As a South African, it is with enormous pride and satisfaction that I announce that the South African Music scene is slowly growing in popularity – to the point where it is beginning to spread across our borders. This is an achievement previously only accomplished in staggered intervals over the last twenty years by the likes of Just Jinjer (a contemporary rock band, formed in 1996), The Parlortones (a rock band, based in Johannesburg, formed in 1998) and Johnny Clegg (an acoustic guitarist and singer).
However, in the last five years, several hugely talented musicians and bands have surfaced and slowly risen to national fame. Now, with a strong following of several thousand behind them, they are beginning to venture abroad.
Jeremy Loops
One such example is that of Jeremy Loops. An indie-folk musician, hailing from Cape Town. He built his musical career from the ground up as a one-man-band, armed with about six instruments and a loop pedal. His upbeat tunes and unique style gained swift attention and grew in steady popularity to deposit him where he is today: with a strong fan base of 56k Facebook fans and an incredible new album out, “Trading Change”, which can be bought on iTunes here or you can listen to him on Soundcloud here.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/163001343″]
Due to this well earned reputation, Jeremy will be heading over to Britain and the USA in the coming months. If you happen to be in one of the following areas, do consider giving him a listen. You most certainly won’t regret it.
London Tour
Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen:
9 February 2015
10 February 2015
Tickets available at: www.bit.ly/londonloops
USA Rebelution Winter Green’s Tour (w/ special guests Gondwana and Jeremy Loops:
2/26/15 – Park City, UT
2/27/15 – Boise, ID
2/28/15 – Spokane, WA
3/1/15 – Vancouver, BC (Canada)
3/4/15 – Bend, OR
3/5/15 – Portland, OR
3/6/15 – Portland, OR
3/7/15 – Arcata, CA
3/8/15 – Chico, CA
3/11/15 – Santa Cruz, CA
3/12/15 – Santa Cruz, CA
3/13/15 – Hollywood, CA
3/14/15 – Hollywood, CA
Tickets available at: http://www.rebelutionmusic.com/
You can find out more about him at www.jeremyloops.com
Matthew Mole
Matthew Mole is perhaps also what you would call a one-man-band. Accompanied by a guitar, banjo, ukulele and a kick drum, this humble yet incredibly talented musician, who hails from Johannesburg, is soaring to massive heights. On a Sunday morning, amidst the mass evacuation of exhausted party-goers, at South Africa’s biggest music festival, Rocking the Daisies, he succeeded in raking in a crowd of close to 9000 – of which I was proudly among.
Matthew Mole has risen to prominence in the last three years, with his indie-folk ballads made upbeat by the flawless integration of a kick drum, laced with the country twang of the banjo. He now has a highly successful studio album behind him, The Home We Built, now available on iTunes.
International interest is growing rapidly around Matthew Mole and with a sold-out show at Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town, behind him, I am of the confident mind that he will be making his way to Europe and the USA in no time.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/8102990″]
In the meantime, you can visit his soundcloud or buy his album here in order to acquaint your ears with his sweet sounds.
Al Bairre
South Africa’s live music scene is, at present, largely dominated by indie rock bands. While there are about seven such bands, striving for recognition within our borders, there are two who I am particularly partial to.
Al Bairre is a Cape Town based band, consisting of five students between the ages of 22 and 26. They describe their music as an “ice-cream of orchestral sound” due to the fact that they include cello, violin and ukulele in among the standard guitar, drum and keyboard. They also have the particularly interesting advantage of having a pair of identical twins in their midst. I have been dubbed a true groupie, having attended 5 of their gigs in the last 18 months, owning their original band t-shirt as well as their EP and (temporarily) their temporary tattoo.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/149473153″]
Their music is lively and wildly danceable, while still containing intricate acoustic riffs. Their live performances are immensely entertaining. All five of them have great stage presence and maintain a wonderful interaction with the audience. This, I feel, is hugely important in a band.
They are fast gaining international popularity. Their best known song, “We Move On” has been featured in several commercials, and they played at Vodacom In The City 2013, where they opened for the three headlining acts: Alt-J, Skunk Anansie and The Hives.
While there are no plans to head overseas at present either, you can be sure they will be gracing your shores soon enough. You can download their tracks – for free! – here on soundcloud.
Shortstraw
Last, but not least, is another Indie-rock band: Shortstraw. A five-piece band, who too hail from the mother city – that’s Cape Town, for all you non South Africans. While their music veers more in the direction of the rock spectrum, it contains certain undercurrents that make it uniquely indie.
Like Al Bairre, they are an extremely enjoyable band to watch live – have had the pleasure of attending 3 of their gigs so far. They are very entertaining and their bizarre lyrics will either have you in stitches or in hours of perplexed contemplation.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/187841200″]
They have just released their new studio album, “Youthless”. In honour of the release, the band is going to be touring the country in order to promote the album. They even have a gig pencilled in for Kirstenbosch Gardens: the concert-in-the-park venue where the likes of Passenger, Ben Howard and Bastille have – or are soon to be – performing. You can also listen to them on soundcloud.
So as you can see, we have several exceptionally talented musicians in our midst. And – like all underground musicians – they are simply trying to spread their music to the rest of the world. So this is me, doing my bit.
Words by Skye