Jelly and Custard with Mr Thompson – 20th April, The Jolly Roger

Photographed by Leon van Eeden

With a name like Grassy Spark, drenched in intended pun and irony, it was not surprising that this band attracted so much attention in the southern suburbs. This was the band’s first gig yet it was evident that they had brought most of the crowd to the Jolly Roger on this Friday night. Considering the fact that Yunick (7^th Son) and Josh (Wings of Aggression) were rocking on guitars and vocals it was a sealed deal that this would be a gig worth the while. Pumping bass lines, topped off with a brass section and synth keys Grassy Spark had the crowd on their feet and jumping to the Ska beats, gracing us with the familiar sounds of bands like Sublime. A pretty damn successful first gig, this band is worth keeping an eye out for.

Photographed by Leon van Eeden

Anton Syndrome known for their unique “afrock” sound took the tiny stage next. The new addition on vocals called for new material and very little of the old favourites, which was a tad bit disappointing to the fans, thus a new sound for Anton Syndrome, moving away from the grunge element that the previous vocalist, Mat, brought to the band. While it was not Anton Syndrome at their best who knows what this new venture and experimentation of sound might bring.

Photographed by Leon van Eeden

Finally Fingers In The Sky took the stage. The most unfortunate thing about playing a midnight slot is that people don’t stick around and often miss the best unknown acts; however this did not stop FITS from ending the show with a bang. A unique blend of harmonica based sounds and epic song writing, FITS paints a story with each song, taking you on a journey filled with lesbian vampires and dodgy characters like “Mr Thompson”. They started the set in good ol’ FITS fashion with the familiar “Jelly and Custard”, Andriques’ sing-scream vocals grabbing the attention of those who’d never been to a FITS gig before. Despite the minor technical difficulties, FITS had us all dancing and singing along. They ended their set on a high with “Spit and Run”, featuring the bassist Leigh on vocals and vocalist Andriques on bass. A night filled with good music and awesome vibes; these bands will definitely make it worth your while to check them out.

Antonio’s Bday Bash – The Ultimate Gandalf’s Experience

Each year, around the end of April Gandalf’s plays host to one of the biggest birthday bashes in Obs. This past weekend (27th – 28th April) one of Cape Town’s respected organisers, Gandalf’s manager Antonio, dedicated to supporting young local bands and all things alternative, turned 40. Every year this mini festival becomes an opportunity for all these undeniably insane bunch of music lovers and epic party animals to get utterly and completely trashed. Eight bands, ridiculously cheap (and sometimes free) alcohol, free tattoo vouchers, two floors, three bars – what more could you want on the main night of the 3 day party?

It’s 20h30, doors opened at 7 and the place is slowly filling up. I felt a bit bad for the band that had just gotten off stage and had literally played to the bartender and a few members of one of the other bands. I barely got there and already I was being greeted by old friends and familiar faces. Antonio’s birthday has become an event that one had to attend or you’d be the sour prissy sulking while everyone else raves about that “epic” moment when that “epic” thing happened to *insert friend’s name here* on that “epic” night that was the birthday bash. So it was guaranteed that the place would be packed and that most of the party goers would go through the ultimate Gandalf’s/ROAR experience of having to stumble down the staircase in the early hours of the morning wondering how it was possible that their legs still knew how to walk or that their head was still attached to their body.

ROAR was filled with so much to do that it was difficult to devote one’s attention solely to the bands, however, as Arc Reactor started their set I could not help but tear myself away from the conversation I was having, to watch them. While the vocalist is not even worth mentioning the rest of the band is pretty fucking amazing, Mr Crazy Finger the bass god himself made up for the lack of awesomeness on the part of the vocalist but even so there only so much you could take before found yourself distracted by something else.
Arc Reactor was followed by When Karma Sleeps, having heard so many good things about this band I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when I’d finally heard them. Don’t get me wrong, the band is tight, the music is decent and vocalist Meg can definitely sing, but everything about them seemed so manufactured, like one giant cliché. They’re a band made for the masses and while there isn’t anything wrong with that there is nothing that sets them apart of all the other bands that play the exact same music and whose success is normally something that is short lived, and replaced by a newer, fresher band of the same kind. However, this is just my opinion on the genre of music and I in no way intended to discredit the band who put on a pretty good performence.

