I’d like to start this off with a little note to the organisers of this event:
“Dear Mr Price, thank you so much for organising such lovely bands in such an idyllic setting. It is most appreciated. However, I was wondering if it would be at all possible for us to co-ordinate our social calendars, so that there is not a massive gig the night before these events, which somehow always leads to me being hungover and incapable of moving off the picnic blanket for the first act. I recognise that this may make me sound like a raging alcoholic, but really, that is not the case. I promise. I’m more of what you’d call a social binge drinker and some bands/band members just seem to bring out the binger in me. Your consideration in this regard would be most kind. Sincerely, me.” I would also just like to add for educational purposes that it is a bad idea to go shopping at Woolworths for picnic product when you are hungover and have not had any food for 18 hours. You will buy everything because it all looks sooooo good, and you are sooooo hungry. And then you will spend stupid amounts of money and have more food than two people can possibly eat even if you do get to the gig early to secure a spot and so need to kill time. Also the friend you were buying food for will think you have a) lost your mind, or b) carried the binging thing over into eating as well as drinking. I’m just saying.
There are many things I love about Durban, and I’m not just talking about the R3 shooters and R8 jagerbombs at Burn (ugh, I hurt just to think of it). I love that we can have an outdoor concert in the middle of winter and still need to apply sunscreen. And I love that we couldn’t get off our bums to go and support good old Robbie Williams and the like, but at least 3000 people tore themselves away from the Sunday paper to come and support 2 great South African bands the day before payday. I also love that we have a venue like the Botanic Gardens and a company like Mr Price who twigged that it was the perfect setting to watch bands in (p.s. Mr Price, please can you book more of my favourite bands…we all know who they are!). The afternoon got started with local Durban boys Driverlane, and I really felt that the vibe at the Gardens just brought out the best in them. Mark let his grungy voice shine through, without any of the usual effects pedals that he has been known to use to excess, and he also kept the pelvic gymnastics to a minimum too (it was an all ages event after all). This may have been a little bit of a disappointment to some of the other female fans, but I like it better when he’s not trying so hard. This is a band of talented musicians, arguably Durban’s hottest property at the moment having toured with many of the big guns of the national scene, and it was good to see them getting back to basics at this show. I probably wasn’t the only hungover person in the crowd, considering the whole rugby debacle of the previous day, but the band still received a warm response and people were singing along and bopping on their blankets as best you can without actually standing up. In real keeping with the atmosphere of the day, they invited 4 members of the Philharmonic Orchestra on stage with them for a few of the ballady songs, and it was simply lovely. All in all, this was probably the most enjoyable show of theirs that I’ve ever been to and I’m looking forward to seeing them at the beach in a couple of weeks’ time. I think their debut album, due for release in September will probably do very well for them too.
It says a lot about a band if they can peel people off their blankets in the first song. And Prime Circle had no problem doing this. It started off slowly, with just a few diehards up and dancing, but by the time they had played their final song, it seemed like there wasn’t a soul left sitting down. This is the energy that Prime Circle brings to every gig I’ve ever seen them play. I’ve been following the meteoric rise of this band since the first time I saw them play a crappy afternoon slot at Woodstock about 4 years or so ago. The next time I saw them they were the headline act and I don’t think they’ve looked back since. They seem to be having an epic love affair with the South African public and it shows no signs of cooling off. And as much flack as I have taken over the years for loving this band (apparently it’s not very ‘hardcore’ of me…oh dear), I can absolutely see why this love affair has taken on such mammoth proportions. Maybe their songs will never be played at Burn, but oh my goodness do they know how to get me to sing along. And jump up and down. They play happy music, and I really can’t see what’s so bad about that. Yes, it’s radio friendly, and yes, it appeals to a mass market, but surely that is not a cardinal sin? In fact, I think being successful and appealing to a lot of people is kind of the point some of the time, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not like they’re all pukey and Westlifey….Ross has a voice that is just pure rock. He is definitely the linchpin of the group, and knows just how to make sure he has his audience in the palm of his hand. He takes the time to make sure he’s connected with the people in front of him, and at this show even jumped down off the stage so that he could see the crowd better through the late afternoon glare. The rest of the band is technically proficient but it is their vocalist who wows the audience and keeps them hooked the whole way through. There was no need for the MC to encourage people to cheer for more when the band finished, because after an hour the crowd had by no means had enough. And if the new song they played is anything to judge by, Prime Circle have not even neared the pinnacle of their success yet. It was awesome and I can’t wait for the new album to come out later this year.
So, yes, I will unashamedly admit that I love Prime Circle, I buy their albums, I sing and dance at their gigs. Does this mean I am not ‘hardcore’? Well, yes, probably. Do I give a flying toss? No, not really. And you shouldn’t either.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment