level, by offering listeners something to think about and get lost in. Their music definitely appeals to a more musically mature audience but can be appreciated by the plebs due to the magnificent blend of intricacy and the relevancy.

Words: Etienne Buys

Van Coke Kartel “Waaksaam En Wakker” Launch - October 2008

On Halloween night this year the faithful descended on the dark and distorted venue on Harrington Street to partake in pagan festivities. There were devils and zombies, succubi and departed souls, and of course there was music straight from the depths of hell… Van Coke Kartel chose this auspicious occasion to launch their new album “Waaksaam en Wakker”!

The festivities were kicked off with a performance by the top pop-rock band in the country, aKing, who launched into some (by now) well-known tracks thanks to their high rotation on radio and other media. The crowd were enthusiastic but seemed to hold back somewhat until the end of the band’s sterling performance. During the last few songs of there set, the crowd were treated to some awesome lighting and everyone sang along to songs such as “Safe as Houses” (real waving-your-lighter-in-the-air kind of stuff).

By the time Van Coke Kartel took to the stage the crowd were well liquored up and raring to go. The band, partaking in the spirit of the night, was painted all in black (I mean face, hands and everything!). Right from the get go the crowd was treated to some rocking new material, and responded by forming a small but effective mosh-pit, which I avoided at all costs, fearing for my life. As usual Wynand put on a fly-kicking, high-jumping, stunt-riddled performance and for the first time I noticed Francois getting more comfortable with his own stage antics (after taking up the position as guitarist/vocalist for Van Coke Kartel). This band is certainly getting tighter and tighter each time I see them, and although their music has always had a raw quality to it, the new material seems more mature and well rounded.

I look forward to listening to the album and cannot wait to see Van Coke Kartel live again soon.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

aKing Ltd T-Shirt Design Exhibition - October 2008

This past Tuesday, the 28th of September, CTU attended the aKING LTD Edition T-shirt Exhibition presented by Levi's® Original Music at The Kunst House on Kloof Street, Cape Town.

The first thing that struck me was how different the setting was from the usual events we review - mainly the bright lights and absence of alcohol… A different sort of place for a different sort of thing. I thought the venue was great - it created an almost surreal and plastic atmosphere, really white and bright – anyone in the ‘Skip’ advertising department would have been proud.

It is always so good to see the great support we have for local music – Levis being one of those big contributors – and now seeing so many well know brands like Vida, Rhythm Records, Red Bull and Levis, coming together to support an event pushing SA music as well as some emerging design talent, was really gratifying. It gives one a sense of hope and upliftment to see local talent respected and pushed.

The designs came in a wide variety from the more traditional fine art through the popular culture commentary graph to the tongue-in-cheek cheesy styles! My only disappointment was that the designs seemed to be restricted to a centre area of the top (which I assume was a brief prerequisite). I was hoping to see some interesting use of design utilising medium more comprehensively. I have a few favourites, and a definite top five, and I seriously recommend going and checking them out for yourself. The tops will be displayed at Vida Cafes before going into Levis stores.

I’m really glad I got the opportunity to check this out, and hope to see some more similar events soon. It was a great place, interesting and different vibe – but all those white lights got hot pretty quickly – I could have done with a beer to cool me down – I get it though, not all artists, musicians and followers there-of are reprobates – although I’m pretty sure I saw quite a few faces at Rafiki’s soon after…

Words: Louise Gale
Photography: Louise Gale

She Man Lion "Live at Zula"- October 2008

A little over a month ago the latest hot Electro act to come out of Cape Town, She Man Lion, performed for the first time live on stage at Zula on Long street. The band were met by a good reception and a few weeks later decided to repeat the success of gig number one at the same venue. Cape Town Underground was there to witness the action.

On the night the small club was heaving with punters ready for a night of electro mayhem, fuelled by She Man Lion and some top DJ’s. The band started pretty late, giving everyone enough time to lubricate and talk shit. Not having seen the band perform yet, I was surprised at the pace and energy they displayed on stage. They definitely got the crowd going with solid backbeats and some crazy 80’s electro fever. The vocalist reminded me of a cross between Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode and Jim Morrison. The band makes the overall sound more like disco-on-steroids though.

Although the sound was not of the highest quality, the band got the party started and I think everyone there couldn’t help but rock out. The rest of the night was spent knocking back brandy and coke on special and… well… do I really need to elaborate?

Probably not. Check out She Man Lion at a club, disco or block party near you!

Words: Etienne Buys

Ike Moritz "All Around the World" - October 2008

The launch of the new album by Ike Moritz took place at Fashion TV in Cape Town, and was attended by the kind of crowd you would expect at such a venue: Plenty of good looking people and people that thought they were really, really good looking. Unfortunately, Derek Zoolander did not make an appearance...

The evening kicked off with a few drinks at the bar for media and other guests while a few of Ike’s music videos played on the screens in the club. The band took to the stage at about 10.30 after a sizeable crowd had arrived. The crowd seemed somewhat subdued in the beginning; I think this was partly to do with the blinding stage apparatus that spelt out “IKE” for all to see. The first half of the performance was pretty much taken over by the incredible lighting which I think took away from the actual band but made for some pretty cool photography and some small talk around the bar during the break.

A few videos were shown during the break of some European DJ’s endorsing Ike and his new album. The second set resumed without the blinding presence of about 100 60Watt bulbs and everyone seemed more into the vibe and ready to partake in the event. After the show the DJ’s kicked in and everyone got really drunk, as expected.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Fokofpolisiekar "Antibiotika" Launch Review - September 2008

Last Saturday saw the Cape Town leg of the “Antibiotika” launch party, Fokof’s much-anticipated EP and DVD release. As expected there was a massive crowd of hardened Fokof fans to show their support for one of Cape Towns most legendary bands. The last time I saw Fokofpolisiekar was at RAMFest over a year ago, so it took a slight adjustment to seeing them on a much smaller stage. But, it was pretty cool to get up close and personal on the low Assembly platform.

The crowd went absolutely ballistic when Fokof took the stage and was treated to a tight performance. The band kicked of with the title track of their new EP, “Antibiotika”, and proceeded to play a good mix of old and new stuff.

My personal highlight was an epic performance of “Ek Skyn”, backed by an incredible lighting display. During the night I could see that the band were glad to be playing in their home town, but looked like they were taking a bit of strain, possibly because they all have such hectic schedules between Van Coke Kartel, aKing and Fokof. These bands are in extremely high demand all over the country. They are absolute machines!

Any ways… what an awesome night, as expected. If you missed it, catch them on the 27th of this month at the Klein Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch, and look out for the launch of the new Van Coke Kartel album next month.

Check out the album review on CTU!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Fokofpolisiekar "Antibiotika" Album Review - September 2008

After months of virtual silence on the Fokof front and other official side projects taking centre stage, the much-anticipated Antibiotika has been released. Antibiotika includes a CD with four brand new, rocking tracks and a DVD with a compilation of the bands music video’s from 2004 – 2007. The DVD also includes a trailer of the upcoming Fokofpolisiekar documentary produced by Fly On the Wall.

Those of you familiar with the epic, punk-rock sound of Fokof will know exactly what to expect. For the rest of you, expect to get your ass kicked! Hunter Kennedy and Francois Van Coke have drenched each track with extreme and unapologetic lyrics, commenting on our very particular socio-economic situation here in SA as well as some more personal, emotive stuff. Like fine wine the band as a whole have matured noticeably over their last two albums, and seem to have reached a crescendo in this release. Their music is really something special regardless of what language you speak, it takes you on an uncontrollable roller coaster ride, leaving you weak in the knees. You just can’t help going off to tracks like “Antibiotika” and “Van Weelde En Rykdom”!

My only criticism with this release is that the CD is too short (which isn't really a critism because it is an EP and not a full length album), although the quality of the production, song writing and input by all musicians are of the highest grade. This is definitely an item for those of you Fokof memorabilia collectors out there, and also a neat addition to any fan’s music collection.

Get it and rock out!

Words: Etienne Buys

Foto Na Dans: Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke Launch - September 2008

To say that I was blown away would be an understatement. Rhythm Records are redefining how local music should be marketed with events such as the Foto Na Dans: Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke Launch. The event took place on a chilly Wednesday evening and was certainly very exclusive, featuring the who’s who of the local music industry and local entertainment press. After a few days of scarily stormy weather had battered the coast the weather gods decided to bless the event and all involved with a beautifully clear evening and sunset.

After everyone had boarded we set off for a pleasant cruise around the Cape Town harbour and were treated to some spectacular views and as much free wine (the boats and booze were sponsored by Chatta 'Box, a new wine) and sushi as we could handle. Needless to say by the time our meander drew to an end, we were pretty well liquored up and parked in a cosy little corner of the harbour.

As the mingling intensified and speculative rumours as to where the hell the band members where did their rounds, we heard some music in the distance and noticed a small boat approaching. I think everyone aboard the press boat was dumb struck for at least a minute as we slowly started to realise that it was the band playing on the other, approaching boat. Once we clicked, the party really started!

The band belted out a full set including some songs off their first album and a few new ones, which were very well received by the contingent in the media boat. I have to say that I don’t think that anyone there that night has ever and will ever experience a gig quite as surreal. I can only imagine the spectacle through the eyes of some poor dockworker, looking on in bewilderment as a boat full of drunkards and another boat blaring music as far removed from Kwaito as you can get, did the tango in a secluded corner of the harbour. What a scene!

Congratulations to everyone involved for pulling together an awesome event. It totally exceeded expectations. Don’t forget to look out for the review of Pantomime Op Herwinbare Klanke on CTU as well as more Foto Na Dans events scheduled in Cape Town in our gig guide.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

The Dirty Skirts – “Daddy Don't Disco” Album Lunch - August 2008

The last time I saw the Dirty Skirts was at Obs Fest about two years ago, and they rocked out on the main stage. They were making quite a name for themselves then, but have since elevated themselves to their current level as one of the most popular bands in Cape Town and indeed, the country. The Skirts were due to release their new album in CT on the 11th of July, but due to sound proofing issues at the Assembly and some highly irritating neighbours, rescheduled for the 1st of August.

Obviously a massive crowd was expected, and Cape Town did not disappoint. The entire venue was jam-packed with a refreshingly diverse mix of the Mother Cities live music loving punters, not just the usual skinny-jeans-and-sneaker-wearing, lumo Long Street crowd, although they were their in full force (respect).

The band started quite late so as to allow the crowd to apply the essential, alcoholic social lubricants for the evening. After being introduced by Corne of the Most Amazing Show the band kicked off with their infectious indie rock style, to a screaming crowd.

Highlights of the performance for me were their hit songs “Feeling the Pressure”, “Home Wrecker”, “Can’t Remember Your Name” and of course the title track to their new album “Daddy Don’t Disco”. Another highlight was the guest appearance of ETC Crew’s MC Logical, who got the crowd all riled up with a collaborative “Hell Yeh!!” The whole event, it must be said, was pulled off with what seemed to be no hitches, and hopefully no complaining neighbours. I’m sure I speak for many Cape Townians when I say I’m ecstatic that The Assembly has reopened!

The Dirty Skirts have recently signed an international record deal with Sony BMG, so are definitely heading for greatness in a big way. Look out for their new album “Daddy Don’t Disco” in all reputable record stores!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Van Coke Kartel – “Verdoof. Vergiftig. Verskoon My.” Music Video Lunch - July 2008

After the recent launch of the aKing music video for “Safe as Houses” I was very keen to see what route Van Coke Kartel would take with their new video for “Verdoof. Vergiftig. Verskoon My.”

The launch party was on a very cold and wintery Wednesday evening at Mercury Live. After eating a snack or two at the bar and dealing with possibly the worst bar service in Cape Town I managed to get a few beers down before the press screening of the video. The video was directed by Sean Metelerkamp and was shot on 16mm film giving it that rough rock n’ roll feel. Due to the cost of shooting in this format the entire video was produced with first takes, which I think is an impressive feature, considering that the video is actually very cool!

The setting for the video is in a very long room or corridor with white lines running along the sides. The use of lighting was particularly impressive. The band basically plays out the video in different costumes. The drummer, Justin Kruger, is kitted out in prison gear and has what looks like spaghetti hanging out of his mouth. Wynand, the bassist, appears at different intervals with a sock-like thing over his head. All in all a cool video to watch, and I think it captures the bands character extremely well.

Once the place had filled up sufficiently which took us to about 11PM, the band got underway with an awesome set. It was however somewhat rough around the edges though, with what to me seemed like one or two hiccups, but may have been intentional. They played one new song, which they got the crowd to name “bass ballas” (or something similar) due to the fact that Wynand brandished a double bass on stage for the occasion.

What a cool party, as always! Check out Van Coke Kartel at a venue near you and look out for their new video on tv and the Internet. Oh yes… before I forget… Van Coke Kartel are due to release a new album in the near future and word has it that Fokofpolisiekar will be relaunching with possibly a new album by September. Keep an eye on CTU for the details!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

AKing – “Safe as Houses” Music Video Lunch - June 2008

It happened to be a cold and wet night and the prospect of having a steaming hot party in the packed confines of Mercury sounded like the good stuff. We arrived just before Van Coke Kartel took to the stage and had just enough time to wet our gullets with some medicinal Jagermeister washed down with a cold beer.

As expected the seething throng of supporters, most already on their eighth, ninth or tenth beer, heaved forward in a show of support for the ballsy rock trio. Van Coke Kartel are unashamedly all about raw rock n’ roll, and I think they do it extremely well. Tonight was no different. Francois belted out his usual brand of grinding, anti-establishment, Afrikaans vocals and Wynand whipped the crowd into frenzy with his limber high kicks and pounding bass-lines backed by Snake’s driving rhythms. An interesting twist on this performance was Wynand’s use of a double bass on one song, apparently for the first time on stage. I have to say it looked super cool!

After Van Coke Kartel’s performance the aKing, “Safe as Houses” music video was played. The video, produced by Fly on the Wall (the same production company that have worked with the likes of Lark, Unit R and are currently producing the Fokofpolisiekar documentary), was shot on a rainy outdoor set, with aKing (the band) dressed in medieval getup engaging in a futile attempt to hold up a cardboard castle. The video itself definitely isn’t the usual glitzy rock video ala Seether or the likes, but instead paints a broody and hopeless picture in line with the general mood of the song. I think the producers captured the essence of the song nicely.

aKing took to the stage directly after the viewing. Their performance was as tight as always and they had the crowd hanging on every lyric and melody. They played songs off their debut album “Dutch Courage” which, I’m sure, just about everybody there that night owns, resulting in numerous sing-a-longs and emotional lighter burning episodes. Hunter’s (the guitarist) new look took me slightly by surprise. He wore the most hideous chessboard design jersey, but hey, my dress sense is nothing to be desired so I can’t really talk. Laudo (lead singer) ended their performance dramatically with a solo performance of “Shine Your Light”.

Look out for the video on the usual channels MK89 etc.

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

Rocking RAMFEST - March 2008

For those of you that have not yet attended the RAMFEST, it is fast becoming the major rock music event of the Cape Town calendar. RAMFEST debuted last year with one main stage and far less people. This year, rock and metal fans pitched up in their hordes to head bang to some of the best acts SA has to offer. There were two stages and even a trance stomping ground for those of us that prefer mushrooms to plain old beer.

After a short drive through some of the Western Cape’s most scenic areas, the CTU crew rocked up at the Nekkies holiday resort in Worcester and luckily found a decent camp spot with some super cool mense ready to share all their braai wood with us. After many a cold beer and many a braai vleis our bellies were full and we were drunk so we decided it was time to check out the bands on offer.

By the time we got our uselessly drunk asses down to the dance floor, there were swarms of punters standing around the stage area waiting for the much talked about band aKing to strut their stuff. This was one band people were very keen to see, so we were all prepared to wait… and wait we did! After an excruciating hour of waiting for the sound guys to find and fix whatever problem there was with the sound rig, aKing finally got underway. The show was spectacular and the crowd went off to some of the most awesome music I’ve heard in a long time. aKing’s music lends itself well to the expansive, flashy stage of an all out rock festival.

Next up was the legendary Van Coke Kartel, who belted out some seething rock numbers with raw enthusiasm. At this point half the crowd surged forward, elbowing me out of the way in the front row to get their glimpse of the Afrikaans rock hero, Francois van Coke (lead singer for Fokofpolisiekar) and to bask in the high jumping antics of the bassist Wynand (also of Fokof fame).

What a rocking night! I wish I could say that I remembered more, but the rest of the night was a blur of trying to eat greasy spring rolls and stumbling over tents in the dark.

The following day was all about braaing, drinking more and trying to stay cool. The braaing and drinking was easy but it was the staying cool part that took a bit of skill. The most ingenious method I witnessed was the old sitting-on-a-stool-in-the-shallow-river trick, and there were guys that dragged their blow up mattress down to the river to use as a makeshift raft.

That evening most people sauntered down to the main stage to chill on the grass before the real partying began. I must say even though the crowd weren’t too receptive (except for a few hardcore metal heads), Chromium from Joburg really impressed with a very tight performance and loads of energy on stage.

The following performance was not by any hard rocking band but by the crazy air guitar enthusiasts who were performing for the first ever, National Air Guitar Championships. Shit, if I had known that the prize was a sexy stratocaster I would have been up there doing my thang too!
Lark was the one band that absolutely everyone wanted to see, this being their last performance ever! It was in fact just before they began that I realised how many people there were at the this festival. There were literally thousands. It was cool to see. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best performance I’ve ever seen by Inge and crew, but it was nevertheless memorable to see them for one last time. They did assure us all that they will be around in other guises.

Next up was the amazing Battery9, who have been around at least since Jan van Riebeek. But seriously, these guys put on probably the best performance of the entire festival! Their whole image just lends itself so well to RAMFEST, with dark, anti-society lyrics and a strange, symbolic stage performance. My favourite moment of the festival was when the they dimmed the lights during one of their more hardcore songs to set a grinder to a bin they had dragged onto the stage, which spewed out awesome sparks into the crowd. What a show!

The last act I stayed up for that night was the evil KOBUS (I’m such a wus). These guys are probably the best all out metal band in SA. Their stage performance is so powerful, and Theo Crous, the guitarist, just shreds better than I’ve ever seen!

There were many other bands that rocked RAMFEST, such as White Buzz, Pestroy, 7th Son, Kidofdoom and too many more to mention. Apart from the awesome music, the festival also sported a really laid back atmosphere. I didn’t see one fight and didn’t experience any bad vibes. So, I would like to say a big thank you to the organisers for pulling off such an amazing event. RAMFEST really is the ultimate rock festival in SA!

Words: Etienne Buys
Photography: Louise Gale

aKing "Dutch Courage"– February 2008

aKing is an amalgamation of the talents of Hunter Kennedy (Fokof guitarist), Jaco “Snake” Venter (Fokof drummer) and two friends, Laudo Liebenberg and Hennie Van Halen on vocals/guitar and bass guitar respectively. After all the hype and build up to the launch of their debut album, I think most people in the local music industry were drooling with anticipation, me being one of them. I knew that the album would be sung in English (the band members are all Afrikaans) and that the band are aiming at reaching a very broad audience, but was totally blown away by the route they chose to achieve this goal.

