It’s an age old debate. As long as there have been entertainers, there have been those that follow them. Back in the days of kings and round tables and all that stuff, you can be sure that there were those who just wanted to get in the jester’s pants and those that thought he was like, the best lute player ever. The difficulty is that it can be a very fine line, and people tend to assume that if you have boy bits, you’re a fan but if you have girlie bits you simply must be a groupie. Because after all, why else would you watch bands if it wasn’t to fulfil your lifelong quest to sleep with as many singers/drummers/guitarists/roadies/lighting technicians/that guy you thought was with the band but turned out to be just another groupie?
My friends and I happen to consider ourselves to be prime examples of the fan category. We have been huge supporters of the South African music scene for as long as most of us can remember. But because we are kinda quirky and impulsive about it, and have been known to hop on a plane at a moment’s notice to watch our favourite bands, there are those who label us groupies. I can laugh it off because I know the real reason I love the Springbok Nude Girls with all my heart is not that Arno is so very pretty (that’s just a perk man!), it’s because as a whole they create the most mind-blowingly awesome music I’ve ever heard in a life which just happens to revolve around listening to music. I also know that the reason I follow Wonderboom around the country is not because I want to get into Cito’s pants, as lovely a guy as he is, but because this is a band that never fails to pull out all the stops to entertain their crowd and make beautiful, fun music that is quintessentially South African. They make me proud to be a supporter of local music.
However, there are those amongst us who are not able to laugh it off so readily, and take huge offence at the groupie label, so I thought maybe it was time to draw that line, fine as it may be. So here are a few distinguishing factors:
You know you’re a groupie when:
• You have thrown any item of underwear on stage. A word of advice here, just as a sidebar: If you are going to throw underwear, at least make sure it’s the good stuff and not that once-white-now-grey bra you’ve had since puberty (assuming of course you have left puberty). Also, its just tacky to ask for your underwear back at the end of the show
• You always make sure you wear the good underwear to gigs, or maybe no underwear at all, just in case ‘he’ gets to see what’s on under that band tee
• You have turned to your friend at a gig and said “Just so we don’t fight later, lets be clear, I’m taking the singer, you can have the guitarist”
• You don’t necessarily own a single CD by your ‘favourite band’ but you have pictures of the band members all over your walls and you know the words to the songs because you are fixated on the singer’s mouth during their performances
• Your last 3 partners have left you because you shouted out the name of your favourite band member in the throes of passion
• If you look closely at the band members when they are speaking to you, you will notice they have the whole ‘deer in the headlights’ thing going on. Of course, you yourself will never notice that because you are too busy telling them how much you love them and how you have a beauty spot on your inner thigh if they’d like to see it
• You have had your boobs/stomach/ass or in fact any body part signed by the band, and not in an ironic, taking the piss kind of way, but in a ‘I seriously think this makes me look cool and sexy and oh my God he touched my boob he must love me’ kind of way
• You have been naked backstage/behind the marquee/in the band car and not because some freak accident destroyed your clothes and the band were altruistically helping you find a change of clothing
• You no longer feel you can spend time with ‘non-band’ people.
On the flip side of that, there are some ways to recognise a rabid fan:
• You simply must own every single CD ever created by your favourite band, even if it means sleeping with someone to get that rare release….kidding….we were dating, I would have slept with him anyway!
• Your last 3 partners left you because they were sick of going to gigs
• You know all the words to the songs because you just can’t stop listening to them and the latest CD is on repeat in your car
• You keep trying to convince everyone you know that really, no really guys, you have to listen to this band, it’ll change your life
• You feel weird if you go out and there isn’t a band playing. So you get the DJ to play songs by your favourite band. And he does it because deep inside you scare him a little
• Club owners sms you to ask you which bands you think they should book. And then get annoyed because you send them 15 messages worth of suggestions.
• You can recognise that the people in the band you love may not in fact be gorgeous but are just normal people who happen to be incredibly talented and that’s ok. Its also ok that they don’t want to sleep with you because you don’t want to sleep with them either
• The fact that someone is in a band would put you off dating them, rather than turn you on. After all, you’ve seen what those groupies get up to
• You have caught a plane to watch a gig. Or one of those long distance bus thingies.
