Festival is well and truly here and musically, the best of Grahamstown has come out to play.
Festival is well and truly here and musically, the best of Grahamstown has come out to play.
Blues, jazz, mod-rock, post-punk, metal, funk, folk, fusion, reggae and hard rock are all going to stream out of local venues – played by local bands – for your listening pleasure.
Now as most locals know, rumour has it Grahamstown has more musicians per capita than any other place in South Africa.
And for them – the musos who keep the music scene alive throughout the year – the National Arts Festival is a perfect opportunity to come out and strut their stuff before a national audience.
Indeed, for the last few weeks, every band room and rehearsal space has been heaving with amps, guitars, drums, brass instruments, percussion toys, microphones and musicians who can’t contain their excitement.
Nervous? Certainly. They’d be silly not to be.This is a huge week for all of them.
But every local band we’ve spoken to is ready to rock.
Blues-rock band like SunshiP has developed a kind of cult status among students as elder statesmen of the stage with their original music and funky re-adaptations of classic blues.
There are established funk and rock giants like Lu Fuki and Shackles n Bones, post-punk rockers extraordinaire the Gentlemen Callers.
There's the glorious hard rock band Those Days Are Gone, the fantastic Fishwives acoustic guitar and vocals duo, and ‘loxion reggae’ legends Psalm 87.
Enjoy the fabulously funky newcomers The Big Smiley, joyful jazz improvisers The Occasional, 12-bar blues aficionados Rough Draft, and the craftily quirky Footnotes.
Of course, local music would be nowhere without the great venues that support it.
During the next 10 days you have to go to Grahamstown’s renowned music bar, Champs, which features live music every night and an open mic all day.
For awesome live music nightly, wonderful late night nosh, very reasonably priced drinks, and a great smoking balcony, The Drill Hall on Hill Street is a must.
And you have to pop into The Outpost on New Street and the fabled Long Table for acoustic sets.
At a time when the whole world converges on Grahamstown to showcase its creativity, make sure you catch the breathtaking musical originality that resides here the whole year round.
