So on Friday night I decided to take a little trip to my local sauna…a.k.a Burn on a summer’s night with fans thronging in to see the front man of Seether. I think anyone who even went near the dance floor was sweating like a commercial sex worker on payday but I’m pretty sure everyone would agree it was worth it. And hey, think of the saving in gym fees.
Anyway, before I digress any further, I was pleasantly surprised to discover on arrival that Myepic were supporting. These guys are great, and not just ‘cos they buy me shooters! Jeff’s vocals are really unusual and their performance is always full of intensity. Because Shaun Morgan was playing unplugged, Myepic obviously had to go the same route, which I think was a little weird for them. They pulled it off really well but you could tell they were just itching to rock out on stage, and frankly they didn’t let the acoustic set up hold them back from doing just that. Definitely one of the most underrated bands in the country as far as I’m concerned, and well worth watching out for.
For once Durban didn’t let apathy get the better of her, and people were crammed onto the dance floor a good 30 minutes before Shaun Morgan was due to start, trying to make sure they got a good spot…or any spot at all for that matter. For those of you who may have been living under a rock, or recently arrived from the planet Neptune, Shaun Morgan (a.k.a Shaun Welgemoed) is the lead singer of grunge rock supergroup, Seether, formerly known as Saron Gas when they were still living on SA soil. I don’t think I have ever seen Burn so packed before, and for once even the jocks turned up. There was an air of sweaty anticipation as the crowd waited for the prodigal son to return….and I think I can say with relative confidence that no one was disappointed by his performance. I did think the set up was not really conducive to 500 people trying to watch an acoustic set, since as soon as you got further back than the front two rows, all you could see was the fairly lights on stage and maybe, if you were lucky, Shaun’s forehead. Perhaps some tables and chairs a’la the old MTV unplugged format would not have gone amiss…but then I guess you wouldn’t have been able to cram 500 people into the room. Nonetheless, Shaun’s performance was heartfelt and beautiful, and the crowd couldn’t get enough. He also got Grant from Myepic to join him on stage for one song, which was a really nice touch, and Grant definitely pulled it off with aplomb. At one point the audience burst out into Happy Birthday, as Shaun just happened to be celebrating the big day, and I have to admit I was touched to see how moved he looked. He came across as humble and genuinely pleased to be playing before South African audiences again. And they were clearly genuinely pleased to have him.
All in all, it was a fantastic evening of music designed to make us proud to be South African. I definitely can’t wait to catch Seether at Kenton-on-Sea for New Year’s Eve, and if you live in Cape Town, you’d have to be a complete fool not to catch Shaun at one of his upcoming unplugged gigs!
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