5+ South African bands you may (or may not) have heard

South Africa has a wealth of musical tal­ent, span­ning every genre ima­gin­able. One can go out almost every night of the week and have a unique musical exper­i­ence. Having been act­ively involved in the South African music industry for sev­eral years, I have come across a vast num­ber of bands and solo musi­cians, both estab­lished and inde­pend­ant, that have caused my ears to prick up and listen closer. I thought I’d share some of my dis­cov­er­ies with you, both new, recent dis­cov­er­ies, and sev­eral with a few years of gig­ging, late nights and end­less parties under their belts. Look out world, South Africa’s got talent…in bucketloads!

Reverend Wright and the Mystery Train Gamblers

A rel­at­ively new Pretoria-​​based rocka­billy out­fit, Reverend Wright and the rest of the Gambler trio crank out a brand of rocka­billy unique to South Africa. With a pas­sion for fast cars, greased wheels and old fash­ioned rock ‘n roll, it is no mys­tery what the Gamblers put out. There are great things on the hori­zon for Reverend Wright and the Mystery Train Gamblers.

Having fron­ted fam­ous South African ska/​punk band, Leek and the Bouncing Uptones, Reverend Wright is a South African music stall­wart, con­tinu­ing to firmly make his mark on South African music cul­ture. The good Reverend can also be found play­ing gui­tar for Pretoria-​​based rock ‘n roll out­fit, The Slashdogs.

Tidal Waves

Tidal Waves are a Johannesburg-​​based reg­gae quin­tet. True African reg­gae is what Tidal Waves deliver. “Original music, for ori­ginal people” is their man­tra. Often described as South Africa’s hard­est work­ing reg­gae band, Tidal Waves have played gigs from Oppikoppi to Pretoria, Cape Town, Potschefstroom and many other towns in the coun­try. There music is made up of a wide vari­ety of influ­ences, com­pris­ing African rhythms, ska, reg­gae, blues and jazz. Tidal Waves per­form­ances are not to be missed.

Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop

Where does one start with these guys? Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop is rock ‘n roll at it’s dirti­est and best. The trio is made up of Martin Rocka (the man behind the mic and gui­tar) and the Sick Shop, con­sist­ing of James Flames on upright bass gui­tar and Boy McLoud on drums. This trio hold noth­ing back.

Having won the South African leg of the Global Battle of the Bands (2005), Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop have shown no signs of slow­ing down their speed­wagon. A quote from Rocka reads; “Hi, I’m Martin Rocka and ladies and gen­tle­men there are only three kings – drink­ing, f**king and Elvis.” This is a per­fect example of the incred­ible style and edge that this rocka­billy trio exudes. If you enjoy a bit of rocka­billy jive and a dude in a wrest­ling mask and red glit­ter jacket, look no further.

The Rudimentals

The Rudimentals have become some­what of an insti­tu­tion in South African music. This 8-​​piece ska/​afro-​​beat out­fit molds African melod­ies and rhythms with strong jazz and reg­gae influ­ences. Having released 2 suc­cess­ful full length albums to date, as well as a live DVD and CD combo of the pop­u­lar “Rudimentals and friends” con­cert at the Kirstenbosch Gardens, The Rudimentals aren’t slow­ing down for any­one. With a sign­ing in the last year to UK-​​based major ska record label, Moonskaworld, the band will enjoy releases in the UK and Europe in the near future. Plans are in the pipeline for a tour to those shores as well.

Having trav­elled the coun­try extens­ively, alone and with legendary reg­gae band UB40, The Rudimentals have cemen­ted their place in the South African music hall of fame, and are rising up the lad­der to greater heights.

The Allstar Funk Four

Is it the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Is it the Beastie Boys? Is it Rage Against The Machine? No, it’s all three! The
Allstar Funk Four, hav­ing been long-​​time friends and musi­cians, came together out of the ashes of two under­ground punk bands (War-​​on-​​Salt and False Pretense) to form a funk quar­tet to rival the greats. Combining a strong influ­ence of the above three men­tioned inter­na­tional acts, the Allstars cre­ated a sound famil­iar to many and always enjoy­able. The main aim of the show was always to rock the party.

Having since par­ted ways, the band made a sig­ni­fic­ant mark on the Cape Town music scene, while spread­ing their wings briefly fur­ther north and east of their home city. Great music and a great vibe was shared by all.

Man In Suit

South African hard rock at it’s finest. These guys truly blow me away. I will never for­get the last per­form­ance of theirs that I was hon­oured to wit­ness. I have seen very few acts that work as hard or harder than Man In Suit.

Having per­formed in sev­eral bands in their past, these guys burst onto the music scene blaz­ing. With three releases under their belts (“demo(n)”, “The Last” and “Battle for the Sky”) I feel hon­oured to have had the oppor­tun­ity to fol­low the band on their jour­ney from the first release. Having toured the coun­try and per­formed on stages of all sizes (includ­ing a per­form­ance with inter­na­tional act, Blind Guardian) Man In Suit are def­in­itely a band to keep on the look out for. A bunch of awe­some guys that work hard and have a true pas­sion for music. This unique com­bin­a­tion says it all.

The City Bowl Mizers

Durban (Stone City) is a unique (and humid) place, filled with a unique bond between musi­cians and their fans. The con­nec­tions and friend­ships are like none I have ever seen.

The City Bowl Mizers are swing-​​rockers with a unique pas­sion for surf-​​rock, the sun and relax­ing by the pool with ladies and beer. Having toured the UK for sev­eral months and released a suc­cess­ful debut partly inde­pend­antly and pub­lished by Sony/​ATV pub­lish­ing, these guys have made their mark. Durban has many musical reas­ons to be proud. The City Bowl Mizers are one of them.

They tour the coun­try as well as per­form­ing at their loc­als in Durban. Check their Myspace page for tour dates.

Several of the above bands have broken up. There music is out there and will be enjoyed as long as it is listened to. Music is time­less, which is part of it’s unique fab­ric and construction.

Who are your favour­ite South African bands? Let me know in the comments.

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