Fokof to London...

...these are words many have wanted to say for a while. And finally, you can say them with conviction! Yes, Fokofpolisiekar, the well-known Afrikaans band who bought us Hemel op die platteland and Swanesong many moons back, will be bringing these - and more - to Fokof fans in London!

But wait, there's more! Not only do you get one great Afrikaans band. If you buy your ticket now, you also get to see another high-flying Afrikaans act - Van Coke Kartel!

One month from today - Friday 27 May - is when all this mayhem will be going down at the Clapham Grand! And the next night, this bunch will be playing in Amsterdam too!

And in the spirit of all things royal, and blue blooded ahead of the royal wedding on Friday, the London event poster is somewhat fitting, with a seemingly blue-tinged queen-esque character taking centre poster spot much like a modern-day Tretchikoff postage stamp!

And all this for only 15 of them British pounds! Not a bad deal considering Steve Hofmeyr and Kurt Darren went for the £25-£30 mark each, and Jack Parow and Die Heuwels Fantasties (combo) at £20 at London events past! This is a bargain at 15 bucks, two awesome bands in one!

And if you're not familiar with these bands, or you think Afrikaans music is not your idea of a night out... Well, for the Fokof and VCK stage show alone you can be guaranteed a performance and party worth being part of! 

Plus nearly 74,000 Facebook fans don't lie. Fokof have quite the following! 30,000 fans behind Fokof, VCK have close to 44,000! Not bad for some local Afrikaans music huh! With a cross-over of musicians in both bands, its fair to say if you like one, you'll love the other (Francois van Coke and Wynand Myburgh are in both!)...

And with many awards in their bulging pockets between then, and a recent SAMA nomination for VCK for their latest album, Skop, Skiet and Donner, for the Best Rock Album: Afrikaans - you can't fight the facts any longer!

Go on, put the 27 May in your diary. Or add a few stars and hearts around it if you've already written it down! And since its just gone payday, why not buy the ticket now too. Go on, dooooo it!

Rock on rocking SA combo gigs in London,
x

A trend that I am liking...

I am noticing a trend. And I like it. I noticed a little something recently, like finding well hidden Easter eggs, there they are... musical influences worth noticing. The lists from a band of who their musical inspirations are. And not from just one source, but from two, well in fact three if I count a cover song as an indicator in my trend theory! 

I'm talking about the South African bands who are quoting other South African bands as their musical influences. Hoorah! Our industry is at that stage, where people are being inspired by 'made in SA' talent! And more so, that they are stating this 'proudly SA' association too!

Now Johnny Clegg is one such SA band who has been mentioned a good few times, his world music style has earned a reputation in a category all of its own that inspires other SA bands!

But I am most excited about the young up and coming bands who are looking to other young SA bands for inspiration!

On Top Billing last week, The Graeme Watkins Project  (the band formed from the runner up from Idols 5) featured the making of their latest video which includes Madame Zingara's gorgeous circus-style cabaret and an array of quirky costumed characters (a glimpse on the right)! Graeme cited The Springbok Nude Girls and Boo! as influences, as well as The Killers, much more akin to their sound I thought, but it made my ears prick up none the less.

Then there was the Henry Ate cover of Just I mentioned from a gig last week when Franki Black did her version of it, thus reliving its legacy. And a legacy it does have. It was voted 5FM's song of all time in 2001, or something like that. I forget the exact award, but the stuff legacies and influences are all about - music that makes an impact!

And most recently, while browsing the female-fronted, London-based, SA band Neon Choir's recently refreshed and sparkly Facebook page, they list fellow SA band aKing as one of their influences, alongside K's Choice, Radiohead and Elbow! And today they find themselves playing their first show of the season, a Sunday tsunami relief gig for Japan, in Camden at The Enterprise.

Rock on the self-inspiring circles of SA music,
x

What would you do if it's all gone...

...asks singer songwriter Roland Albertson in his earth-conscious track, White Wednesday - a plea to imagine the world without flourishing landscapes and an unpolluted sea, forever damaged by the effects of global warming and over-population.

White Wednesday has been doing exceedingly well on the online listener-voted chart of theSixtyOne.com in the last week, subconsciously providing the soundtrack for a global consciousness and awareness in line with Earth Day today!

Roland wrote White Wednesday on a snowy Tuesday night during a London winter, saying "I want people to imagine how they would feel 30 years down the line when the effects of global warming have forever ruined the beautiful views we take for granted. Would you change things you do now to make sure that epic scenery is around to enjoy in your old age and for others beyond?

And as the lyrics express "Mountains (glaciers) melt to rivers. Forests turn to sand, before our very eyes". Its a direct result of our actions and yet we fail to recognise the fact that we'll really regret it once it's too late! Roland's song imbues the essence of Earth Day, the importance of being aware!

As for theSixtyOne chart success, Roland is proud to say, "I held the number one spot on their 'hot' chart for two days, which is unusual with this kind of real-time chart listing. The response from the listeners was incredible, with over 1,200 hearts (the way to rate songs) in just 48 hours!"

All this hot heart action means that Roland is currently 9th on the monthly chart, so he stands a good chance of topping that chart too. Check out what its all about on theSixtyOne.com

Happy Earth Day - may we all do our bit!

Rock on music making you think, and care, about our planet,
x

We're similar like that...

It was 2008 when we met. At the Music Exchange Conference in Cape Town. Plus I was at the Alma Cafe in Rosebank last night, and so was she. And I watched Franki Black perform a few hits, so did she. 

Shannon Hope and I, we're similar like that you see! We have things in common. 

Ok, so none of these things essentially mean anything other than we were in the same place at the same time when we met, and again last night... at her gig. Support act Franki Black opened with a few highly entertaining country-style songs. I liked very much. Not many SA artists explore the country genre. She also did a Henry Ate cover of 'Just', that made me happy.

And it made me think how more SA bands should do covers of other SA bands...

Next up, the singer songwriter we'd all come to see. Seated in the cosy home-style vibe of Alma Cafe in Rosebank, Durban-based Shannon Hope took to the stage with her keyboard, her traveling companion on the long journeys down the N2 from Durban to Cape Town, stopping along the route to share the Shannon Hope sound. It was her farewell Cape Town gig last night, for this month-long tour at least!

She told stories. She really, really sung her heart out. She poured her passion into the songs and the way she played. And she blew us away. With a sparkle in her eye beneath her red and black bit of fringe and hints of humour interspersed between tracks, she charmed the audience with her normalness and niceness (sic!), and yet she overly impressed with her talent (to the point of pure audience silence)!

She shared with us how she quit her corporate job two years ago in order to give her all to her passion of music. Shannon and I, we're similar like that... I too quit my corporate gig in order to give my media and love of SA music passion a run for its money!

She sung a song which must be called 'Just believe' which was like a self-talk soliloquy: "Take every chance you can possibly take, chase every dream you have ever believed in and treat every moment as if its your last. Just believe!" Sounds like something I'd say to myself.

She told of another song that she wrote at work one day, made up of a collection of her friend's Facebook statuses. She called it The Waiting Room. I too have written a short story once entitled The Waiting Room. Shannon and I, we're similar like that!

Shannon sings and plays amazing piano. A mix between Tori Amos and Ani Difranco. Me, I adore female vocalists and piano is one of my most emotively moving instruments!

She tells stories through her songs. I share stories in my articles.

Ok, so Shannon is one super talented musician, and I am a fan of the sound, passion and output she shares in the form of stories and song, and I get to write about what she does. She is quirky and honest and realistic! And it makes her personable. It makes you feel like you know her like a friend!

And then she hints at her second album, due out in winter. (Another reason besides feather duvets and hot chocolate, to look forward to the colder months ahead!) She sung one of the tracks, 'Fighting a new day':

"Of all the things I've lost along the way, I've missed my heart the most.
I've come out fighting, to fight a new day.
There's one thing I regret, the time wasted on you.
Pretending that I'm ok.
Forgetting what I was before.
And getting up to fight another day.
But I've come out fighting..."

I relate. In fact, is it plagiarism if someone steals your thoughts word for word?

Everyone should aim to catch an intimate Shannon Hope show at somewhere like the Alma Cafe. Up close and personal. Just like her songs. Just like Shannon.

Rock on Shannon Hope, road trips and being quirky and real at the same time,
x

What next for What Now...