• Your boss asks you which band you’re going to watch every time you take leave.
• You find yourself writing gig reviews and articles like this even though you don’t actually work for anyone who would publish them
So, I hope that clears things up just a little. The tricky thing about this, is that inevitably, some fans may end up with someone from the band they love, simply because they spend so much time in the same places– after all, people in bands are just people too. And some groupies may see the light, or you know, make it into their twenties, and turn into proper fans, just because they have absorbed some of these lessons through osmosis. Either way, as long as SA bands are getting people to come out and watch them, I say throw your bra, jump on a plane or do whatever it takes to support our talent. Just make sure you can still look at yourself in the mirror the next morning….obviously, once the tequila has worn off!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Superhotjoy, Driverlane & Bed on Bricks – Zamaya Bowling Club, 01.09.07
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Medea Project & The AK Massive – The Winston, 21.08.07
Just as Survivor was getting interesting last night, I managed to haul myself off the couch and drag myself out into the night to catch these bands. The Winston is not exactly my venue of choice, being a claustrophobic, smoke infested bar in a hotel I would pay money not to have to sleep in, but sometimes you just have to suck it up, don’t you. Of course the bands did not start at the promised 8:30 so we had to endure the type of music generally played in this kind of establishment – heavy metal in the key of bleeding ears – and the quarts were flowing pretty freely by the time things got started. I was having a teetotaller evening, so basically I was just trying to staunch the flow of blood from my eardrums while still screaming over the music to be heard by my friends. Oh well.
I’ll be 100% honest and admit that I had hoped to miss the first band of the evening. But I was instructed that I may be surprised by them and enjoy them, so I gave it a fighting chance. Well. I was surprised in that The Medea Project was not as heavy as I expected them to be, but I can’t go as far as to say I enjoyed them. For starters, they looked incredibly bored on stage. Anyone who knows me will know that bored bands are my pet hate – if you are bored on stage why on earth do you think your audience will be excited to see you? Secondly, they were definitely not my taste in music, being of the mournful dirge-like metal genre. That being said, I am able to recognise when a band is good at what they do, even when what they do is not what I like. Frankly, these guys should not be performing in public. If you want to be in a band because you love playing your instrument or singing (I use that term loosely here), then by all means, have a hobby, but for the sake of the people who go out to watch bands….stay in the garage. The only redeeming factor this band had for me was the drumming…and that would purely be because the drummer from The AK Massive was being a drumming slut and helping out.
The AK Massive played their first ever gig at The Winston many years ago, and so decided to go back to their roots so to speak to showcase some of their new material. I thought this was a really lovely idea – play a gig primarily of new songs and ask the audience for their opinion so that if necessary the songs can be tweaked or dropped before recording the album. Kind of like market research with a novel twist. Although given the fact that one of the new songs (penned mere days before last night’s performance) was written in response to the singer being told not to swear so much and contains the word ‘motherfucker’ innumerable times, I have a sneaking suspicion they don’t really care too much what other people think! Nevertheless, the new material is brilliant and we had a great time jumping around on the dance floor. Gone is the angsty socio-political bent of their previous work, and in its place is an infectious blend of indie, grunge and rock that will make you want to get up and dance. Considering the fact that some of the songs had never been performed before, and considering that I have seen Mark (vocals) forget the words to songs he has been singing for the past 7 years, I thought the gig went off remarkably well. It is good to see this band filled with renewed vigour and enthusiasm for their music. There is no way this cannot translate into a crowd that has a really good time. This is a new album I am truly looking forward to.
Of course once the bands were finished, the soul destroying CD’s got chucked back on and we swiftly decided it was time to depart. The evening was saved by a stellar performance from The AKM boys, but I was left with one question….why do the bands you enjoy the least always have songs that are hideously long? Hmmm.
