This gig was one of those truly impressive instances of bands giving back to the community of fans who support them. The event was arranged as a benefit for a young man named Ivan who is battling cancer and needs some financial assistance, and it was truly heart warming to see local talent taking to the stage for a worthy cause. We missed quite a few of the bands who played earlier, as the gig kicked off at 16:30 and we could only make it there much later (baby shower – best not to get into that!) but what we saw was well worth the trip out to Umhlanga.
The first act we caught was Superhotjoy, who were as enjoyable as they were the last time I saw them at the Willowvale. They didn’t seem to receive as enthusiastic an audience response as on the previous occasion but the atmosphere in the little theatre at this bowling club was quite stilted, with many people sitting at tables arranged around the room. Quite a tennis clapper set up, which I suppose is to be expected to some degree in this neck of the woods. However, the band made up for what the audience lacked in enthusiasm and truly seemed to be having a wonderful time on stage. The more I listen to them, the more I am struck by the vocal similarities between their frontman and Sting. It’s quite uncanny really. A very talented trio who perform with joy and accomplishment. It was quite sad when they announced that this would be their second to last gig…but maybe from the ashes of Superhotjoy will rise the phoenix of the beloved Perez.
Next up was Driverlane, who are currently riding a wave of success. Their single Regular Flavour has been selected for the soundtrack of Footskating 101 and made it to number 1 on the high 5 at 5 this week (I won’t divulge the marketing tactics that have been employed by some members…suffice to say children and confectionary were involved…). They seem to be sweeping across the country like a tsunami and have been gigging extensively to promote the movie and their upcoming debut album. Last night’s performance was entertaining to say the least. Vocalist Mark taught us why you should never mix sleep deprivation, alcohol, and antibiotics….you will end up doing the river dance and various other strange moves from the ‘80’s while on stage. Bless. Nonetheless, the crowd was loving them and from what I could make out between my fits of giggles, they put on a good show.
It’s amazing what good sound can do for a band. Watching Bed on Bricks last night was like watching a completely different band to the one I saw at Sibaya a month ago. I enjoyed them at Sibaya, but I absolutely loved them last night. And once I could actually hear them properly, I realised that there were songs other than Funny that I recognised…Funny is still my favourite though and makes me get all swoony with excitement like some prepubescent little girl. Sigh. Bed on Bricks are supremely talented and offer their audience a performance the likes of which they are unlikely to see from many other bands. For this band, it’s not just about the music they make, which is a heady blend of reggae, ska and rock to name but a few, but about the way that music is presented on stage. I can only imagine the hours of rehearsal that must have gone into developing a performance as tight as theirs, and the connection between band members on stage is evident. They had the audience eating out of their hands like docile little bambis, and those who had been doing nothing more than the odd tennis clap earlier in the evening were soon skanking around on the dance floor, sitting down when instructed to do so by the frontman Mike Hardy, and jumping up again on command. I’m not sure bands from out of town can ever fully appreciate how special it is to get such a response from the generally apathetic and listless Durban audience, but Bed on Bricks had this audience so enthused they were harmonising during the acapella moments. Which brings me to the rich vocal talents of this band – it takes a lot to be able to sing without the backing of your band, and Mike Hardy and Dave van der Linden pull it off with great finesse. But there isn’t an iota of rock star arrogance present on stage, and I think the fact that these guys were prepared to play a benefit for a local Durban boy, even though they hail from Cape Town, and then still made a R2600 donation to the cause, secured them a place in many people’s hearts. It was a pity that Dave snapped a string towards the end of the set and encouraged the audience to go and get a drink while he replaced it – alas, it doesn’t matter how transfixed an audience is by a band, once they’ve succumbed to the lure of the bar (which in this case was in another room altogether), you probably won’t be getting them back any time soon. Those of us who stuck around while the string was replaced were treated to an impromptu jam session with Mike on sax, and it was of course worth the wait to see the remainder of their set. Altogether, it was one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time and I’m so glad I got to see them with decent sound so I could fully appreciate this band.
I think all that’s left to be said is that the organisers of this event and the bands who agreed so willingly to play at it need to be highly commended for their dedication to a friend and fan. It’s a pity it wasn’t more widely publicised so that more people could come along and make their donation, but hopefully enough was collected to make a difference in this young man’s life. Kudos to everyone involved.
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