Back in November 2010, we marvelled at the glossy exposure of being in the pages of Kerrang for SA London-based band, What Now! And with interest we wondered, what next...?

Well What Now, how about a little tour of the UK then? 

And so it is that What Now, the boys from the Dolphin Coast in SA, will be touring the UK in May! Kicking off their first official UK tour, they play the O2 Academy in Islington in London on Worker's Day, 1 May - showing their commitment to the cause - followed by these UK dates:

• Tue 3 May: Hatfield
• Thu 5 May: Bournemouth
• Fri 6 May: Southampton
• Sat 7 May: Stoke-on-Trent
• Mon 9 May: Sheffield
• Tue 10 May: Newcastle

Check out their website and Facebook for full details and to join the 2,884 fan following!

What Now have a guitarist who looks much like SA's version of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz (and who's Twitter and Facebook name is Ryan 'Eyelinerboy' Morris), plus a long-haired drummer who makes full use of his mane, these boys have quite the rockstar air about them! And if you're not quite sure who they are or why you should make the effort to get down to a gig, check out this fabulous video for  Toy Soldiers, their title track from the Take Control EP.



And then, a little marketing gimmick that I love. Not only is their beautiful album available online for £5, but you can in fact choose which album cover you want, and which bonus track you feel you need!

                                   Option 1:                                          Option 2:

                                                     Option 3 (2-in-1):

Rock on whatever comes next from What Now,
x

Hot water, shallow water, music is life...

Music was the perfect way to weave together the four sessions of inspiring talks at the TEDxCapeTown event on Saturday 16 April. Music sets the mood, connects people and creates emotion. Music is indeed an idea worth spreading...

The background track on Saturday morning at the start of the conference was none other than Mann Friday, a band I know well, and love.  I was thrilled to hear that the someone in charge of the day's musical soundtrack clearly felt the same!

Three breaks between sessions saw three local bands bring their blends to the branded stage. First up was Hot Water (left), a Paul Simon sounding vocalist with an interesting selection of band member outfits and instruments. From lead singer Donovan's Caltex tin guitar to some circular black steel drum creations, Hot Water were fabulous. Now on their third album, concisely titled 'South', these guys are no strangers to overseas performances - and its no surprise. Tight, entertaining and distinctly African. Impressed I was!

Lunchtime was a cacophony of curried veggies and rice to a myriad of sounds from the Nomadic Orchestra. Very enjoyable as background sound, though I was deep in conversation about social entrepreneurship with an American uni student who was in Cape Town on an exchange programme, interning in an NGO and adding to our country's advancement. Music to my ears! Melinda Griffiths, the music director for the day says that these guys were her best act so it was with frustration that I hadn't given half an ear to their show! I'm sure they'll be moving around these parts soon!

Then there were The Bone Collectors - a rather oddball and entertaining bunch dressed in black and white - with the tall dude playing on some uniquely devised instrument, an open metal chest to be exact. It worked wonderfully, an idea worth spreading indeed!

This makes me think back to Roland Albertson who performed at a beach clean up a few weeks back in Cape Town. Once rubbish had been collected, they created some shakers from the litter that had been picked up. And so the local kids could join in with his acoustic performance, along with a friend of Roland's who played a piece of pipe like a flute!

Ideas worth spreading - music can be made from anything!

A surprise guest during the day's TED-like talks on topics of inspirational or informative matter, was Ard Matthews who aptly played Just Jinjer's first hit, Shallow Waters. This was very much in line with the theme of TEDxCapeTown, of 'Be water my friend', a theme which was presented on literally and figuratively! Ard was delightful and endearing, and his second acoustic offering upped the already thought-provoking air of the day as he sang Redemption Song with its anthemic chorus 'Peace, hope, more tolerance...'

Three gigs, and one special guest appearance all in one day! Wow, like a mini festival, but with so much more in the form of awesome talks on all sorts. Find out more, and watch some of the talks online at www.TEDxCapeTown.org

If only we could say that much like the human body, and the planet, being made up of 70% water - that our local radio stations were made up of 70% local music. Support local music! Music is life!

Rock on SA music flowing like water,

x

(Many thanks to Paul Ward for the photos!)

Ideas (and music) worth spreading...

In the spirit of 'ideas worth spreading', the tagline of the world famous TED talks, TEDx is a local, self-organised event to bring people together to share a TED-like experience. And this weekend, TEDxCapeTown will be taking place for the first time, a one day inspirational event themed 'Be water my friend'!

And in the spirit of water and flow, what would a day of inspirational talks be without music!

I am thrilled to know that the organisers of TEDxCapeTown have chosen two local Cape Town bands to entertain the crowds with their fluid creations in between the multitude of presentations.

First up is an aptly aligned band, Hot Water, who are in fact so popular tomorrow that they are playing not one, not two, but three gigs in one day! And all on opposite ends of the peninsula. Starting in Ratanga tomorrow morning for the TEDx event, they are then off to sow some excitement seeds at a mid year gig entitled Sowing the Seeds, six months ahead of Rocking the Daisies, getting all daisy goers in the mood on the other side of the peninsula in Scarborough! Hot Water will then make their way back to town for a gig with Jack Mantis band on Saturday night!

Also playing at TEDxCapeTown are The Bone Collectors, a band with possibly the tallest musician I have ever had the pleasure of having a fully upright conversation with! I have not much to say of the music as I missed their set at Synergy, so I look forward to seeing them live soon!

Oh, and I can't wait for the talks too - I'm curious to see the insights,  info and inspiration that will be packaged and presented with love... 

Click to find out more about TEDxCapeTown at Ratanga Junction on 16 April

And in the spirit of ideas worth sharing, I leave you with this simple message - showing how the impact and power of words (and a little bit of inspiration and love) can make a profound difference...

Rock on music (and ideas) worth spreading,

x

Look who made the list...

I always find this a fun litmus test for how much of the industry I actually know! From my love of rock and singer songwriters in South Africa - the SAMA nominations always remind me just how much more there is out there in our rainbow nation! From Maskandi to Venda, Afrikaans to jazz, gospel and Kwaito - oh, and not forgetting the overwhelming following of dance music in SA!

Here are a selection of SAMA categories and nominations that got me excited and crossing digits and congratulating artists (with little stars to show extra love):

Album of the year

Flash Republic – Killer Moves *

Liquideep – Fabrics Of The Heart *

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde *

Professor – University Of Kalawa Jazmee

Zakes Bantwini – Love, Light & Music

Duo/Group of the year

Flash Republic – Killer Moves *

Kwela Tebza – Gauteng Made In South Africa/Mzansi

Liquideep – Fabrics Of The Heart *

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde *

Tumi & The Volume – Pick a Dream *

Best Music Video of the year
Freshlyground – Chicken To Change *

Nomfusi – Nontsokolo

Teargas – Goodfellaz

The Parlotones – The Stars Fall Down *

The Parlotones – Life Design

Best Rock Album: English
John Ellis – My Own Way Home

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde

The Narrow – You Don’t Get To Quit *

The Parlotones – Live Design

Zebra & Giraffe – The Inside *

Best Pop Album: English
Danny K – Across The Line

Jax Panik – I Am Jax Panik *

Locnville – Sun In My Pocket

Louise Day – Swallowed By The City 

The Arrows – Make Believe *

Record of the year (the only category voted for by the public - my thoughts below!)

Alone – Liquideep

Breathing – Prime Circle Good song, but not a winner in this category.

Bum Bum – Zakes Bantwini

Dreamer – Arno Carstens * 

Fire Is Low – Freshlyground

Get Busy Living – Goldfish

Hobie Beach – Kinky Robot

Imoto – Professor

It's A Party – Jozi

Lovesick – The Arrows * It's stuck in my head and I don't mind

Love You Better (w/ Rue-Groove) – Crazy White Boy * Addictive. Like.

Mama (w/ Ringo) – Black Coffee

Ngisemthanda (w/ Joocy, DJ Tira & Dr Duda) – DJ CNDO

Potoko (w/ Juice Matute) – DJ Mahoota

Show Dem (w/ HHP) – JR I'm sure this was on the same list last year!?

Turn Up The Volume – Auriol Hays

Twisted – Crash Car Burn * Impressed every time I hear it on radio!

Warrior – Louise Carver Great track, great collaboration!

Woza – Jaziel Brothers

Wrong For You – Loyiso


Click here for the full list of 2011 SAMA nominations.