The album is a fusion of Springsteen-like, languid, epic rock and lyrical genius reminiscent of Dave Grol of the Foo Fighters. This album carves a niche for aKing that is mostly overlooked by SA rock bands, which either pander to the needs of the trendsetters or just try to be way too different. aKing have found a style that balances masterfully on the thin line that divides commercialism and pure originality.

The lyrics on the album are intensely personal and speak of Laudo’s experiences in the urban landscapes he and the rest of the band grew up in. The lyrics inspire and the music creates subtle textures that take you far far away from your daily routine.

The album was produced and recorded at B Sharp studios, which proved to be a winning recipe for Fokofpolisiekar, and has done the same for aKing.

My favourite moments on the album are the intro to “Guilty As Sin”, an epic and uplifting song; and the swinging rock number, “Holy Train”. Another special moment is the guest appearance on backing vocals of Inge Backman of Lark on “Safe As Houses”.

Shit, all I have to say is if you don’t already have this album, you are seriously missing out on an amazingly produced and mature piece of South African musical art!

Etienne Buys

aKing launch – February 2008

Like all good launch parties, the aKing launch at The Assembly had all the bells and whistles: VIP area, press kits at the door, merchandise on sale and most importantly, lots and lots of expectant punters.

I don’t think any band in this country’s rock history has generated as much anticipation amongst the music loving public, with aKing largely being viewed as an offshoot of Fokofpolisiekar (mainly due to the fact that both the drummer and guitarist are from Fokof).

Having done an interview with the band recently, I was very interested to hear what direction their music has taken. I have to say that I was totally blown away both by their performance (this was their first live performance) and by the actual music. The show they put on was top class, with amazing lighting and a powerful stage presence. The music can probably be described as classic rock, a fusion of Bruce Springsteen and the Foo Fighters. The sound and lyrics conveyed maturity beyond the grasp of most South African bands with the ability to appeal to a wide audience.

There was a surprise guest appearance by Lark lead singer, Inga Beckman whose high operatic voice complemented Laudo’s (aKing front man) baritone wonderfully.

With the band’s main focus being to grasp a wider portion of the SA market and possibly overseas markets, I think they have made a terrific start. Keep an eye on this band they are going to be huge, so get their debut album “Dutch Courage” now!

If you were not at this gig I hope that this puts your boring ass night into perspective, don’t miss out on either of these amazing acts again!

Etienne Buys

Hot Water @ Cape Farmhouse, Scarborough – January 2008

The day after raging fires devastated parts of Scarborough, local Afro-folk ensemble Hot Water launched their second album, entitled One, at the southernmost music venue in Cape Town as part of the Farmhouse Rocks summer series. With temperatures the wrong side of 30, the journey there took one past gutted houses and smoking lunar landscapes. The venue itself was unscathed, though, with lush green grass and hundreds of garden statues greeting new arrivals.

The gig started slow but quickly gathered momentum. Little kiddies were bopping before braless hippies started spinning invisible hula hoops in front of the stage. It wasn’t long before everybody was jiving. The good vibes continued unabated for over two hours. Frontman Donovan Copley had the large audience eating out of the palm of his hand with his happy-go-lucky charm. Songs like ‘Bushfire’ and ‘Shushu’ had a special significance and helped give the day a euphoric, sentimental tone and an appropriate feeling that Hot Water have arrived.

No one was spare on a stage of eight, yet the two whiteys who write the songs dominate the performance more than they ought to, especially in the vocal department, where the three Langa Stars didn’t get enough of a chance to shine. The band isn’t quite yet performing like an eight piece unit. Undoubtedly, the more they play, the better they’ll become. Their music is truly accessible and fun, and they could find an audience anywhere from Kenton to Khayelitsha.

To the cynical observer, the gig was an anthropological excursion into the world of the lesser-spotted Cape hippie (with their snazzy cameras). But the vibe was refreshingly unpretentious. Sheer, unabounded joy was bouncing all over the place. Are they black enough? Are they white enough? Is Hot Water the new Freshly Ground? I’d like to think so. Let’s see what happens.

Dave Durbach

Max Normal TV and ETC at The Assembly – January 2008

Last Saturday saw the coming together of a hugely established hip-hop group and a hugely talented up-and-coming one. Max Normal and ETC Crew shared the stage at the newest venue in the CT live music scene: The Assembly. As expected there was a massive crowd of expectant hip-hop lovers and party-goers (a bit of a pity that the small side of the venue was open for this event and not the entire place, but the party rocked anyway).

ETC kicked off the evening round 11 with a kick ass set that proved once again that they have what it takes to get the crowd jumping and shouting. At one stage they had everyone with their hands in the air like they just don’t care. ETC has made a big impact on the scene recently with the release of their debut album and music video followed by numerous outstanding performances. This one was no different. The only objection that I had was that the set was a bit short (this was probably out of their hands though, as they were not headlining).

