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t’s been a while since I, personally, have attended a Battle of the Bands – not as a judge this time, but as a journalist – and I must admit that I’ve missed the vibe. Being greeted as a long-lost-soul by photographers and journos alike it was almost as if a missing piece of the jigsaw had finally been slotted into place.
And nothing has changed… not even the sound, which has always been my biggest bugbear. Is it the quality of the techies hired or the acoustics of the room; the equipment or the way it’s placed? Whatever it is, it really needs to be sorted because the lack of clarity really penalises the fabulous quality of our musicians.
Of the 15 bands which participated on Friday there were two that were particularly mesmerising, not only in terms of their music, but the way in which they interacted with the audience.
The first is an up-and-coming band known as Nonchalant – a name which totally belies their personalities. Led by Graham Wicks, an aspirant thespian, these talented musos not only provide an energetic performance on stage, but show that punk is still a genre which entices the audience to jump up and down with the beat, in fact, defying them to stand still.
The band which stood out for me, however, was the ultimate winner - Catlike Thieves comprising astounding musicians from the KZN South Coast. This band is totally unique when it comes to rock as the lead guitar is actually acoustic. “We want each instrument to stand out,” says Shane Strachin (lead guitar and vocals), “and that can’t happen if there are two electric guitars.”
The resultant combination: an acoustic and an electric guitar as well as bass and drums. Not a group to be stuck in a rut, Shane describes their music as ‘Riverside Rock’ as they cross-pollinate the genres of old-school rock, funk-blues and punk. They live and love their music – “This is what we want to do for life, because we love it,” says Shane. “We’re not an image, but a crowd band – we just want to party”. And that’s just what they do with the crowd lapping up their every move.
With Justin Cresswell on electric guitar and vocals, Gareth Strachin on bass, Phillip Smith on drums and Shane leading the quarter this is a performance not to be missed at the Mr Price Pro Ballito – one of the country’s biggest celebrations combining fun on the waves with parties of note. This event takes pride of place on the South African surfing calendar with its big waves and big sound.
This year Mr Price will be hosting two evenings of the best music South Africa has to offer – an acoustic evening with the sounds of Ard Matthews (Just Jinjer), Nibs van der Spuy and Farryl Purkiss among others on 9 July to be followed by the rock concert on the 10th.
For further information visit www.mrpricepro.com
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