Myepic – Burn, 25.08.07

This was sort of a bittersweet gig for me – the date had originally been booked for my favourite Durban band, Private Republic, but they have had to part ways because of Driverlane commitments and the gig was cancelled. My sadness was tempered in the end though by the fact that Myepic was booked in their place and they are by far my favourite up and coming JHB band at the moment. Unfortunately, in true Durban style, the club was practically empty. I was informed by a number of people that the reason for this was that the night before had been pumping. I guess I didn’t get the memo restricting people to one excursion per weekend. Oh well.

Not to be deterred by the lacklustre attendance, Myepic took to the stage in a whirlwind of energy, reminding me of why I love them so much. They are pretty down to earth, even relatively quiet, guys off stage, so I’m always taken a little off guard by the ferocity of their performances. Grant does things with his guitar that make me shiver and when Jeff gazes out at the audience hypnotically, the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I’ve been listening to their CD in my car for over a week now, but as wonderful a recording as it is, you have to see this band live to fully appreciate them. Although there was only a handful of people on the dancefloor, it was pretty much everyone who was at the club, and they responded eagerly to the informal atmosphere created by Myepic. Perhaps because there were so few people watching, the band was much chattier than usual and showed a sense of humour you don’t always get to see. Jeff has a sultry, seductive voice which he couples with serpentine movements around the stage, keeping his audience mesmerised. Add this to the at times vicious, at times tender melodies of their songs, and the adrenalin raising wall of sound they create, and there’s no room for boredom here. Definitely not a middle of the road kind of band, and not one for background music either. They demand attention and its certainly worth paying.

So while the turnout may have been small, those of us who did make it, were lucky to be treated to an intimate performance by a band that should go a long way if talent and good music are the only criteria. If you haven’t seen this band yet, make sure you do at the first opportunity.