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The cougars descend on me with practiced determination. Two of them. Mid-thirties, out of shape and tramp-stamped. Recent divorcees looking for a walk on the wilder and younger side, I peg them.
“Are you a tattoo artist?” one of them asks, the phrase ‘tattoo artist’ imbued with fascination, her eyes with hunger. read more…
Driven by their street-corner beginnings and dreams to one day make it ‘big’, The Square Roots started off in earnest in 1993 as a five-piece formation. In the years which have elapsed since then, they have managed to inhabit a corner in hip hop that is distinctly theirs, while toying with music that is heavily-layered and rife with social commentary. Do you want more, their debut on the then rock-only label Geffen records, went by largely ignored, but they introduced the more adventurous listener to a brand new concept in hip hop: the live band. read more…
Christian Tiger School were already playing when we arrived. He had wanted to get there earlier, but had lost track of time, watching YouTube videos and hitting bongs. On the way to the bar he takes off my lens cap and switches me on, making sure everything is still set to ‘Auto’. He turns on the flash, and takes a few crowd shots. Little hipsters in training, none older than 22. The flashing catches the attention of two chicks in the standard party girl outfit of wedges, short skirt and white top. They give him a hug and put on their best pout. Nice Tits, Auto-Focus, Snap! read more…
Prologue
In the Phantom of the Opera, Christine Daae is seduced by a spectral voice she believes to be the prophesised ‘angel of music’. He turns out to be a guy who hangs in the basement of the Paris Opera House. Upon this realisation, Christine utters the now famous line, “The Phaaaaantom of the Opera is here, inside my mind.”
Driving along a rain-soaked M3 on the way to the Artscape, Jack and Adam let the Phantom enter their minds. Only this phantom lives on a little square of paper brought from a guy with dreadlocks. read more…
The media dubbed it the “Battle of Rondebosch Common” but only the police used force. What you really need to know is the opportunistic mayor of Cape Town, Patricia De Lille, fucked up big time. She could have ignored the planned People’s Summit and let it collapse through internal contradictions and organizational failure (as so many protests unfortunately do). Nobody would have noticed except the Neighbourhood Watches and the Ratepayers Associations bent on keeping the poor out of the area. Instead she sent in the storm troopers. read more…
He could watch Kesivan Naidoo play the drums for hours. He would get stoned and surrender to the careless but precise flicks, the blistering snare rolls, the myriad of movements that somehow conjured a unified sound. He did not understand this music, his closest references being Weather Report and Miles Davis. read more…
I’ve been meaning to get out of the house and protest. Marx laid down the law for anyone even vaguely aggrieved with how society is run: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world; the point is to change it.” That’s a pretty clear injunction to get off our complacent asses and see what needs to be done. read more…
Having played Interscope hard, Ninja and Yolandi are back with a reboot of last year’s Zef. Is this the biggest South African pop music heist ever? Or the beginning of the end? Either way, it sure sticks in your head.
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Last Sunday |
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Last Sunday Contest |
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Blonde Wrecking Ball |
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1984 Much |
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Album Round-Up |
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Take Back the Common |
