The Hives and Skunk Anansie join rocking international line-up for Vodacom In the City
“#SkunkAnansie – BEST concert I ever saw in South Africa. Ever Ever.” Words from our Editor in Chief at hearing this British band is making their return to South Africa for Vodacom – IN THE CITY. Without a doubt, with a catalog of more than 5 albums we are sure Ed in Chief is gonna be in for some sound treat worth noting. Without further hold up, read more after the jump. Vodacom In the City has added Swedish rock sensation The Hives and revived iconic British band Skunk Anansie to this year’s international line-up, cementing the festival’s creds as one of the edgiest and most anticipated music events on the South African calendar. These two powerful and dynamic music forces now join alt-j and Boys Noize for this one-day music festival, and all are guaranteed to rock downtown Jo’burg and the 15,000 fans who will pound the ground at Newtown’s Mary Fitzgerald Square on 4 October 2013. The Hives will no doubt satisfy long-standing fans with music ranging from their early albums Barely Legal (1997) and Veni Vidi Vicious (2000) to Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004), The Black and White Album (2007) and their most recent Lex Hives (2012). Catapulting them to international rock status with hits like Hate To Say I Told You So, Main Offender,Supply And Demand and Die, Alright! off of Your New Favourite Band (a compilation of songs from Barely Legal, VVV and the A.k.a I-D-I-O-T EP) The Hives made lovers of garage-rock sit up and take notice. Tyrannosaurus Hives gave birth to tracks Walk Idiot Walk, Two-Timing Touch & Broken Bones and A Little More For Little You; and The Black and White Album shook the airwaves with its hit single Tick Tick Boom!. Knowing they still had so much awesomeness to share with the world, the 12-track compilation Lex Hives was released in 2012 on The Hives’ own label, Disques Hives. Lead single Go Right Ahead moved the band into glam-punk territory and was met with rave reviews and huge airplay. Be prepared to rock out with The Hives when they’re unleashed on the Vodacom In the City stage, performing in their trademark black and white suits. That same stage will also host the brooding, funky beats, edgy lyrics and punk riffs of Skunk Anansie. Reunited after an eight-year hiatus, Skunk Anansie have “come home”, says lead singer Skin. Along with band members Ace (guitar), Cass Lewis (bass) and Mark Richardson (drums), Skunk Anansie have rekindled the feeling and soul of their previous work to continue the distinctive and dynamic sound that has made them the award-winning music force they are today. Skunk Anansie will get feet stomping and crowds jumping with their versatile range of hits from multi-platinum albums Paranoid And Sunburnt(1995), Stoosh (1996) and Post Orgasmic Chill (1999). Fans will remember singles like Brazen (Weep), Hedonism...
I Create We Create.
It is not everyday in South Africa where you come across young people gathering to foster a new way of living and successfully giving it their all to achieve their goals. Recently we teamed up with the feisty and talented Thinz who attended the #ICWC2013 conference held in Newtown to bring us up to speed, in her own words.This is what she observed, a good article for creatives at large. The transformation debate in the South African creative industry is one that’s going to go on for a long, long time. What a pleasure it was then to see one (of many) individuals who’s decided to take it upon himself to contribute towards turning this situation around. Banele, a guy we consider to be the epitome of a hustler here at the Represent offices, literally had to pull rabbits out of hats to put together what we consider to be the most inspiring workshop we’ve had the pleasure of being invited to. Having identified a gap (the size of the rift valley) between creatives with skills to offer and creative agencies desperately in need of talent, he facilitated an event that brought the two parties under one roof. On a cold winter Saturday morning, in a venue so nondescript it has to be one of Joburgs best secrets, the 1st of many I Create We Create events got underway. Hosted by a guy who – in my opinion has to be the funniest comedian right now – Donovan Goliath, the room began to buzz with inspiring speaker after speaker as creatives from a wide range of disciplines – photography, graphic design and writing – absorbed inspiration for how to make it in the dog-eat-dog world of living your creative dreams in the city of gold. All the speakers had nothing but gems to contribute. Sarah Jane Boden of SoulProviders started the show by sharing her learnings from being a small and growing content business. Shy-guy (he said it) Green Robot CEO Kgomotso Mautloa told his story of a start- stop journey to the top. A story that inspired many young people who could identify with him because he’s young and, like many of us, was at some point overwhelmed with the feeling of being directionless in his life. Then there was copy guru Mbulelo Nhlapho who blew everybody away with his portfolio of creative work that has cleaned up at awards shows across the globe. We often never take the time to think that behind the great advertising messages and stories we see out there, sure there’s the brand they represent, but behind it there are actual people who graft for hours,...
Dumile goes Back To The City.
#BTTC or in its full name, Back To The City is an event that gathers a variety of the “dopest” Hip Hop acts around. Represent teamed up with Dumile Mposula who tip-toed his way around the festival to bring us in his own words, the low down of the #BTTC event. The Back To The City Hip Hop Festival has grown into a hugely successful event since its inception in 2006. Attendance figures have increased from the initial 3500 to 15 000 last year. The festival features artists representing the pinnacle of artistic expression from South Africa and has grown into the largest public display of both commercial and underground hip hop in South Africa. The 2013 event was no disappointment. From graffiti artist spray-painting Newtown walls to B-boys doing their thing on the Redbull stage, all of Hip Hop culture was on display, it was a true haven for Hip Hop lovers all over the country. The artist lineup featured Maxhoseni, Tumi from Tumi and the Volume, Siya Shezi, Zuluboy, H20, iFani and Proverb to name a few. The surprise act from the United States, EMC2 also had fans going crazy. All in all, this year’s Back To The City festival was amazing and I’m sure 2014 will only be better....
Celebrate the end of January with Party People
Everyone else that’s happy to see the backend of January stand up! What a mindblow start to this year… It can only get better…Go and usher in the beautiful month of February at Party People and our famous BLK JKS boys fresh from NY. This month Kenzhero brings to you the out of this world Rock fantastical astronomical historical shifting ever-growing band BLK JKS, for a first time live performance. Here is a little history about the fellas and what they have installed for you: It’s been too long since anyone was able to bring this much soul and heartblood to progressive rock, a medium that has been left cold and dry by a misguided focus on technical show-offery. But by entangling the music they love — township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub — into the DNA of prog, BLK JKS have provocatively pulled afro-futurism into a new century. After Robots has all the ingredients of a party record — young, joyous musicians; surging, afro-drumming; aggressive horn blasts (supplied by the cultishly famous HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE) — but this is not party music. It’s at times disorienting and overwhelming, but it always maintaining a cool, alluring mystique. It’s in Mcata’s patient, complex and enviable jazz chord vamping. It’s in Makananise’s from-the-pocket-to-the-stars bass approaches. It’s in Buthelezi’s blues-inflected phrasing and searing guitar leads. It’s in Ramoba’s super-polyrhythmic, flailing beats. Come and see this great South African Phenomenon perform live for the first time at Party People on Saturday the 30th January 2010. The Doors of OST, Corner Henry Nxumalo and Bree Str, Nextown 9pm R100 www.myspace.com/partypeople or...
Represent Review: Joy of Jazz 2009
Represent shimmied in amongst all the Friday night jazz cats last weekend down in Newtown, Johannesburg at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 2009 festival – see our photostory here and read our take below from our team Nkateko Siweya and Hloni Ditse – Sharpile guys! : It’s a Friday just after rush hour traffic – it’s the last winter weekend and there’s no sign of a cold wind or rainy clouds, I wonder why… A long stream of cars flows past in an absolutely uniform precision, going in the opposite direction. Where are they going? People are supposed to be going home at this hour! Well not these music lovers… Mhhh, maybe all these people driving towards downtown Joburg might know that something interesting is about to go down. I’m also heading downtown, Newtown to be exact, past the dim highway lights, to arrive at a light and bubbly (no direct relation to Champagne) scene of blue and white lights: the 2009 Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz. I step into a mass of people of all ages, walking and mingling as if it were a holiday: we are in Jozi, the city that never sleeps. Such energy and excitement is derived from just being out and about in Newtown, Johannesburg city and it can be felt and witnessed by each face that makes up this buzzing crowd. One thing you are never short of in Joburg is a fashion parade, from the young funky attires to the mature elegantly dressed- that on its own is an art form unique to Africa’s greatest metropolitan. Our bright colours call out loud: “Welcome to the southern spring season!!” The stages are set, the guests are here, the weather is clear and warm we are out and about in an era brimming with talent and skill. The stages in Newtown boasted the most adept and diversified jazz and soul musicians from many a corner of the globe. This is one time I wish I could replicate myself just for the night so I could get to fully immerse myself in the simultaneous happenings on all four stages. I would soothe myself with the foreign and blissful featuring artists like Room 11, Somi, Brian Thusi, Level 99, MAG, Minor Band, CJC, Live Rhythm, J4Dot, Solace and Soul Tique and the many more who showcased their talent at great length. Even though my self- morphing into four of me didn’t go down, I did manage to catch a few of the legends in action, from the very appealing Judith Sephuma’s soulful choruses to Unathi Nkayi who was just having a wonderful jol with the...
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