Blog by Tecla                                               Photo by Inggs

It was so hot on Sunday that I was convinced I’d entered some sort of edenesque version of hell at Kirstenbosch. And snaking in between 12-year-olds with 100 LMGs in my bag to find a good spot to park and appreciate Zebra & Giraffe was a mission and a half. The crux came though when I lit up a cigarette and got treated like one of those 12-year-olds by a khaki-clad man who looked like a retired game ranger.

Needless to say it was rather tough through all this commotion to even acknowledge what was going on onstage but it was somewhere between lead singer Greg mumbling “Barack Obama”, “George Bush” and “Fight! Fight! Fight!” (the name of the track) that I was able to give them my full attention. Now legend has it that Greg is a little bit of a genius when it comes to the bass, the keys and guitar – he plays them all. But stuck behind a microphone, with a guitar strapped around his shoulder, he looked strangely sweaty and uncomfortable. I suppose the heat didn’t help either.

For about half of their set Z&G were a four piece, until bassist Andrew decided to grace us all with his presence after being held up at the airport. He jumped right into the next track, swapping his usual bass for a slide guitar, which he played on his lap - at which point I got into an argument with some random who was convinced it was a lapsteel. Even after Greg announced it was a slide guitar. I think he might know what instruments his band members’ play, reTARD. Moving along... lead guitarist Alan (who is by far the most exciting member to keep your eyes on during a show) also traded in his sexy lime green Fender for a bass, which he plays equally as well, and if it’s even possible, with more gusto.

And then it was crowd pleaser time with tracks like ‘Arm yourself’, ‘Oxymoron’ (my personal Z&G pick) and ‘The Knife’ making the little kiddies jump to keyboardist Rob’s beats like they’d missed their daily dose of Ritalin. To quote Greg “This is awesome. I’d never thought I’d see a mosh pit at Kirstenbosch.” Oh really? Fly down from Joburg next week for Fokof at Kirstenbosch. Then we’ll show you a mosh pit.

This was all followed by a cover of Chris Isaak’s legendary, but oh so cheese-worthy tune, ‘I don’t wanna fall in love’. Greg had a nice little Laudo moment, centre stage on his lonesome and then launched into a track (presumably off ‘Collected Memories’) that I’ve never heard before and it was the first and only time during the gig that I raised an eyebrow and probably said something like ‘Jissus. He’s not that bad,’ while he displayed a vocal range of more than just an octave. Hottt.

So as the sun set, one-by-one sunglasses came off and we got to see exactly how hungover most of the 20-somethings were from the night before. All whilst Z&G wrapped up their lack of onstage antics as drummer Darren threw his drumsticks into the crowd. I saw fear in Inggs’ eyes. Honestly.  And as the pre-pubescent girl who caught one stick sauntered past me, tenderly caressing it, I had a light bulb moment. They might not be my cup of tea, but with a SAMA Award for Best Rock Band under their belt and god know how many copies of ‘Collected Memories’ sold nationwide, Z&G have their commercialized rock facade down to a fine art.

And they sold out Kirstenbosch. High five.

Tecla

A guy and a girl walk into The Nameless Pub in Somerset West on a rainy Sunday night – true story. Not exactly the place I’d imagine to be spending my Sunday night, but it turned out that both Mikey and I were somewhat intrigued by the concept and the name “Akelian Circus”. A couple of Jacks later, and we decided that the N2 might just need a workout. Was it worth it? Do you think I would be taking the time to write about it (twice I might add) if it wasn’t??

A good turnout at an impressively large venue, the little hook/stage where the performance took place was slightly strange considering half the people on the left hand side couldn’t really see what was going on behind the guitarist and vocalists. I wasn’t one of these people though and being at eye-level with the performers really is a great way of interacting better with the audience. Also quite amusing seeing musicians, and others, sauntering nonchalantly in-between the onstage musos during a performance. Provided a nice chilled, casual edge that I’m not that used to, even at acoustic sets.

The Akelian Circus really are one big happy family. Let me tackle the ladies first – in a very heterosexual kinda way I assure you. Roxy Bayman did a cover of Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’ - apparently one of Mikey’s favourite female vocals. And she pulled it off nicely, with a smooth, spot- on honey-like vocal.  Imogen Heap in general is a very tough female vocal to pull off when you’re doing a cover, but ‘Head and Seek’ is an additionally intricate one to perform. Jesse and Julz did a good job of attempting this song, but I for one would love to hear them both do ‘Goodnight & Go’, slightly more up-tempo where Imogen Heap is concerned, but also because of the two distinctive vocal harmonies which would compliment these girls’ voices adequately.

Being brand new to The Somerset West scene, I’m sure I can be  forgiven for getting a little confused when it comes to bands like Heldervue, Change of View and The Little View (or is that Bangs?), most of whom (if not all) are part of the Akelian Circus. Are you still with me? Good. It’s going to take me a while to get used to their originals, but for me, the night was all about covers. Props must be given to both acoustic guitarists Richard and Nick Kuiper, but what really amazed me was the musicality that Nick Frost is able to produce from the simplest drum kit. At one point the djembes were pulled out and a furious jam ensued. An unexpected, but welcoming, interlude but heck, I really didn’t have any expectations on the musical direction of the night.

As the evening drew to a close, Phil Joubert (Heldervue’s bass guitarist) took on Muse’s ‘Time is Running Out’ - probably one of Bellamy’s safer vocals, with exception of the crooning at the end. Well Phil tore it to shreds. And then – wait for it – he did a cover of Nirvana’s Lead Belly cover, ‘Where did you sleep last night’. Adventurous? Without a doubt, but when he attacked the chorus at the end, like Cobain does during that infamous Unplugged Concert, Mikey and I looked at each other a little gobsmacked. He opened his mouth and mustered up a screamo tour-de-force that I haven’t heard since Francois last performed ‘Angs Aanval’. No lies.

Oh but wait, the night does not end at The Nameless Pub. Not by a long shot. We were then introduced to the Eiffel Tower, which isn’t really a tower per se, but more like an artisan commune that was born out of a ‘Purple Haze’ (with a large degree of emphasis on the haze here) and comes complete a pool table, a bar, and presumably ADSL.  When all was said and done, Mikey and I regrouped at The Shack and found ourselves looking quizzically at each other wondering, what the hell just happened? And why in the hell is Somerset West so goddam far. Cue Arnold Schwarzenegger quote.

- Tecla

A rock 'n roll salute will be held tomorrow in honor of the care-free, eccentric and enchanted life of an awesome friend, musician and fellow student.

For those of you who don't know - Ruan was the drummer for the band, IbuprofenTONIGHT. A week after their first gig the H1N1 virus booked him an early spot in the afterlife! However, his spirit and passion remains here amongst his people and will be lived-out in the band through the music that he loved so much.

To the guy who could blow life into any party, this will be testimony to his legacy!

Sally, ons sal seker maak daar is genoeg brandy vir almal!
R.I.P brother!

Performances by:
IbuprofenTONIGHT(The Ruan Muller Band)
Stack Shot Jack
Flux In Motion
BaarmoederGEVOEL

This innovative collaborative series, hosted by Ian Henderson and involving thirteen of the city's top singer-songwriters, was a raging success with packed-out audiences enjoying the variety, unpredictability and spontaneity of the shows.

The artists’ musical backgrounds span acoustic pop, blues-rock, folk, R&B and world music, and the performers have brought a fresh edge to the singer-guitar-piano format. Each week, songs were turned inside-out, with the artists sharing the stage for the whole night, reinterpreting, harmonising and jamming each others’ songs, and a few really well-known covers.

A Saturday night at The Assembly recently confirmed to me the type of rewards that await the true follower of “live” music. It does entail switching off the DVD player and getting your butt off the couch on a cold winter’s evening, but once in a while, you see why it’s all worth it in the end. After a performance noteworthy for its combination of original music, blistering musicianship and overwhelming professionalism, I was lucky enough to chat to the BLK JKS for over an hour, totally charmed by their unassuming manner and devotion to their craft. Not once did these youngsters from Soweto even come close to alluding to the fact that an article about them had just appeared in the August edition of Rolling Stone (in fact it was only thank to Google the following day that I found out), who called them “Africa’s best new band”. Mark my words, the BLK JKS are bound for recognition of the best kind and continue to make us proud to be African. See http://www.rollingstone.com/ for more...