I’ll be 100% honest and admit that I had hoped to miss the first band of the evening. But I was instructed that I may be surprised by them and enjoy them, so I gave it a fighting chance. Well. I was surprised in that The Medea Project was not as heavy as I expected them to be, but I can’t go as far as to say I enjoyed them. For starters, they looked incredibly bored on stage. Anyone who knows me will know that bored bands are my pet hate – if you are bored on stage why on earth do you think your audience will be excited to see you? Secondly, they were definitely not my taste in music, being of the mournful dirge-like metal genre. That being said, I am able to recognise when a band is good at what they do, even when what they do is not what I like. Frankly, these guys should not be performing in public. If you want to be in a band because you love playing your instrument or singing (I use that term loosely here), then by all means, have a hobby, but for the sake of the people who go out to watch bands….stay in the garage. The only redeeming factor this band had for me was the drumming…and that would purely be because the drummer from The AK Massive was being a drumming slut and helping out.
The AK Massive played their first ever gig at The Winston many years ago, and so decided to go back to their roots so to speak to showcase some of their new material. I thought this was a really lovely idea – play a gig primarily of new songs and ask the audience for their opinion so that if necessary the songs can be tweaked or dropped before recording the album. Kind of like market research with a novel twist. Although given the fact that one of the new songs (penned mere days before last night’s performance) was written in response to the singer being told not to swear so much and contains the word ‘motherfucker’ innumerable times, I have a sneaking suspicion they don’t really care too much what other people think! Nevertheless, the new material is brilliant and we had a great time jumping around on the dance floor. Gone is the angsty socio-political bent of their previous work, and in its place is an infectious blend of indie, grunge and rock that will make you want to get up and dance. Considering the fact that some of the songs had never been performed before, and considering that I have seen Mark (vocals) forget the words to songs he has been singing for the past 7 years, I thought the gig went off remarkably well. It is good to see this band filled with renewed vigour and enthusiasm for their music. There is no way this cannot translate into a crowd that has a really good time. This is a new album I am truly looking forward to.
Of course once the bands were finished, the soul destroying CD’s got chucked back on and we swiftly decided it was time to depart. The evening was saved by a stellar performance from The AKM boys, but I was left with one question….why do the bands you enjoy the least always have songs that are hideously long? Hmmm.
Farryl Purkiss, Bed on Bricks & Sitter – Krakatoa, 02.08.07
I know there are times when I have some peculiar notions, and I guess I’m being completely unreasonable when I assume that the point of going to a gig is to actually watch the bands. I know, I know, silly me, what was I thinking?! I’d had a really bad day at work yesterday, and was thoroughly looking forward to this gig, so when I found myself seemingly in the midst of a Ken and Barbie clone convention, I didn’t respond with the same level of perkiness they were all displaying. I can’t think why. Could be the fact that the jocks and jockettes had so much to say to each other (mostly about shampoo from what I overheard), that it was virtually impossible to hear the first two bands.
Farryl Purkiss is a pretty soft spoken guy, and so unfortunately he bore the brunt of the incessant chatter. I don’t think it helped that the sound was not optimal, meaning that you could barely hear the vocals during the songs, and practically not at all when Farryl was chatting with the crowd between songs. We tried moving to different parts of the club but to no avail. It’s a pity because of course, the sumptuous and laid back vocals of this talented individual are the focal point of his music, and I was frustrated not to be able to enjoy his set as much as I had anticipated, simply because I was irritated by those around me. Nonetheless, what I could hear was fantastic as always, and the end of every song was heralded by a large cheer from the crowd, so it must have been penetrating somehow. One of the highlights of the evening for me though was when Farryl invited his mentor, Matt Wilkinson of Perez fame on stage to do a few songs, including one of Matt’s. Being the huge Perez fan that I am, this was a major whoohoo moment for me, and I can only hope that we will be seeing more of Matt soon.
