Share

US metal band August Burns Red heats up Cape Town

Cape Town - Metalcore act August Burns Red have been in South Africa for almost a week. 

They played a show at Oppikoppi over the weekend, and then headed to Cape Town on Wednesday to play a show at The Assembly. *Spoiler alert*: The show rocked, the band absolutely loved the country and said they would definitely be back again.

Entering The Assembly, it was clear that August Burns Red had a lot of South African fans. Almost all of the band's merchandise was sold out before they started playing. People were wearing the merch they just bought, showing their support for the band.


The show kicked off strong with local band Zombies Ate My Girlfriend, who just came back from playing at the Wacken festival in Germany. Their set was strong, but the venue was still filling up, with the crowd trickling in slowly. Facing The Gallows was up next, and by then the majority of people had already arrived at the venue, seemingly packed to the brim. They played an amazing show and set the stage for what was to come next.

The atmosphere inside The Assembly was absolutely electric as August Burns red were setting up, the crowd seeming restless. People were packed like sardines in the venue, clearly showing that everyone was there to see August Burns Red perform live in Cape Town for the first time.

The show was amazing. They played a mix of their entire catalogue. And the crowd chanted along to every song. It felt like Jake Luhrs, lead singer of August Burns Red, had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

During the show there was a brief pause and Jake said that over the years they had tried getting to South Africa, but that those opportunities fell through and that they were very happy to finally be here. He also stated that previously, his favourite place to visit was Australia, but now that they are in South Africa, this is now his favourite place to ever have been.

As they finished their last song, the crowd started chanting: "We want more, we want more..."

As they were chanting, August Burns Red drummer Matt Greiner started playing an insane drum solo for what seemed like an eternity. As he finished, the rest of the band came on to do an encore. It is definitely an evening I will never forget.

We had a chance to sit down with Dustin Davidson, the bass player of August Burns Red, before their show to hear about their time here in South Africa and how they felt about playing here for the first time.

When asked whether they had a chance to do any tourist activities, Dustin said: "Yesterday [Tuesday], I went hiking up to Table Mountain. We got up before sunrise, saw the sunrise, then we started the hike. You have a beautiful city here. Surrounded by mountains, it's honestly one of my favourite places I've been so far, and I'm not making that up. I've been to a lot of different places and I'll never forget this place.

"We also got to do a safari on our first day off here. We got in really late the first night, and the next day was the safari. That was really cool, we got to see a lion and a giraffe. First time I've seen a lion in the wild. It was really different for me and I really enjoyed it a lot."

We asked them how they felt about their show at Oppikoppi, and Dustin said: "I wasn't sure what to expect. When we were setting up, I looked out and it looked kind of light out there. But 15 minutes before we were supposed to play, I looked out again and you couldn't see the end of the crowd, so it was awesome. There was a big sign welcoming us to South Africa, and the show was awesome. Really looking forward to playing in Cape Town tonight.

"Thanks to the fans down here that have given us support over the years, and we are really excited to play a show for you guys. We would love to come back. All the guys have said that this has been one of the favourite places we've been."

We asked Dustin where they were heading after their SA tour and what lies in the future for August Burns Red. He said: "After South Africa we are heading back to the States to play a festival in Richmod Virginia. Then we get some time off before doing a secondary tour of the States to play smaller venues and cities over the course of three weeks. It will be a shorter tour, but it will be more personal as we are hitting up some markets we haven't played before. We have also just started writing material for a new album, so we should be on par to release that album next year, albeit a bit later than we usually release albums."

So expect a new August Burns Red album in 2017!

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE