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What we thought:
It's difficult to gauge an artist's potential with just a 5-track EP to go on. Gangs of Ballet, a Durban-based rock outfit who have university music degrees to back up their rock star aspirations, have not been short of garnering radio airplay over the last year so these songs will undoubtedly be familiar to many.
By taking their cue from the big, anthemic chords and falsetto flourishes that too readily recall bands like (here we go again) Coldplay, Snow Patrol and even SA's own Civil Twilight, Gangs of Ballet sound assured enough to make that full-length LP a worthwhile investment.
Best track:
"Breaking the Silence" - The track which has the strongest ties to a South African sound and identity, it's the sound of triumph and hope and is bloody uplifting. What Johnny Clegg would have sounded like if he were in a rock band in the 21st century.
Not technically the worst track:
"Warm Skies" - With just 5 tracks to choose from it’s not really fair to select a 'worst' song. Though Warm Skies does wear its inspiration on its sleeve, sounding so much like The Killers, and despite some electronic bits isn’t quite as compelling as the preceding tracks.
Sounds like:
Catchy and accomplished for the most part, Gangs of Ballet are off to a good start. But will people be able to tell them apart from the more spirited KONGOS?
Watch Gangs of Ballet's video for "Hello Sweet World" here:
It's difficult to gauge an artist's potential with just a 5-track EP to go on. Gangs of Ballet, a Durban-based rock outfit who have university music degrees to back up their rock star aspirations, have not been short of garnering radio airplay over the last year so these songs will undoubtedly be familiar to many.
By taking their cue from the big, anthemic chords and falsetto flourishes that too readily recall bands like (here we go again) Coldplay, Snow Patrol and even SA's own Civil Twilight, Gangs of Ballet sound assured enough to make that full-length LP a worthwhile investment.
Best track:
"Breaking the Silence" - The track which has the strongest ties to a South African sound and identity, it's the sound of triumph and hope and is bloody uplifting. What Johnny Clegg would have sounded like if he were in a rock band in the 21st century.
Not technically the worst track:
"Warm Skies" - With just 5 tracks to choose from it’s not really fair to select a 'worst' song. Though Warm Skies does wear its inspiration on its sleeve, sounding so much like The Killers, and despite some electronic bits isn’t quite as compelling as the preceding tracks.
Sounds like:
Catchy and accomplished for the most part, Gangs of Ballet are off to a good start. But will people be able to tell them apart from the more spirited KONGOS?
Watch Gangs of Ballet's video for "Hello Sweet World" here:
