THE NARROW, 16 STITCH & INERSHA @ TEMPOS

Even though we keep promising each other that we will never take another step in, or trip over another drunken passed out teenager at Tempos, we are always lured back by some brilliant band.
To find out that we had missed MUNKINPURE’s set (AGAIN…the third time), bummed us out a bit, but surely the evening still had much promise.

I think we’ve been a bit unfair on 16 STITCH lately. We’ve seen this band so many times that we either leave before they play, arrive after a set, or just don’t go because we’ve “been there, done that”. We also gave them a bad review once for taking over an hour to set up for a set. We will be the first to admit that we can be fickle at times, and through it all we have actually forgotten how good these guys really are. They played a fantastic set and entertained the crowd more than I think anyone expected. Good going guys!

Some bands just seem unavoidable and INERSHA are currently that band. They are not bad, but unfortunately they aren’t very good either. They played an average set resulting in us adding them to our list of ‘sameish’ bands.

After missing their reportedly fantastic gig at Woodstock, I was really glad I got an opportunity to see THE NARROW. People seemed to appear out of nowhere and we ended up standing on a wall on the side of the stage to see anything. By ‘anything’ I really mean the occasional appearance of the bassist between people’s heads. But the most important thing was the music and I really enjoyed every bit and everyone else seemed to be under the same impression. They showed yet again the level of professionalism that comes with being one of the countries ‘bigger’ bands. They take rock to it’s full potential without compromising the vocals (they rock harder than most heavy bands without screaming). THE NARROW made up for an otherwise not particularly musically interesting evening and made yet another trip to Tempos worth it.

PARLOTONES @ BLUESROOM 02/08/2007

For anyone who thought SA music threw in the towel when the Springbok Nude Girls separated all those years ago, here is the opportunity to change your mind. I’d be very surprised if you haven’t heard of The Parlotones by now. Four uber-talented musicians from Roodepoort with a new sound that has taken over this country (and other countries) by storm.

What is just as brilliant as this band is their live performance. Last night they played at the Blues Room in Village Walk along with The Black Hotels and 16 Stitch. They wore their standard eye make-up (manly eye make-up) and had funky new hair-styles and they blew the crowded venue away (again). Their songs are addictive which is a good sign for a band that has taken SA music a step higher with a new sound in local music. And it rocks!

Kahn never runs out of his signature moves and is always extremely entertaining. Despite forgetting a few lyrics here and there (even with Glenn’s prompting), their following is reflected in the majority of the crowd that can sing along to almost every song, old and new.

Speaking of their new songs, I can’t wait for their new album. I’ll put my money on another SAMA for this one. And with their frequent visits to the UK, I see bigger things coming their way too. The CD launch will be at the end of September, so clear your diaries because this is one you cant miss!

Due to Steve going AWOL, my advice for this week would be: Even if you’re REALLY drunk, and you think it’s your birthday, it’s NEVER a good idea to have a conversation with the singer of a band. On stage. In the middle of a song. Yes, this really happened.

See you at the next one!