The Purple Turtle, Cape Town, July 27 - I strolled through the doors of the Purple Turtle to be greeted by a spirited doorman who stamped my hand and ushered me through the entrance. I had eagerly anticipated a night of excessively loud drumsbassguitar music (as opposed to synthloopsample music) and that’s what I got.
It was surprising and refreshing to see a venue so packed with friends, acquaintances and fans of the three local acts on the line up – the first of which was a four-piece band I’ve never heard of who go by the name of Bicycle Thief.
I stood a few paces back from the stage – as I’m typically concerned about thieves, especially around Long Street – but the band seemed a lot more ‘cyclist’ than ‘thief’. At least until their third song, by which time, they’d gotten fully into the swing of things. I distinctly remember someone in the crowd shouting something along the lines of “Dude, I think that riff is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!” Overall, an energetic set that was equally as entertaining.
Affected
The Lottery Tickets were up next. There’s plenty talent in Cape Town, but as far as creativity and atmosphere go, the Tickets are up there with the best. Their songs have an infuriatingly infectious, stuck-in-your-head quality that is hard to not be affected by.
They're a five-piece, so they filled the stage well, generating a palpable feeling of camaraderie and sentiment. It’s great to watch a band that looks like they absolutely love what they’re doing. Their set was made up of completely new material, and although their older songs were sorely missed, they put on a memorable show – as usual.
Supercancer is a local three-piece act that has an entirely new take on pop rock. Maybe "pop rock" isn’t an apt description… Their sound makes me think of a grizzly bear scraping its claws against a wall made of custard.
Polyrhythmic
Lead guitarist and vocalist Paul David has a unique, technical writing and vocal style that is both stirring and thought-provoking, and the rhythm section compliments him comfortably with a solid, driving – and often polyrhythmic – pulse.
On the downside, the overall sound of the night left a shit load to be desired. For one, the toms were miked up to sound like tupperware lids, and the guitar was drowning out most of the vocals. But the band made do with the sound they had, each managing to get their respective mob moving. It was definitely one of my favourite recent gigs.
One of those nights that you expect to be mediocre and it ends up being rad.
Nick Frost is a contributor to YourLMG magazine. Do you have any live reviews to submit? You could win a Kalahari.net voucher - email your article of max 300 words to music@channel24.co.za
It was surprising and refreshing to see a venue so packed with friends, acquaintances and fans of the three local acts on the line up – the first of which was a four-piece band I’ve never heard of who go by the name of Bicycle Thief.
I stood a few paces back from the stage – as I’m typically concerned about thieves, especially around Long Street – but the band seemed a lot more ‘cyclist’ than ‘thief’. At least until their third song, by which time, they’d gotten fully into the swing of things. I distinctly remember someone in the crowd shouting something along the lines of “Dude, I think that riff is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!” Overall, an energetic set that was equally as entertaining.
Affected
The Lottery Tickets were up next. There’s plenty talent in Cape Town, but as far as creativity and atmosphere go, the Tickets are up there with the best. Their songs have an infuriatingly infectious, stuck-in-your-head quality that is hard to not be affected by.
They're a five-piece, so they filled the stage well, generating a palpable feeling of camaraderie and sentiment. It’s great to watch a band that looks like they absolutely love what they’re doing. Their set was made up of completely new material, and although their older songs were sorely missed, they put on a memorable show – as usual.
Supercancer is a local three-piece act that has an entirely new take on pop rock. Maybe "pop rock" isn’t an apt description… Their sound makes me think of a grizzly bear scraping its claws against a wall made of custard.
Polyrhythmic
Lead guitarist and vocalist Paul David has a unique, technical writing and vocal style that is both stirring and thought-provoking, and the rhythm section compliments him comfortably with a solid, driving – and often polyrhythmic – pulse.
On the downside, the overall sound of the night left a shit load to be desired. For one, the toms were miked up to sound like tupperware lids, and the guitar was drowning out most of the vocals. But the band made do with the sound they had, each managing to get their respective mob moving. It was definitely one of my favourite recent gigs.
One of those nights that you expect to be mediocre and it ends up being rad.
Nick Frost is a contributor to YourLMG magazine. Do you have any live reviews to submit? You could win a Kalahari.net voucher - email your article of max 300 words to music@channel24.co.za