Klein Libertas Theatre

It’s Wednesday night and I’m at the Klein Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch. The venue is fantastic, the lineup is incendiary and everyone around me is Afrikaans…it suddenly hits me I’m a long way from home.
As I make my way through the sea of Brandy and Coke I can make out the tiny page taped to the wall which informs me that the Revelators are opening the night. It’s the second time I’m seeing them live and I have a flashback to Zula Bar a few weeks ago of the floor almost caving in due to the crowd trying to express their pleasure in foot tapping. I look down at the floor to check its sturdiness. It appears secure. I am safe for now.
Alas this was short lived as the Revelators once again had the crowd dancing as though they were trying to summon rain. I think this might be normal on that side of the world but I shall need to research that more thoroughly. One thing that the locals and I both agreed on was that these lads rock. Hard. It was an impressive set and despite the fact that it was only half an hour long their performance left an impression that should encourage crowds to return for more. The only issue was that the quality of the microphones was shit which meant one couldn’t make out all the lyrics which was disappointing as what could be heard was very cool indeed.
They were followed by the Pretty Blue Guns who once again delivered an amazing performance. The sound was fantastic, the lightening amazing and the band’s interaction with the crowd all contributed to this being one of the best performances I’ve seen by the Guns or any other band. It was sexy, groovy, it was hard and the playgoers walked out believing that no one is gonna love them like the Devil do.
And then something went wrong which I’m still trying to work out. Ashtray Electric come on and deliver a performance with their usual greatness. Everything about the set is perfect yet the crowd is slowly vanishing. This is the band that made me a believer in South African music and these people are going home early because of varsity?! Where are their priorities? Who the hell walks out on the song Lia? My mind could not process the magnitude of what was happening in front of me. It hurt me. Inside.
Johnny Foreigner from the United Kingdom. The final act: the big one. The crowd consensus was that they were overshadowed by our local bands. I felt the same. Don’t get me wrong because they were good it was just that people weren’t familiar with their music and because their performance was so loud and fast the songs were lost. It was a pity as we do need more international acts performing in S. A. but when they aren’t getting a good reception whether because no one knows the music or because they don’t deliver enough it hurts local chances of being regarded by international acts especially if they don’t feel the need to return or to spread the gospel that is local.
All in all it was an awesome night and it showcased local music at its best. Looking forward to seeing you all at the next gigs.
Karma
P.S. Due to a technical failure we were unable to produce pictures of Johnny Foreigner. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this.

Music, for when the lights go out…
“So rattle your cages
And rattle your bones
But don’t leave me hear alone.
‘Cause God isn’t with us
The Devil don’t need us
You’re gonna have to make it on your own.”
-Red Crow
It’s the middle of the night and here I sit trying to find the words. There can’t be many things harder than trying to recreate, to describe, the feeling of remembering something you never realized you had forgotten.
I first heard the above lyrics on the 27th December last year at a gig at Kirstenbosch . It was a bad day and the only cure for it was an Ashtra

y

Electric gig. I don’t believe I had never heard of Pretty Blue Guns till I purchased my ticket. When PBG started playing I grooved along with the rest of the playgoers, thinking this is groovy stuff and planning on checking up on it at a later stage, but this plan was left as a smoldering ruin on my boots as I got up to head the lavatory area and I heard the chorus of Red Crow.
The only thing I can compare it too was the first time I heard Bob Dylan’s Chim

es of Freedom Flashing and in those few lines I got back all the faith I had lost: my faith in love, hope and solidarity.
I then went on a possessed pilgrimage to find the album. However, the song was not on the album but it offered me some of the most incredible songs I had heard in a long,

long, long, long time. Yes, a very long time. I realized I had to meet them and this is why they are the first band featured by The Marauders.
Our chance came on Saturday the 30th January at Zula Sound Bar in Long Street. Stoffelus and I prepared ourselves emotionally, mentally, physically and sexually for the night in the space of the week leading up to it. We arrived at 8 o’clock in time for the supporting b

and’s sound check. On our casual stroll to the bar we discussed how we were going to work this gig and if we dared ask for an interview but as luck would have it the shadow on my left turned out to be the lead singer Andre Leo. I took a leap of faith and calmed myself to a mild panic and introduced us. Unlike the other arsehole “rock stars” we met over the last few years Andre was warm and genuine and granted us an interview after the show without making us get on o

ur knees for it. I then told him how much I loved Red Crow but as I didn’t know the name of the song I attempted to hum it to myself to remember all the lyrics but the words fled me and since I wouldn’t let him tell me because I was determined to do it alone (I think it’s a Leo thing - go figure) he said they might play it in the set.
At eleven they start playing and floor is flooded. Andre, Brandon, Greg and

Lucas get onto stage even them quite, dubious wallflowers felt it all come together during No Good. The entire performance was an odessey, despite each song being different and creating a c

ompletely new atmosphere with each opening chord there was a definite cohesion in the why t

he songs were brought across in such a raw way and the ebb and flow between feeling of love and lust.

Before Andre ended the gig, as he promised with Red Crow, he explained wha

t

inspired it to be written - it was not what I had invisioned, nor will I say what it was because firstly it's not my story to tell and secondly because it would change the meaning for you when you go out and hear it. I think that Dylan was right when he said that when a song is written it's not just good for him or even good for him at all but it must be good for somebody. On this album you will find one good for you. When I asked Andre what inspired what he wrote about he claimed it was not only our "remarkable world" but to write songs others relate to and to not be self-in

d

ulgent (at this point Greg bursts out that Andre is his inspiration, the romance of it all was startling).

When I chatted to Andre and Greg after the gig we spoke about the main themes

that keep arising from listeners: sex and religion. The two didn't really agree that it was a sex album although Andre agreed it was mood sexy music, mood music...you dig? He felt that wasn't the only vibe the album had as no two songs are the same, especially because they are influenced by such a vast variety of music such as The Stones, Muddy Waters and the Blues.

In the topic of religious imagery in the album Andre comments on people who clai

m to be religious, yet they warp religion and use the Bible in a way that is blasphemy. I think he said he wants to rip their heads off but that could have been the noise...

Their plans for this year include releasing more videos, touring Joburg, playing m

ore festivals and we can maybe (if we good) expect an album at the end of the year.

The final question I asked was the same one asked to Johnny Cash: If were about to die and you could sing one song, just one, to tell the world about you what would it be?

Moonlight Mile by The Rolling Stones, last song on the Sticky Fingers album.

So guys and dolls this is it, you heard the story and it's time to go out and testify. Go to a gig, hear a song and bring the love.

Karma