Almost as good as live music for me, is the chance to buy a really good SA music DVD - something which not many artists in this country have done well yet - so some other nominations I'm excited for include Nibs van der Spuy's amazing 'Live at the Vagabond Cafe' DVD  for 'Best Jazz/ Instrumental/ Popular Classical DVD' and both Locnville and The Parlotones in 'Best Global Chart DVD'!

Coming up tops as SA artists who have been abroad a fair bit with most nominations from a quick glance, we have Prime Circle leading with 6 (ahead of Parlotones with 4), Liquideep with 5 and then a few more with 4, namely Flash Republic, Freshlyground, Zakes Bantwini (must google), Professor (need to find out more about this Durban Kwaito artist), Louise Carver and Goldfish, followed by Locnville with 3 - and a couple of nods for Karen Zoid, Nianell, the Arrows, Jax Panik and Loyiso Bala too!

Rock on to all those celebrating the night away at the SAMA nomination party,

x

Who will be on the list...

The day is here, the SAMA announcement party is tonight and soon the lists will be revealed. That's the 17th annual South African Music Awards in case you were wondering. The little statues of bling that inspire many a musician to sing!

Plus for a twist in the SAMA story... the venue has been moved! Sun City is no longer host to the Grammy-esque affair of musicians and SA glitterati... this year it will be at Montecasino in May!

I can't wait to scour the list and see if it stacks up to all the talent coming out of SA! Who do you think should definitely be on the list?

Rock on talent recognition,
x

Goldfish in a garage bowl...

Swimming into a garage near you soon, Goldfish will be in London at the end of April for one beatetrific output of sound at a venue in Islington! They've moved it from Alexandra Palace, and brought it closer in to more accessible London.

What: Goldfish live in London

When: 30 April 2011

Where: The Garage, Islington

Tickets: £20

Click here to check out the interior of The Garage in this 360 degree view

Rock on Goldfish,
x

Homecoming couch night...

It might seem an odd way to spend the first night I am back in Cape Town. For good. But since I have no time pressures, I figured chilled catch up time with the parents was a good choice. Followed by TV. Good old SABC viewing pleasure.

And I was not disappointed, what with Top Billing now moved to a Tuesday night, as well as a few snippets of SA bands scattered between programmes and across channels. And the magazine lifestyle programme of Top Billing featured not one, but two SA bands this week. Bonus. They must have known I was coming home!

First up was Tamara Dey in a photo shoot in the uber trendy Arts-on-Main in Joburg. She is one part of dance group Flash Republic who released a new album a couple of weeks ago.
Previously made up of Tamara and two well-known SA DJs (Craig Massiv and Ryan Dent), they have since added a drummer and a guitarist to this new album.

There was also a feature on Cape Town's all girl group, La Vuvuzela, with their World Cup friendly name - and plans to officially support the Springbok Supporters Club this year for the Rugby World Cup, including performing in New Zealand! Nice!

And then, as a cool music sandwich, where Top Billing and Afro Cafe would be the fresh home-baked bread, I discovered a fab filler between the two time slots... a seemingly debut episode of SABC 3 series called Cashmere Mafia...

Think Sex & the City for the 21st century girl (well, not Lipstick Jungle, but close). Four New York career women - with ex-Ally McBeal star Lucy Lui as well as two married girls in the group, and one girl currently exploring her sexual desires, all adding up to a fab little foursome of high-flying career women set to lead high-flying lives in the big city. And despite their ambition and top notch jobs, they do seem to lead fairly balanced, calm lives. But this is TV land afterall. Time will tell how real the characters reveal themselves to be, or if it is just more good escapist TV. Tuesday nights, me and the couch will be hanging out more!

Following this I watched Afro Cafe, horizontal on the couch, as Claire Johnson and her husband and band member, John, sat upright on their interview couch. They chatted bout the 13 year gap since they last had all their fame and acclaim, and now with latest album, Bang the drum, they performed a few new tracks. Claire was decked out with a decent dose of leopard print and it was only when they showed videos from back in the day that one realised just how many hits Mango Groove had which still reverberate in one's dusty storage systems upstairs!

So all in all for a first night back in Cape Town, I was fairly pleased to see three SA artists on my telly within a few hours!

Rock on Tuesday TV couch night in SA,
x