UKDB00 - YOU CAN DO BETTER!

As the backstory of my forthcoming UK Do Better tour diary, here's the album that the tour centred around. "You Can Do Better" is Johnny Foreigner's 4th album. Hearing it for the first time I was really stoked on the new direction the band was following. I was also incredibly excited to play these news songs live with the gang.

The album dropped through Alcopop! on the 10th of March. Heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps of people wrote really nice stuff about "You Can Do Better". It was too fast for The NME.

Dune Rats return to Hi5!

Last year, at one of our first Hi5 nights, we hosted an Australian band, playing their first show on Africa soil. The resulting show was pure carnage of the most excellent variety, and the Dune Rats went on to enjoy much more of the same across the rest of their first tour of South Africa.

As I write this, The Rats are floating above the surface of the earth, hurtling towards us at phenomenal speeds. Tomorrow night they'll be making their return to Hi5 and we couldn't possibly be any happier for it. Supporting The Dunies, we have Joburgs own prog-surf dynamos; The Moths, plus DJ sets from Hi5's 3 dads, Nathan Scott Phillips, Plaat Japie & Sassquatch!

RSVP here!

UK do better 01 - the tour in posters.

I mentioned yesterday that I've recently come off a tour, playing bits of the UK with Johnny Foreigner, touring the band's 4th album "You Can Do Better".

As with pervious adventures with the band, this journey stands as one of the best things I've done with my time on this planet of our's. The shows themselves and the spaces in-between were pure magic. Totally ace, smile-inducing, mind-braking, life-affirming stuff. Much like our ghostly 2012 tour of the US (and nothing like our highly blogged about SA 2010 & UK 2011 tours) I didn't post anything about this round of life-changing exploits. This was a dead blog after all.

But, if SMAC is back from the grave, then there's surely little more worthy of reflecting back on than this tour. Without biting off more than I can chew, I'm hoping to assembly a bit of a posthumous tour diary. Luckily we crossed paths with some people that did lovely jobs of photographing, shooting and chatting to us, so with that to link back to, here's hoping I can get through this thing!

To start (something I should have posted before the adventure even kicked off) here's our tour in posters!

Dune Rats 2013 tour video!

Last year South Africa recieved a visit from three dynamos collectively known as Dune Rats. What followed were some really excellent adventures, awesome shows and stellar high jinx.

Anja managed to capture many of these excellent adventures. With the band about to return to Mama Africa, it seemed fitting that we make a small video that captured just how awesome that last tour was and get people stoked for the next one. Shot and edited by Nanna, with bits of animation by your humble narrator, here's our video for The Dune Rats 2013 South African tour!

I'm back!

I'm back!

It's been a (long) while. For the past two weeks I've been wanting to make my return with a post that would have started like this:

"I'm back! Just got home after touring the UK for a month with Jo Fo and boy have I got some stories for you!"

From there I'd make excuses for the fact that I disappeared for as long as I did. Then I'd go on to chat about this last tour with the band and how it's changed the way I'm thinking about all the business this blog has been built around.

But right here, right now, none of that is going to happen, because I've pretty much got to jump into chatting about what comes next. So ja, let's just leave it at this;

I'M BACK!

You are invited to that last Hi5 of 2013!

 
On Sunday night Hi5 is back! Our series of guitar-centric dance parties returns for one last bust out in 2013! Our live acts for the night are two of my personal favourites; Motèl Mari (back from a recent tour of Europe) & Ampersand (back from the dead). Supporting the bands, all three of Hi5's hearts (Plaat Japie, Nathan Scott Phillips & Sassquatch) will be playing DJ sets. Awesome times guaranteed!

RSVP HERE!

You are invited to be a party animal!

 

This Friday I'll be involved in a rediculously exciting gig!

Jose Cuervo are bringing over two great acts; power-pop superheroes The Subways (in full rock and roll glory) and 90ies alt-hop legends, The Fun Lovin' Criminals (in their deadly awesome DJ form)!

What's more, a stupid awesome collection of local acts have been summoned to support these two. I really can't get over just how many of my favourites have been crammed into one bill - it's gonna be incredible!

I'll be lucky enough to contribute to these good times twice over the course of the night! First, spinning records as DJ Sassquatch and seconds spinning in circles with Kidofdoom. This is the final show we have lined up for our rather drawn our reunion tour, so will be pretty bitter sweet for me, but we honestly couldn't ask for a better big bang to go out on.

Tickets are set at the ludicrously low price of R100 - get em here!

RSVP here!

DISCO DE MODA presents DUSTY FRUIT: A Tropical 'n Balearic Edition

Summer is here!

Join us for some fun in the sun with our Tropical 'n Balearic Edition!

Feat. the best daytime disco jams by

14:00 ☼ Chris Keys (2 hour vinyl set incl. some balearic gems!) 16:00
☼ Warren Bokwe 17:30 ☼ Data Takashi 19:00 ☼ Casioheart 20:00 ☼ Corvair
21:00 ☼ Flikkerr

R30 < 15:00 > R50

RSVP here!

In anticipation, Data Takashi has made a great mix for your listening pleasure!

ENJOY IT RIGHT HERE!