Days Gone By

There are times when I wonder why I choose to listen almost exclusively to South African bands from a certain period, and find it hard to take as strongly to more recent local acts. Is it a sign of old age, what with the big three-oh starting to glimmer on the horizon? Is it an act of nostalgia on my part, as these bands that made their names in the 90’s were the bands I supported in my teens? Or is it because, put quite simply, the bands who formed part of that initial SA music explosion had something almost intangible, that newer bands just do not?

I first started supporting local music when I was about 14 and the boy I had a little crush on formed a band. I had no idea of the epic journey I was starting on! That was around the time when radio stations had coined the phrase “Local is Lekker”, and we would all roll our eyes in derision and think of the time Steve Hofmeyer and Patricia Lewis paid our school a visit. Definitely not our idea of lekker, considering the bands we were crazy about included Guns n Roses, Nirvana and the like. But then suddenly I found myself going to more and more gigs and watching the stories of bands like Squeal, Urban Creep and Famous Curtain Trick unfold. I think the first time I saw Squeal perform was at an outdoor event when I was about 14 or 15….I sat there on the grass and realised that this was the way local music was supposed to sound. It was incredible. There was no saccharine poppiness about it; these were real rockers singing about life in my town. I was hooked. It wasn’t too long after that that I discovered the Springbok Nude Girls, at a gig that was destined to be the rather rocky start of a giant love affair with their music. Around the same time, other local bands making themselves heard were Sugardrive, Boo!, Dorp and the bands that would soon become known as Wonderboom.

The 90’s were a magical era as far as music goes, both internationally and locally. It was the time of the Seattle explosion, with bands like Nirvana, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Stone Temple Pilots erupting onto the scene with a vengeance. Alternative consciousness now had a face and a sound and young people everywhere were responding with glee. Perhaps this is partly what made South African audiences suddenly so receptive to our own phenomenal bands of the time. Perhaps it was also because we were starting to work at democracy and this gave people a sense of liberation and freedom of expression that they hadn’t had before. Whatever it was, there was a sense of discovery in the air as South African people learned that their own musicians had talent as well.

That doesn’t mean, however, that this made it easy for bands to ‘make it big’ during this period. On the contrary, festivals were still low key and management companies few and far between. Everything these bands did was a learning curve, as they continually broke new ground in the local markets. They were forging ahead into unknown territories and making themselves heard along the way. There were no blueprints for these guys to emulate and each band had a sound that was uniquely their own. To this day, one of my favourite things about the Nude Girls, Sugardrive or Wonderboom is that they are instantly recognisable from the opening moments of any song. There is no way of confusing the vocals of Arno Carstens, Paul E Flynn or Cito Otto with anyone else. The musicianship of each band member is impeccable, from the wrenching guitar sounds of Theo Crous, to the hypnotic drumming of Garth McLeod, and the pulse raising bass of Wade Williams. And the best part is that even though these bands flourished during the same era as the birth of the Seattle sound, they are indisputably South African.

This for me is another trait which sets these bands apart. They have never tried to ‘Americanise’ themselves in order to appeal to the mass market MTV generation. They are proud to be South African, and while they may seek international success (as all good bands no matter where they are from do), they do not seek to forego their roots. You will still hear Sugardrive and Wonderboom sing about their home cities, and while Paul and Cito may have foreign sounding accents because they weren’t born here, there is no doubting Arno’s heritage. None of these bands contort their sounds to fit the cookie cutter mould of what is perceived to be ‘popular’. They play music that if you listen to it even superficially, will speak to your soul and connect with you on every level. Some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard have come from these guys. I have seen many international acts perform live, and felt passionate about many of those bands, but never have I felt my spirit moved in the way it is when I listen to the bands who made South African music big.

So, what then is my issue with the new generation of bands? They are certainly doing their bit for putting SA music on the map, with many of them taking on overseas deals and some even relocating. That’s all good and well. But for me, with some obvious exceptions, there are very few bands in this country today with the same passion and drive of the trailblazers. Maybe it’s because what with the trail already having been blazed and big management companies in place to market the hell out of these guys, there’s less need for the fervour that characterised the bands of the ‘90’s. Or maybe the pressure is on to make a career out of music, and so bands succumb to the easy way out approach of creating a sound which is for all intents and purposes generic and bland, yet will appeal to the highest number of people. In a lot of respects, the young audiences of today have become desensitised to real talent, after watching nu metal act after nu metal act go through the same motions on MTV. It is only to be expected that local bands just starting out will feel compelled to tap into this sound in order to please their market. The problem for me is that I can’t hear anything South African when I listen to these bands, and I find them virtually indistinguishable from one another. There are those shining exceptions to the rule like Fokoffpolisiekar who hurtle onto the scene with a devil-may-care attitude and a sound of their own that forces you to pay attention, but a lot of other bands out there seem featureless and devoid of real emotion.

Don’t get me wrong. I know this may sound negative and intensely critical of our up and coming talent, but that is not really my point. In a way I feel sorry for these guys, and sorry for youngsters just starting to discover South African music. They may never get to feel the liberation of creating music that is truly unique or the adoration of a crowd that is not yet jaded into expecting music-by-numbers. And the crowds may never get to feel the rush of discovering a phenomenal talent that makes you shiver inside, and the intense pride of knowing that that talent is uniquely South African. So when all is said and done, my advice to young bands would be to take a step back for a few moments and listen to the sounds of your soul. If it still tells you that emo is the way to go, then by all means give in to the angst. But if it tells you to break free of the mould, be a little daring and try something that speaks to you, well then, you owe it to yourself and the next generation of music lovers to give it a try. It may not bring that American record deal and MTV rotation, but you may find it connects you to your audience on a whole new wave length.

It’s been 14 years since that first gig I went to, and I still make sure I go to at least one gig a week wherever possible. Despite what I may have written here, I seek out new bands to go and support, and there are many out there who show the inklings of great things to come. I seldom buy international CDs, preferring to support our local market. My love affair with the South African music scene has not lost its lustre, despite the fact that many of the bands who taught me how to feel this passion have gone their separate ways, taken breaks, broken up and reformed, or relocated. Be this as it may, not a day goes by when I don’t listen to the music of those first groundbreaking bands and smile softly to myself, thinking of the incredible potential that lies beneath the surface of our country.