Next up was the main attraction for me. I will confess to only really knowing one of Bed on Bricks’ songs, the catchy and sardonic Funny. But when I first heard this song on MK89, I fell in love with it as furiously as a school girl experiencing her first crush….to the point that I think my poor housemate at the time was ready to lose his reason if he heard me scream “ooooh ooooh its my song!!” before turning the TV as loud as it would go one more time. So I was really keen to check them out and see if the rest of their songs lived up to the one I had heard. This intrigue was enhanced by the fact that I knew Tim (drums) was previously in Dorp and Mike (vocals/sax) was formerly of Sons of Trout – serious credentials. However, I seemed to keep missing them. It went something like this: Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at Burn tonight. Wait, SNG is playing at Gateway (now now, no one can expect me to ever miss SNG for anything!!). Fuck. Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at Splashy this year. Wait, that’s the weekend my sister arrives from Ireland. Fuck. Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at the Royal Show. Wait, I have to work. Fuck. I had resigned myself to this terrible cycle of disappointment. But then a ray of hope arrived in my email inbox and last night’s gig was added to the social calendar. In ink. So, was this band worth the hype I had generated in my head? Well, the sound was still pretty poor by the time they took to the stage, but nonetheless, I wasn’t disappointed that I’d made the long trek out to Sibaya. It’s quite hard to describe the sound of Bed on Bricks as they seem to skip lightly through many genres. There’s a lot of funk, a fair helping of ska and of course a generous portion of rock thrown in. One friend described them as being similar to Sublime. The energy they bring to their performance is most definitely sublime and the alcopop fuelled crowd was bopping along. Naturally when they played Funny I nearly went through the roof, and then was thrilled to witness something I had heard others speak of in awed tones – half way through the song, the band freezes. There is perfect silence and they all remain in the exact pose in which they paused…for at least a minute as well. This is an incredible way to draw the attention of your crowd, and even the jockettes managed to stop flipping their hair and air kissing each other long enough to see what was going on. Finally, when it seemed like the tension couldn’t be borne any longer, they whirled back into action and the crowd went wild. Definitely a band worth the long wait I’ve had to see them, and hopefully the next time there will be better sound available to them.
I haven’t quite worked out yet if Sitter are really sweet about rewarding their loyal fans, or really crafty when it comes to renting a crowd. I have heard talk of them bussing in fans and friends to their gigs but I’d never seen it before. Until we arrived at Sibaya last night just as two of Durban’s legendary Ricksha Buses (infamous for terrestrial booze cruises) vomited out their cargo of testosterone and hairspray junkies, each with a drink in one hand and a comp in the other. Whatever Sitter’s motivation is, it’s a clever ploy because the last time I was at Krakatoa, poor Prime Circle were lost in the vastness of an empty venue, and last night you could barely move without being trampled by a rugby player or spiked by a stiletto heel. Waiting in line for a drink at the bar turned out to be a serious commitment. But I digress. The sound seemed to improve marginally when the featured band appeared on stage, and suddenly the crowd was totally focussed on what was going on. Sitter is an inoffensively middle of the road kind of band. They have one really catchy song which I know I’ve heard on radio a lot and actually quite like, but otherwise they’re sort of like a Watershed for the under 30’s set. Okay, okay, that’s mean. They are way better than Watershed – after all, they don’t make me want to injure myself just to get away. But you get the genre I’m talking about. They are quite clearly doing something very, very right because the audience that had previously been so self-engrossed were suddenly transfixed by them and getting very exciteable. I was quite entertained by their choice of covers – a Roy Orbison song, and one by the Four Non-Blondes. Hmmm. They were enthusiastic on stage and lapping up the attention of their seemingly devoted followers. In fact, I think they could do quite well for themselves, assuming of course they don’t blow the budget on Ricksha Buses.
We opted not to stick around for DJ Chunky Charlie…yet more of my unreasonable nature I guess. I’m always fascinated by why clubs so often opt to play dance music after they’ve just had 3 rocking bands, but looking around me last night I guess it probably would have appealed. All I can say is that I hope the black lycra legging manufacturers are managing to keep up with demand, otherwise we’re set for a national crisis.
Farryl Purkiss is a pretty soft spoken guy, and so unfortunately he bore the brunt of the incessant chatter. I don’t think it helped that the sound was not optimal, meaning that you could barely hear the vocals during the songs, and practically not at all when Farryl was chatting with the crowd between songs. We tried moving to different parts of the club but to no avail. It’s a pity because of course, the sumptuous and laid back vocals of this talented individual are the focal point of his music, and I was frustrated not to be able to enjoy his set as much as I had anticipated, simply because I was irritated by those around me. Nonetheless, what I could hear was fantastic as always, and the end of every song was heralded by a large cheer from the crowd, so it must have been penetrating somehow. One of the highlights of the evening for me though was when Farryl invited his mentor, Matt Wilkinson of Perez fame on stage to do a few songs, including one of Matt’s. Being the huge Perez fan that I am, this was a major whoohoo moment for me, and I can only hope that we will be seeing more of Matt soon.
Next up was the main attraction for me. I will confess to only really knowing one of Bed on Bricks’ songs, the catchy and sardonic Funny. But when I first heard this song on MK89, I fell in love with it as furiously as a school girl experiencing her first crush….to the point that I think my poor housemate at the time was ready to lose his reason if he heard me scream “ooooh ooooh its my song!!” before turning the TV as loud as it would go one more time. So I was really keen to check them out and see if the rest of their songs lived up to the one I had heard. This intrigue was enhanced by the fact that I knew Tim (drums) was previously in Dorp and Mike (vocals/sax) was formerly of Sons of Trout – serious credentials. However, I seemed to keep missing them. It went something like this: Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at Burn tonight. Wait, SNG is playing at Gateway (now now, no one can expect me to ever miss SNG for anything!!). Fuck. Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at Splashy this year. Wait, that’s the weekend my sister arrives from Ireland. Fuck. Ooh, Bed on Bricks is playing at the Royal Show. Wait, I have to work. Fuck. I had resigned myself to this terrible cycle of disappointment. But then a ray of hope arrived in my email inbox and last night’s gig was added to the social calendar. In ink. So, was this band worth the hype I had generated in my head? Well, the sound was still pretty poor by the time they took to the stage, but nonetheless, I wasn’t disappointed that I’d made the long trek out to Sibaya. It’s quite hard to describe the sound of Bed on Bricks as they seem to skip lightly through many genres. There’s a lot of funk, a fair helping of ska and of course a generous portion of rock thrown in. One friend described them as being similar to Sublime. The energy they bring to their performance is most definitely sublime and the alcopop fuelled crowd was bopping along. Naturally when they played Funny I nearly went through the roof, and then was thrilled to witness something I had heard others speak of in awed tones – half way through the song, the band freezes. There is perfect silence and they all remain in the exact pose in which they paused…for at least a minute as well. This is an incredible way to draw the attention of your crowd, and even the jockettes managed to stop flipping their hair and air kissing each other long enough to see what was going on. Finally, when it seemed like the tension couldn’t be borne any longer, they whirled back into action and the crowd went wild. Definitely a band worth the long wait I’ve had to see them, and hopefully the next time there will be better sound available to them.
I haven’t quite worked out yet if Sitter are really sweet about rewarding their loyal fans, or really crafty when it comes to renting a crowd. I have heard talk of them bussing in fans and friends to their gigs but I’d never seen it before. Until we arrived at Sibaya last night just as two of Durban’s legendary Ricksha Buses (infamous for terrestrial booze cruises) vomited out their cargo of testosterone and hairspray junkies, each with a drink in one hand and a comp in the other. Whatever Sitter’s motivation is, it’s a clever ploy because the last time I was at Krakatoa, poor Prime Circle were lost in the vastness of an empty venue, and last night you could barely move without being trampled by a rugby player or spiked by a stiletto heel. Waiting in line for a drink at the bar turned out to be a serious commitment. But I digress. The sound seemed to improve marginally when the featured band appeared on stage, and suddenly the crowd was totally focussed on what was going on. Sitter is an inoffensively middle of the road kind of band. They have one really catchy song which I know I’ve heard on radio a lot and actually quite like, but otherwise they’re sort of like a Watershed for the under 30’s set. Okay, okay, that’s mean. They are way better than Watershed – after all, they don’t make me want to injure myself just to get away. But you get the genre I’m talking about. They are quite clearly doing something very, very right because the audience that had previously been so self-engrossed were suddenly transfixed by them and getting very exciteable. I was quite entertained by their choice of covers – a Roy Orbison song, and one by the Four Non-Blondes. Hmmm. They were enthusiastic on stage and lapping up the attention of their seemingly devoted followers. In fact, I think they could do quite well for themselves, assuming of course they don’t blow the budget on Ricksha Buses.
We opted not to stick around for DJ Chunky Charlie…yet more of my unreasonable nature I guess. I’m always fascinated by why clubs so often opt to play dance music after they’ve just had 3 rocking bands, but looking around me last night I guess it probably would have appealed. All I can say is that I hope the black lycra legging manufacturers are managing to keep up with demand, otherwise we’re set for a national crisis.
Fire through the Window & The AK Massive – Vacca Matta, 24.07.07
This gig sort of crept up on me somehow, as these things tend to do in a month when almost everyone I know celebrates their birthdays and the day before payday means it’s seriously end of the month Salticrax time! But fortunately Vacca Matta is kind enough not to charge an entry fee for their Tuesday night gigs, and one way or another, there was no way I was missing what promised to be an interesting evening with two such diverse bands.
Fire through the Window is a relatively new band and this was the first opportunity I had to check them out. Aside from Sinead (vocals), this band is composed of a veritable who’s who of the Durban music industry, with representatives from Nemesis Army (Marc – guitar & vocals), Passenger (Greg – bass), City Bowl Mizers (Adam – drums) and one of the ex-Jones’ from Love Jones, not to mention Squeal and a good few other bands (Peter aka band slut – guitar). So it really came as no surprise that this band was outstanding. From what I hear, they generally play just as an unplugged duo of Sinead and Marc, who wrote all the songs for each other. Which means that the predominant theme is obviously love. There is a huge risk here of being cheesy and clichéd but somehow they manage to avoid this, and instead are one of the best bands I’ve seen in Durban in a while. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very cute on stage, and Sinead has very much got the whole wide-eyed little girl thing going on, but it really works for them, and the fact that her voice is simply beautiful helps a lot. I may be betraying my gender here, but I’m not usually a huge fan of female-led bands, simply because if your voice isn’t really good, it tends to go to that high pitched whiny place, and that’s just not attractive. This, however, is nowhere near the case with this lot. Sinead’s vocals almost have a Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders quality, and this is well balanced by Marc’s grungier style which is used as backing and harmonies, somewhat of a departure for a frontman. Their songs are pretty and catchy, and although I’m a cynical bitch, I couldn’t help but smile at how sweet they are. They also do a really kickass cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to You, which they have transformed from a melancholy ballad into an upbeat, almost punky, singalong version. They played two rockier songs at the end of their set, which seemed quite good as well, but unfortunately the vocals were overpowered, and in my opinion this should be the focal point of this band, given how exceptional they are. The crowd called for more when they were finished, and this is most certainly a band I will be going to watch again and again.
The AK Massive is a lot of things, but pretty is probably not one of them (no offence boys!), so I was a tad surprised by this combination of bands. But it turned out that there was a common thread, and that was both bands’ ability to have fun on stage and not take themselves or their music too seriously. It made for a great evening. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this band, they have been around for almost 7 years now and have quite a cult following of those in the know. They are one of those bands who seem like they should be more successful than they are, but somehow it appears to elude them. The trials and tribulations of the South African music industry, and fitting in a music career with a day job and all that. And of course when you say fuck as much as they do, it can work against you in terms of radio play! They started out singing mainly about political issues that were affecting people at the time, but over the years have shifted the focus away from this. This is a trio with all the sound and energy of a much bigger band, assisted by the fact that Bruce plays both guitar and bass through some weird amp/cord/thingy configuration which I will never even try to understand. It makes for a solid grunge-rock sound, with tinges of The Pixies, Rage Against the Machine and Bush. Their frontman, another Mark, loves to chat with the audience and tell silly jokes, and there is great interaction between the guys on stage, all of which makes for an intimate atmosphere where you feel as if you’re being invited into their circle. Add to this the fact that they are really talented musicians, and have some seriously great songs, and you have a winning formula. You can’t help but have fun with a band who has a song called Trumpet Punk in which they invite 2 imaginary friends (alter-egos of Mark & Brett – drums) on stage to play trumpet. I’ll leave it to your imagination, but let’s just say there are no actual trumpets involved. I think the first time I heard that song, I may have peed my pants a little. But they are by no means a gimmick band, mixing social conscience with a sense of humour. Some of their new material is simply phenomenal, and hopefully they can get the second album recorded a little quicker than the 5 years it took to provide us with the first one! The crowd seemed to really enjoy their extended set (you know you’re in for a good night when the set list is two pages!) despite the fact that Vacca Matta is one of those tennis clapper venues. This is definitely a band you should make an effort to see if the opportunity comes your way.
