We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

My favourite nu wave band is back! We Are Scientists are unleashing Brain Thrust Mastery on the general population on the 17th March.
Picking up from In Love And Squalor, thier debut, this new album sees the band taking a turn for the more self deprecating with a deeper look than just drinking too much. Cerebral? Maybe. Shoegazing? Quite possibly. Revelling in thier issues to an infectious beat? Fuck yeah!

Lark Calls It A Day

One of my favourite South African bands - Lark - has decided to break up. This has to be the worst news I've had all week. To me they were an innovative, original and captivating band with a sound all thier own and had they decided to give it another year, would have taken the world by storm.

This was taken from thier iLike Facebook page:

Formed in 2003 by lead singer Inge Beckman and Producer/Sound Designer Paul Ressel, Lark has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and are currently recognized as one of South Africa’s best live acts. Both of their albums, “Mouth of Me” and “Razbiluto”, have further proven that they are also one of the best recording acts in the country.

But, like all good things, this unfortunately has had to come to an end. Paul Ressel has decided to move to Germany and as he performs an extremely pivotal role in the band’s operations, they have decided to call it a day. Says vocalist Inge Beckman; “The past couple of years have been quite a ride, but I look back on everything we’ve done with a sense of satisfaction and pride in being involved in such a pioneering project and having been able to have the opportunity to perform on the variety of stages that we have. We wish Paul all the best in his endeavors; it’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked with him and the rest of the band.”

Lark’s final performance in Johannesburg will be at the 88 Lounge in Norwood. Be sure to catch the band for the last time ever! The show will be filmed for posterity, so be sure not to miss out on this historical occasion.

Details:

Date: 22 February 2008
Line Up: Lark
Venue: The 88 Lounge, 88 William Rd, Norwood
Cover: R60
Time: Doors open at 20:00

RIP...

Motion City Soundtrack - It Had To Be You

A little anti-valentine video from one of my favourite rock bands. Produced in collaboration with MTVU and based on an idea sent in by a fan. It's pure eye candy!

We Are Scientists - After Hours

Kempton Unleashes Rockers...of sorts

Medium2Rare
Wynandt Marais Community Centre
26 January 2008
3pm – late
Entrance fee: R30
Boerewors rolls: R15
Spending the first sunny day in 2 weeks... indoors drinking cheap beer:Priceless
By Loony Lolly

Medium2rare is a very new and very fresh music event. Take one venue resembling your old school hall (suppression of traumatic high school memories imperative) add the displaced youth of Kempton and stir in the best in rock/alternative/metal that Kempton has to offer. The result is like watching MK89 with a bunch of stoners (minus the hysterical laughter). The MC was entertaining! (a rarity these days)
The venue is a community centre, where the old fogies can practice ballroom dancing, enjoy a quiz evening or work on their Tae Kwon Do (I kid you not). It all looked so innocent but my senses told me there was probably cheap booze inside. I was right. I didn’t expect the aliens, ICU escapee and creature from the black lagoon. (I’m not making this shit up – there were no prizes for “worst best freaky costume” that night. Well, none that actually won.)

Judging by the many lost and confused expressions, these kids don’t have much other than the ice-skating rink in Festival Mall (No, wait! There’s a Boogaloos as well!) Lighting and sound were top notch, manned by the oldest balding fan in the area. And so on the first sunny afternoon in 2 weeks, I spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon... indoors. Drinking.

Pink Prinsessie could be classified as Boere punk. The riffs are fast, the vocals are nice, the songs have a sing-along likeability to them. If only they had the stage presence and energy to go with it. The potential is there, they just need to understand that stage fright is not tolerated by a crowd.

The Guest band were looking for a lead singer and advertised this open post by lighting maybe 20 candles around a mic and playing 80’s hair metal instrumentals. As great an idea that may seem, it was entertaining for about 10 minutes. Then the music became monotonous, pieces from well-known metal songs became clear within the music and the female bassist began losing her nerve and played to the wings on her left. (Do not try this with your first band. Please.)

MK89 were involved as well, highlighting the most entertaining group of beer boeps with guitars this century, Duskant Ombliksum. There’s nothing exceptional about their music, other than the dismembering of Enrique’s ‘Hero’ into ‘Ek kan nie jou Batman wees nie’. (Highly entertaining) They play what’s familiar, sticking to a good mix of ‘good’ songs and entertaining stage performance. Yet again proving that it’s not always what you say, but how memorable you name is. It worked for Fokofpolisiekar, it’s working for them.

Bands performing that night as well:
Norwood (pretty good folky rock)// Die Maverick (good stage presence, nothing original except quote: ”Rocker chicks rock!” nuff said)// Fragmented Children (Aggro-ish thrash metal, lead singer reminds me of Pilsbury dough-man – if he sang screamed for a thrash metal group that is)//HeShaBurn // Relapse Hero

Umbrella - Vanilla Sky

Once in a while a song comes along that, when sung by the original artist sets your nerves on end and you feel the need to puncture your eardrums just to get away from it. Umbrella is such a song. Lucky for us, great pop punkers Vanilla Sky covered it and made a kick ass video to boot. Enjoy!

Boy Hits Car Gig Review - 9th Dec 2007

Yes, I know. This is nearly a month late. I humbly and profusely apologise. I've been busy.



Back to the gig...
The Underworld in Camden is one of my favourite venues to watch bands. It's a basement that smells like spilled beer, BO and vomit (formerly hidden by cigarette smoke now banned by law).
Its small enough to be intimate and large enough to hold a good crowd.

This good sized crowd filled out the club on a Sunday night to watch Californian rockers Boy Hits Car perform the second to last show of thier UK tour.
Chatting to guitarist Mike before the show, he mentioned a new album coming out in March 2008 - so keep your ears out for that.


GUITARIST - MIKE SAYS LOOK OUT FOR THE NEW ALBUM

There was also mention on red tape when they arrived in the country. Due to work permit issues (them not having any) They were deported 12 hours later only to have the permits FedEx'd to them and returning a day later. Damn red tape!!

The first three of the five bands playing aren't worth mentioning. However, the supporting band - Car Crash Television is a band worth keeping tabs on. Queen is an obvious influence as well as Bowie but if I recall correctly, they wore thier punk influences proudly.

Onto the main act...
Blown away. those are the only two words to describe it. Cregg Rondell (vocals and 12 string) blew us away with powerful, yet sensitive delivery of the songs as well as playing that 12 string acoustic and performing barefoot.

FOOT OF CREGG RONDELL

Opening with 'Going to India' then ripping through a set that included that crowd pleaser 'As I watched the sun..', 'Everything', Man without skin' to name a few.
The crowd wouldn't let them leave without an encore which they gladly obliged.

BLONDE CURLS OF CREGG RONDELL

I was invited to hang out afterwards and knock back some Jager, but the huge bouncers had other ideas, so I made my excuses and headed home, happy with the evening.
Besides, I was doing breakfast shift the next morning.