Every time I’ve seen Max Normal TV perform I have been blown away by the lyrics and stage performance. Their mix of unusual lyrics and beats complimented by some amazing vj skills on the screen was mind blowing to say the least. However I have to say the crowd seemed a little bit hesitant to really let their hair down (maybe I was just too far back and not drunk enough by that point). Even so, it is always a great pleasure for me to see such incredible creativity coming from one source. Max Normal TV push the boundaries like no other.

If you were not at this gig I hope that this puts your boring ass night into perspective, don’t miss out on either of these amazing acts again!

Etienne Buys

A night at the Assembly – featuring Damn Right & Them Tornadoes - January 2008

After a rather chilled two weeks over Christmas and New Year, my 2008 re-entry into the Cape Town live music scene happened on Friday 11 January at The Assembly in town. It was my first visit to the club and also the first time I saw Them Tornados and Damn Right – the two bands playing that night.

It was quite appropriate that I saw these bands for the first time at the Assembly as both the place and the acts had one major factor in common – the “show” factor. The entry into the club is through a barely visible door into a warehouse, up some pretty dodgy stairs, and into a “loft” of open space – with a bar. I felt at one stage Blade might appear as the sprinkler system turned on to shower us with blood! A fantastic setting to stage most, if not all, of the sub-cultures emerging in the entertainment world in Cape Town. In other words – the club’s great. The bands themselves were fun to listen and dance to and each put on a great show.

Them Tornados came on first. With an interesting genre like “Rock-a-billy” and an obvious enjoyment for what they do, Them Tornados had the crowd getting into a glam-punk-hoe-down of sorts! The band, made up of three men – including a standing drummer, got the crowd going before Damn Right’s set, and then stepped back onto stage as soon as the younger glam-punks had finished up…as I said, they enjoy what they do.

Damn Right, a glam-punk group of guys, take their performance very seriously. Each member dressed for the part and carried the spirit of glam-rock and punk through into every aspect of their performance. The spectators and fans seem to appreciate their showmanship and, at one time, there were a total of 5 photographers gathered around the band. The crowd’s support and involvement with the group, and the growing glam-punk sub-culture in Cape Town, can be seen at first glance: the clothes, make-up and hair make for a great picture.

As for the evening - many interesting people, a party vibe and a great venue – all in all, highly entertaining.

Louise Gale

ETC "What's In A Name?" - January 2008

Recently ETC Crew (a local hip-hop foursome consisting of: White Nite, Bonsai Bush, Logical and J Filter) released their debut EP titled: “What’s in a name?” ETC have consistently proven themselves to be a class act through live performances and now have backed this rep up with a well produced and well-rounded EP offering. For me the EP has a very old-school-meets-new-school sound, with the beats reminding me of the old Run DMC and the fluid lyrics lending some fresh flavours to the mix.

ETC are an extremely tight package on stage and this comes through on every track on the EP – all are thought out, composed and delivered like a SWAT sting operation. The lyrics on the album definitely show that these guys don’t take themselves too seriously (which is definitely necessary in the local music industry) but at the same time can be read as a running social commentary on SA society and sub-cultures. Track four: “To the Black Man” is a valid perspective on life in SA as a black man and in a more tongue in cheek way “Jozi Oaks (Skit)” at the end of track seven takes the piss out of life as a “hardcore” in Sandton. My favourite track on the album is “Three Kings” for it’s unique rhythm, awesome mixing and catchy lyrics.

As a debut offering, “What’s In a Name?” is a professionally produced, original and entertaining representation of one of the top hip-hop acts in SA at the moment. So, if you love hip-hop or even if you don’t, I highly recommend purchasing a copy for your collection and listening pleasure.

Outlets include: Mabu Vinyl, HI-5, Choice Records, Revolution Records, Shelf life and The African Music Store

Etienne Buys

Kidofdoom at Neighbourhood, CT - December 2007

Not all the Vaalies who come to Cape Town for Christmas are evil. Kidofdoom took time out of a busy holiday braai schedule to play a rare acoustic set at Neighbourhood on Boxing Day. The only thing more rare than an acoustic set is a free one, and this was that too. The classy venue suited the intimate vibe of the performance, accentuated by candlelight. Having not seen the full band before, I had nothing to compare the acoustic versions of the songs too. But on face value, blond guy and brown haired guy impressed with their musicianship and stage presence. One of the other dudes came up to play the Simpsons theme on the keyboard, which got some laughs, but the highlight of the evening belonged to their cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Lilac Wine,” captured note for note by blond guy. Otherwise nothing much else stands out. But jeez, if Kidofdoom have such great vocals and they still don’t make use of them in their proper shows, then their music must be something awesome, isn’t that right? Being an instrumental band may just have been the best career move they ever made.