There’s no better way to spend an evening than watching two such excellent bands, and last night was made even better by the knowledge that they were both from Durban. The friendly atmosphere both bands projected on stage made for a really fun evening for everyone, and I’m not just talking about the straggling delegates from some earlier conference who were clinging to the bar as if their very lives depended on it…that is, when they weren’t flailing around on the dance floor! Good times… Hope we get to do it all again soon.
Fire through the Window is a relatively new band and this was the first opportunity I had to check them out. Aside from Sinead (vocals), this band is composed of a veritable who’s who of the Durban music industry, with representatives from Nemesis Army (Marc – guitar & vocals), Passenger (Greg – bass), City Bowl Mizers (Adam – drums) and one of the ex-Jones’ from Love Jones, not to mention Squeal and a good few other bands (Peter aka band slut – guitar). So it really came as no surprise that this band was outstanding. From what I hear, they generally play just as an unplugged duo of Sinead and Marc, who wrote all the songs for each other. Which means that the predominant theme is obviously love. There is a huge risk here of being cheesy and clichéd but somehow they manage to avoid this, and instead are one of the best bands I’ve seen in Durban in a while. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very cute on stage, and Sinead has very much got the whole wide-eyed little girl thing going on, but it really works for them, and the fact that her voice is simply beautiful helps a lot. I may be betraying my gender here, but I’m not usually a huge fan of female-led bands, simply because if your voice isn’t really good, it tends to go to that high pitched whiny place, and that’s just not attractive. This, however, is nowhere near the case with this lot. Sinead’s vocals almost have a Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders quality, and this is well balanced by Marc’s grungier style which is used as backing and harmonies, somewhat of a departure for a frontman. Their songs are pretty and catchy, and although I’m a cynical bitch, I couldn’t help but smile at how sweet they are. They also do a really kickass cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to You, which they have transformed from a melancholy ballad into an upbeat, almost punky, singalong version. They played two rockier songs at the end of their set, which seemed quite good as well, but unfortunately the vocals were overpowered, and in my opinion this should be the focal point of this band, given how exceptional they are. The crowd called for more when they were finished, and this is most certainly a band I will be going to watch again and again.
The AK Massive is a lot of things, but pretty is probably not one of them (no offence boys!), so I was a tad surprised by this combination of bands. But it turned out that there was a common thread, and that was both bands’ ability to have fun on stage and not take themselves or their music too seriously. It made for a great evening. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this band, they have been around for almost 7 years now and have quite a cult following of those in the know. They are one of those bands who seem like they should be more successful than they are, but somehow it appears to elude them. The trials and tribulations of the South African music industry, and fitting in a music career with a day job and all that. And of course when you say fuck as much as they do, it can work against you in terms of radio play! They started out singing mainly about political issues that were affecting people at the time, but over the years have shifted the focus away from this. This is a trio with all the sound and energy of a much bigger band, assisted by the fact that Bruce plays both guitar and bass through some weird amp/cord/thingy configuration which I will never even try to understand. It makes for a solid grunge-rock sound, with tinges of The Pixies, Rage Against the Machine and Bush. Their frontman, another Mark, loves to chat with the audience and tell silly jokes, and there is great interaction between the guys on stage, all of which makes for an intimate atmosphere where you feel as if you’re being invited into their circle. Add to this the fact that they are really talented musicians, and have some seriously great songs, and you have a winning formula. You can’t help but have fun with a band who has a song called Trumpet Punk in which they invite 2 imaginary friends (alter-egos of Mark & Brett – drums) on stage to play trumpet. I’ll leave it to your imagination, but let’s just say there are no actual trumpets involved. I think the first time I heard that song, I may have peed my pants a little. But they are by no means a gimmick band, mixing social conscience with a sense of humour. Some of their new material is simply phenomenal, and hopefully they can get the second album recorded a little quicker than the 5 years it took to provide us with the first one! The crowd seemed to really enjoy their extended set (you know you’re in for a good night when the set list is two pages!) despite the fact that Vacca Matta is one of those tennis clapper venues. This is definitely a band you should make an effort to see if the opportunity comes your way.