The vibes were good and everyone was enjoying themselves but eventually the night had to end. After head banging and being bashed in the face while moshing to The Impalement Theory, it was time for me to chill with the buds before we embarked on the journey down the stairs to get everyone together so we could go home. Once again the annual birthday bash lived up to the standard it had set for itself. So Antonio… When’s the next fest?

Student Night with Verona Walls (17th March)

I found myself in Observatory, once again, while this seems to be happening way too often, ROAR is one of the only places that showcases undiscovered or unknown bands. I was told to drop whatever plans I had made because apparently this was a gig I did not want to miss. Entry was 30 bucks, booze was cheap, it was inevitable that Gandalf’s would be filled to its capacity with the resident ‘scene’ kids who partied to everything from 80’s rock ‘n roll to Rihanna and would probably never make the journey up the stairs to check out the live acts. However, upstairs hosted a surprisingly wide variety of society’s usual misfits, dressed in black, covered in tattoos and proudly sporting face metal, your goths, emos, metal heads, chicks in insane heels and leopard print, if it’s weird and alternative it was most likely to be found in this dodgy Lord of the Rings themed venue.

As Barrecode took the stage I couldn’t help but find it kind of sweet that there was a bunch of middle aged men all old enough to be my dad rocking it out on stage. There was no shadow of a doubt that these guys were  brilliant musicians and that they knew what they were doing, however, they should probably pass the torch on and leave playing ‘rock star’ to the younger generation. No one really wants to watch middle aged men going through a midlife crisis. Naturally the music was pretty old school; from 80’s hair metal guitar solos to grungy Kurt Cobain influenced vocals. The entire concept was way too cliché, but the band was enjoying themselves and the crowd respected them for their effort.

The band that followed them was of new blood, All Guns Full Ammo (the name says it all) stepped on stage guns a blazing, bombs ticking and ready to explode. Crazy guitar riffs, and amazing drumming that was much heavier in comparison to the progressive stuff drummer Rob would later play with Black Moscow. The volcalist’s energetic presence and bluesy, rock n roll influenced vocals, along with the metal foundation laid down by the rest of the band made for an interesting sound that was difficult to ignore. It was not too heavy, and yet by no means too “sissy” to be discredited as a metal band.

Verona Walls (Photographer Unknown)

Finally it was time for the headlining band to take the stage. As Verona Walls stepped on stage and started playing (without their vocalist) some insane looking dude started dance behind me, waving his arms around like a giant bird, it was only when the song started to progress and this guy jumped on stage, grabbing the microphone that I realised he was in fact the vocalist; a strange way to start a set but interesting enough to get the crowd’s full attention. From mooning the crowd, to ripping his underpants while still wearing it, clapping his hands like a baby seal and doing random impressions of peculiar characters, vocalist Marco shows signs of what may just be the beginning of a multiple personality disorder. Yet despite the Tom Foolery on his part, the music itself is extremely intellectual. The way in which the band weaves together the melodies and the rhythms, giving the audience an out of this world performance and experience exceeds the boundaries of all your expectations. This is music in the true sense, not to be heard but to be felt and experienced. A lot like the way in which local bands Isochronous and Lark seem to almost entrance their audience so does Verona Walls by capturing the audience and allowing them to experience the music a way in which most bands don’t.

Black Moscow had both the honour and the burden of having to play after Verona Walls, however, they managed to keep up with the standard that was set. One would never have never guessed that it was guitarist Marc’s third gig of the night nor drummer Rob’s second set at ROAR (All Guns Full Ammo being the first). There was a huge difference in their sound since the last time I saw them at Rock the River. Their new material was a lot mellower compared to their older stuff, however, I was extremely impressed by vocalist Xavier who was finally using his unique vocal style to its full potential. As the set neared its close they played the song I’d been waiting for all night, Holon. Quite confident that I knew this one inside out, I prepared myself for some neck breaking, nose bashing head banging only to find myself lost in the changes they’d made to the song, forcing me to stand back and actually take a good listen and a song I already thought was quite brilliant was made better. While all of these changes in their existing set and the addition of new material seem for the better, I hope the band doesn’t end up over thinking the music.

The Impalement Theory

Music should keep you on the edge of your seat, if it were too predictable a band like The Impalement Theory would find it difficult to hold a crowd’s attention. This band thrives on being different! They have a ‘beard’ as the drummer (Josh Haller), a ginger on lead guitar (Dylan Kron), a girl on rhythm guitar (Jen Jaffe), a “midget” on vocals (Paulie Rahilly), and an ‘invisi’-beard-weirdo on bass (JP Monroe). When asked what their music sounds like JP simply said, “TIT” and explained that they’re all influenced by different genres rather than particular artists. “I’ve never actually heard a band that sounds like us,” says Jen. “Every one of our songs can be classified as different [genres].”

One of their songs called “Township Jives” fuses the typical kwaaito beat with metal and you find yourself trying to jive and head bang at the same time. (Not wise, doesn’t work, it is impossible. Trust me.) According to Jen, the song is simply the result of messing around with the idea of ‘kwaaitocore’ and was originally play as an intro at gigs. It was ultimately based on the crowd’s response to it that they decided to develop it into a full length song.  While all of them are influenced by different bands and genres there is however evidence that there are deathcore and grindcore influences within their music, with emphasis on Paulie’s pig squeal and guttural dominated vocals. Being face with the dilemma of the metal scene being overpopulated by bands that sound rather generic, TIT has managed to create a sound that is both unique and enjoyable. For TIT it is all about the love for music as oppose to showing off their skills.

“We don’t really wanna be the fastest, we don’t wanna be the most technical, we just wanna make people fucking groove.”

And make people groove is what they do once they step on stage. Their overly energetic stage presence is what draws the crowd and it becomes impossible to just stand and watch this band live; it is crucial to engage with the head banging masses in order to truly experience TIT live. The crowd becomes one big head banging monster, gobbling up the energy that the band radiates. For a metal band that has barely been on the scene for two years TIT has quite a fan base. I’ve witnessed this band fill up a venue and get moshpits going full force. One can be sure to spot the usual groupies at their gigs, normally chicks with huge boobs sporting t-shirts with TIT written across their chests.

Besides the cross genre influences and odd individuals, TIT has one more thing that no other band in the metal scene has to their advantage; they have the presence of an actual pair of tits as part of the band, belonging to the Jen and her “invisi-balls” on rhythm guitar. Jen is the only female guitarist in the Cape Town metal scene and quite frankly a pretty good one. Being the only chick in the band, she seems to demand a huge amount of respect from her fellow band members who tend to turn to her when guidance is needed in terms of sorting shit out. “I’ve got them all by the balls…” she laughs. “They’re the lost boys and I’m like… Wendy.” “We fear Jen,” JP adds jokingly.

While the band does have an EP recorded it is not widely accessible, however, there are a few tracks floating between the fans via mobile network. Amongst the band members there is talk of recording a full length album but nothing has been placed into action yet. TIT is still young, extremely passionate about music and they seem to have their heads screwed on tightly in terms of balancing the fun and the business. “We always have the best of times; it’s not just like a business band, we’ve created like this family.”

While they have a lot of growing to do within the scene but their determination, drive and love for music makes them a band worth keeping track of. “We’re all different people just rolled in the same sauce”, were the last words they left me with. Take that whichever way you like as long as you prepare yourself to be “Torn Apart by Bears” once you experience The Impalement Theory!

30 From Ace and Friends

The Jolly Roger is known for its chilled vibes and Saturday the 10^th of March hosted 30 From Ace and The First Descent who started off the nights proceeding. Having seen this band before upstairs at Mercury I was a bit disappointed. The sound at The Jolly Roger did neither them nor the sound engineer any justice. The band performed well however, by their third song I found myself becoming disinterested and bored. They seemed too comfortable within the genre of Power Rock and bands like Creed and Live kept coming to mind. While the genre is enjoyable it can become rather monotonous especially when the band decides to do predictable covers like Creed’s “Higher”. This also has a lot to do with vocalist Evan, who pulls off the Power Rock vocals extremely well but once again stays in the “safe” zone and soon enough the vocals in every song tend to start sounding the same. Towards the end of their set the band managed to win my attention back with a Pendulum cover that had the entire crowd dancing. Their encore song’s heavier elements made it stand apart from the rest of their set, convincing me that they are a band worth keeping an eye on.

30 From Ace demands your attention as they step on stage, long hair and fro-combs, they cannot be ignored. The band combines Vinnie’s mellow acoustic rhythm with Len’s melodic leads resulting in a Pop Rock sound with a tiny little 80’s edge. Vocalist Daniel’s charistmatic stage presence reminds one of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. The collective influence of artists like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Snow Patrol and Jimi Hendrix is extremely evident, they even have a Jimi look alike. They ended their set with guitarist Vinnie taking over vocals and pulling it off pretty well. Over all, a really catchy and tight set, both bands put on a good show.