Dave Durbach

Van Coke Kartel - November 2007

Those of you that are familiar with Fokofpolisiekar will know Francois Van Coke; the longhaired, high jumping, mike swinging lead singer. Van Coke Kartel is Van Coke (guitar and vocals), Wynand Myburgh (Fokof bassist) and Justin Kruger (drummer). As straight up rock ‘n roll as you can get, this three piece belt out twelve steaming hot tracks on their debut self-titled album.
Although the band istwo fifths of Fokof, the album has a very distinct sound. The reason being that all (minus one) songs on the album are written by Van Coke and Myburgh, whereas Hunter was the songwriting superhouse of Fokof. Comparisons aside this album exudes a rough around the edges, ball-to-the-wall rock sound. Van Coke plays guitar and sings, so the compositions comprise of growling vocals and simple (but effective) chord sequences. The ever-present bass and steady drumming of Myburgh and Kruger drive this whiskey-soaked-rock-star sound. Krugers drumming for me has the same effect on the overall sound as Dave Grol’s had on the Nirvana sound and Wynands bass is an important part of all song compositions.
A highlight on the album for me is the track ‘Kettery’. Wynand bangs out the most rocking bass line I’ve heard in a while. ‘Verdoof. Vergiftig. Verskoon my’ is also a well-balanced and well-composed piece.
These three musicians are some of SA’s most legendary artists, and with the well-respected Theo Crous involved in producing this album, it was always going to be a groundbreaking project. Buy a piece of SA history, buy the album… it rocks!

Etienne Buys

Chris Chameleon at Mercury Live - October 2007

Last night (Thursday 12 October 2007) I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Chris Chameleon gig at Mercury Live. I have only ever seen Chris perform on his own with an acoustic guitar at one or two performances at the Armchair. This performance was a little different though with full band in tow. I have to admit I really enjoy the more intimate vibe of his acoustic set (I think it suites his style of music a bit more), but was really impressed by the stage antics and professionalism of his almost Freddie Mercury like performance. The man is a performer through and through. Even with a sprained ankle he managed to liven up the stage with some trademark moves.

The crowd really enjoyed the party, but I think the history lesson on the origins of the Afrikaans language was partly lost on many (an intelligent portrayal I thought) and I think I even saw a few conservative eyebrows raised when mention was made of certain forbidden fruits enjoyed by Chris in earlier years (I say no more).

I do feel that everyone there was privileged in witnessing a true master of his art at work. Check out our gig guide for his next performance.

Etienne Buys

Cape Audio College Event - Featuring ETC

Last Saturday night, the 29TH September, Cape Audio College hosted a gig at the Independent Armchair Theatre in Observatory. Many young, aspiring bands came forward to share their musical talents. Two of these bands really stood out, and while representing very different genres of music, each brought something unique and brimming with potential and talent to the stage. Each group was a great representation of the up and coming SA musical generation with The New Black, a group of guys pumping metal music out to the crowd and The ETC Crew, a hiphop group bringing some original beats, local lyrics and some serious beat boxing.

The New Black, an alternative metal group, started off their set with some great energy and were able to carry this through their whole performance which included two equally exciting solos from their drummer (Kyle Goedhals) and lead guitarist (Tyrone Du Toit). The singer (Geoffrey Holtes) got the crowd going with his melodic style interspersed with throat-tearing screaming. Their love of metal didn’t stop them from throwing in some funk though when a busted guitar strap needed to be mended! The set ended with the enthusiastic Geoffrey Holtes finishing off their encore song atop a speaker, possibly to get a good view of his adoring crowd?

With a brilliant build-up from The New Black, ETC Crew had the crowd ready and waiting for more. One might think the switch from one genre straight into the next could lead to some confusion or a momentary lull in crowd participation but this definitely wasn’t the case. The ETC crew owned the stage from the moment they stepped to it. I must admit, I haven’t listened to hip hop in quite a while, but watching them perform inspired me to bring that poetry to beats back to my ears. So full of talent, I found the beat-boxing session reminiscent of my experience at DJ Scratch’s performance. The rhyme, rhythm and tempo of their words were so smooth and involving it was difficult not to move. The DJ enhanced the lyrics with beats to rise the words to everyone’s ears and rhythm. With such a tight crew on stage the crowd was more than willing to get involved with “the place to be is ETC”, a great ending to their performance, I guess because ‘that’s just how they get down’…and if we’d listened to the crowd’s pleas they would have been there all night.

Louise Gale

Foto Na Dans - Intervensie

The latest offering from the Rhythm Records stable is Foto Na Dans’ debut album – Intervensie. A musical breakthrough in terms of scope and vision in the South African context; their well orchestrated, progressive sound blends soaring, almost operatic vocals with driving guitar, 80’s synth and Mexican trumpet for good measure. This is definitely an album with great depth and might be a bit too much for the unseasoned minds of the masses but has the kind of sound that grows on you with time. I just keep finding new intricacies with every listen, which is a rare occurrence these days.

My very favourate song on the album is the balad: Soldaatvolk (Akdesties) that begins with an amazing lyrical and vocal feast backed by intricate acoustic guitar that later builds into a driving rock anthem. They say that music transcends cultural and language barriers. Nothing could be truer with this album written solely in Afrikaans.

I highly recommend that anyone with a keen interest in getting their minds blown go out right now and buy this album, it is something special!

Look out for Foto Na Dans’ next performance on our gig guide. They will be coming to Cape Town in October 2007.

Etienne Buys

Best of Levis Vintage Sundays

It’s really good to see big brands putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to promoting local music. In this regard Levis is coming to the party with various events, one being the Levis vintage Sundays, which I’m sure many of you have attended, seeing as it’s absolutely free.

Yet another sponsored event, the Best of Levis Vintage Sundays, took place at the Baxter theatre on Saturday the 4th August, and unfortunately was not free, but was worth every cent of the R50 entrance. Some of the best and most brilliant stars of SA music talent were booked to play to a packed theatre audience.

For me it took some getting used to the more intimate, seated and respectfully appreciative atmosphere. But I eventually gave in to the fact that things were going to be just a bit more grown up tonight (compared with the smoky, party atmosphere of the usually Cape Town hangouts).

I was blown away by many of the acts on Saturday, but only have space to highlight a few. In the first session Southpaw put on an incredible performance. I remember seeing these guys at one of their first gigs at the Chair and I do believe they have come a long way. Their harmonizing and songwriting skills are sublime.

For me the most emotional sets of the night were Tina Schouw’s acoustic set with backing percussionist (what an incredible voice) and Rory Elliot’s remarkably explosive set all on his ace (including a tribute to his good friend and recently departed other half of Plush: Chas Smit).

Robin Auld is a legend in every sense of the word and jammed the crowd into handclapping frenzy with his amazing personality and bluesy harmonica. The band everybody was there to see, Flat Stanley, were preceded by an outstanding and unexpected performance by the Cape Town Highlanders. After such intimate solo and duet performances, I think Flat Stanley blew everyone out of the water with a full band.

The only disappointment for me was to see so many people leaving during the last performance. Bed on Bricks are one of the tightest and coolest acts in SA, but I think due to pure musical overexposure many of the predominantly conservative crowd left, leaving the rest of us to rock on and enjoy some upbeat vibes till the bitter end.

All in all it was phenomenal to see so many SA greats on stage in one night, and good news, Levis do have some more in stall for us with the Levis Young Guns events happening soon in CT and Joburg (check out our gig guide for more).

Etienne Buys

Sibot - In With the Old

This may well be the first DJ specific review we're running and when you hear the latest solo offering from scratch maestro Sibot, you'll understand why! iTunes classifies the album as Hip Hop/Rap but I'd hesitate to pigeon hole either the artist or the album in this way - it's quiet simply a floor stomping party album - complete with the rich mix of style and quirky sampling techniques you'd expect from the dude who makes up one half of The Real Estate Agents. 'In with the Old' goes from good to great in no time at all, it's clearly a well thought out production which Sibot has executed like the professional he is. My favourite track is undoubtedly '12345' which is the kinda song that'll have you shaking your tail as you stroll down Long Street during lunch hour, better this dance floor groove is constant throughout, even the down tempo tracks will have you bopping away - there are honestly no low points on 'In with the Old.'

Lyrical collaborations with Spoek Mathambo (Sweat-X) on 'Bang the Drum' and dancehall heavyweight Teba on 'Badder Than' add some interesting depth to this otherwise instrumental album - a true testament to the fact that Sibot, a former SA Scratch DJ champ, has grown into a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately there are only a few hundred copies available so you'd best get online and purchase it from www.africandope.co.za otherwise you'll have to catch one of Sibot's live sets around the country and try coax one from him or his manager, before their all gone!

Sputnick

The New Acedemic- City of Strange

When The New Academics were recently down in Cape Town we managed to hook up with them and scored a copy of their debut album - City of Strange, the last time I heard this talented four piece was about two years ago, they had just released the single 'Would Smoke' - the last track on City of Strange - I loved it then and I love this version even more.

The album consists of fourteen well produced and very well written tracks, if you haven't heard The New Academics before, imagine the love child of Bed on Bricks and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers with a hint of Rage Against The Machine and some jazz influences for good measure. To say that their album incorporates diverse influences would be an understatement!

For me the special moments on City of Strange are David Bodains' awesome, almost ethereal intro to 'Hearts Profound' and Joe Penn's phenomenal, heavily personal lyrics throughout that should resonate well with any South African bogged down with the daily grind. Special mention also needs to be made of the harmonising on 'Would Smoke', a truly rocking song! Overall The New Academics song writing abilities have impressed me, they've managed to produce fourteen really original songs, filled with intelligent and relevant music, which in itself is an extremely difficult thing to do.

City of Strange is an uplifting funk filled album, great to party to, and their live performance is definitely something special!

Check out our one on one interview here

Son-of-a-guN