There’s no better way to spend an evening than watching two such excellent bands, and last night was made even better by the knowledge that they were both from Durban. The friendly atmosphere both bands projected on stage made for a really fun evening for everyone, and I’m not just talking about the straggling delegates from some earlier conference who were clinging to the bar as if their very lives depended on it…that is, when they weren’t flailing around on the dance floor! Good times… Hope we get to do it all again soon.
Driverlane & Evolver – The Beach Café, 08.07.07
Yet another afternoon of bands down on the beach, with the sun shining (oh and the gale howling but forget that), and the waves whispering a few metres away. Sigh. Just one more reason Durban is such a great place to live. My friends and I had every intention of watching these bands and making it home in time for supper. Think relaxed, think chilled, think Sunday afternoon vibe. Think we were fooling ourselves since it was a Cuervo party but hey at least we had good intentions.
Driverlane were first up, and I am really enjoying this band more and more each time I watch them. Their sound has matured into something that is more their own, and they have some incredibly catchy songs. Every time I watch them, I end up with Digital Rainbow, the title track from their forthcoming album, stuck in my head for days, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately for them, the sound was not great during their set and we couldn’t hear the vocals that well. And they sort of sounded like they were playing in a tin bathtub. Weird. But that’s not their fault, and while they were aware of the sound problems – I think our little hand gestures were quite hard to ignore – they still put a lot of energy into their performance and some of the already well-tequila’d crowd were dancing around and loving it.
The crowd’s animation levels increased exponentially when Evolver took to the stage (and no, I don’t think it was just because they had the tequila bottle on stage with them). This is another really catchy band and Digital Rainbow and Go All the Way have been duelling it out in my head for days now. I’ll let you know who wins. Peter’s voice just oozes sexy and the audience were lapping it up. There were a few souls still suffering after their revelry at the Durban July the night before but the majority of the small audience were on their feet and jumping on command. I don’t think these guys get the credit they deserve for being as good as they are – they don’t have a single song that isn’t fun to listen to while still sounding great. And miraculously the sound had recovered in time for their performance so we could hear every word and note and really enjoy ourselves. They seem really natural on stage, although I have wondered about Peter’s accent, and you can’t help but have a good time when you’re watching this band. Especially when they keep singing the tequila song.
I’m not going to go into detail about how the wheels came off and the home-for-supper plan fell apart. Suffice to say that Spice Gold + no food + tequila swilling designated driver = bad idea which results in ex boyfriend having to extricate you from Joe Cool’s in the middle of the night. Whoops. Bad girl.
Driverlane were first up, and I am really enjoying this band more and more each time I watch them. Their sound has matured into something that is more their own, and they have some incredibly catchy songs. Every time I watch them, I end up with Digital Rainbow, the title track from their forthcoming album, stuck in my head for days, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately for them, the sound was not great during their set and we couldn’t hear the vocals that well. And they sort of sounded like they were playing in a tin bathtub. Weird. But that’s not their fault, and while they were aware of the sound problems – I think our little hand gestures were quite hard to ignore – they still put a lot of energy into their performance and some of the already well-tequila’d crowd were dancing around and loving it.
The crowd’s animation levels increased exponentially when Evolver took to the stage (and no, I don’t think it was just because they had the tequila bottle on stage with them). This is another really catchy band and Digital Rainbow and Go All the Way have been duelling it out in my head for days now. I’ll let you know who wins. Peter’s voice just oozes sexy and the audience were lapping it up. There were a few souls still suffering after their revelry at the Durban July the night before but the majority of the small audience were on their feet and jumping on command. I don’t think these guys get the credit they deserve for being as good as they are – they don’t have a single song that isn’t fun to listen to while still sounding great. And miraculously the sound had recovered in time for their performance so we could hear every word and note and really enjoy ourselves. They seem really natural on stage, although I have wondered about Peter’s accent, and you can’t help but have a good time when you’re watching this band. Especially when they keep singing the tequila song.
I’m not going to go into detail about how the wheels came off and the home-for-supper plan fell apart. Suffice to say that Spice Gold + no food + tequila swilling designated driver = bad idea which results in ex boyfriend having to extricate you from Joe Cool’s in the middle of the night. Whoops. Bad girl.
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