All things music.
For a relatively small and new band, Ben Dey and the Concrete Lions are very busy. Despite them being men of few words, we managed to squeeze in a quick email interview with them between tours, photo shoots, and music video releases, on the eve of Malkop Summer Rock Festival, where they can be seen this weekend.
Josh Kempen speaks with an unfamiliar accent, especially for a Jozi-born singer-songwriter. And it’s got something to do with having travelled the world, as far as I can tell. Having been nominated for a 2014 Wawela music award as “Songwriter of the year”, this guy’s obviously got something to say.
Tommy Gun isn’t a machine gun used by gangsters in old movies – he’s a DJ from Cape Town, who’ll be visiting the last Park Acoustics of 2016 – this Saturday (26 November) at the Voortrekker Monument. We caught up with him, and had a quick chat about Aqua’s Barbie Girl, afternoon DJ sets, and – wait, did I say “Barbie Girl”?
Malkop Summer Rock Festival is around the corner, and are playing host to a bunch of legendary artists, like Francois van Coke, Koos Kombuis, Mr Cat & The Jackal, and many more. You’d think that being included in a line-up that reads like the who’s who of local live music would unsettle a young band, but Slow Jack is certainly prepared.
It’s pretty hard to organise an event with an all-star lineup. For one thing, you can’t have every band be the headliner. So at this past Sunday’s OneSight Acoustics event at the Good Luck Bar, you’d have had to be there at 2pm already, if you wanted to see December Streets, BCUC, Reason, and DJ Invizable – all big headline acts. The next event, on 27 November, features Freshlyground, Josh Kempen, Bongeziwe Mabandla, and Half ‘n half, and we’re giving away a set of tickets below!
October saw the release of Aidan Martin‘s latest single Refugee, a tour-de-force rock and roll anthem perfectly fitted for tense political state of mind the world finds itself in lately.
Aidan Martin is the real deal. With a career stretching for almost a decade, Aidan has been touring, moving around and adapting. A true musical refugee in every sense of the word, never settling for what is given to him, swimming upstream from the norm for a place to call his own. Aidan Martin is one of the true few keeping rock & roll alive in South Africa.
Park Acoustics is firmly established as Pretoria’s primary, regular must-attend one-day music festival. This November, they’re putting on a special Saturday end-of-year event on the 26th, featuring the usual music and comedy stages, but also the Griet 8th Birthday Stage and Bobbejaan Street Theatre in the evening, and a Movember Silent Disco. BONUS: We’re giving away a set of tickets (see below).
It’s hard to organise a music festival. There are many obstacles in the way. But even the best-managed, with a good, experienced team behind it, fails sometimes. Unfortunately, we heard today that A Place In The Sun festival has been cancelled – for the time being, at least. Full details below…
Though tempting, it’s hard to call Academie a side-project or spin-off band. Yes, husband-and-wife duo Jean-Louise and Alex Parker have been seen in bands as diverse as Dear Reader, Fulka, and ISO in the past, but their new band has practically nothing in common with those acts. We talked with Academie in anticipation of their set at the new festival just outside of Pretoria, A Place In The Sun.
BCUC burst onto stages in the same way that their music knocked down your heart’s door. They might not be the band South Africa deserves, but they’re the band we need right now. With their debut EP Our Truth just released, and their visit to The Good Luck Bar for OneSight Acoustics this Sunday, we asked them a few questions about why taking your time is important…
