Arriving just a tad late we had to queue in a minor drizzle as the ticket holders tizzed about trying to find our media passes. We held everyone behind us up for about 10 minutes as the irate chick behind us got her knickers in a knot with all sorts of oohs and aahs. We sneaked a peek at George van der Spuy on the other side who also had to stand in line just like the rest of us...hee hee. We got our passes and dashed off not wanting to miss a single piece of the action. We caught the last bit of Kings of Vegas who were not too bad but not my cup of tea either. Ruth snapped some quick pics and we dashed off in search of Mr Francis and co who were found chilling in a dingy little corner sipping on some Hansa Lagers. After brief small talk of holding up queues and almost forgeting tickets at home and what we'd missed we ladies needed something to warm us up as well.
There were enough bars and bartenders in the vicinity to more than cater for the couple thousand attendees. I'll say this though, one barman behind the counter at The Shack on a Monday night is way, way, waaay faster at satisfying the unquenchable student thirts than the 5 - 6 bartenders behind each counter (about 4 according to my calculations) were at Ratanga Junction. The under 18s were here and there and everywhere dashing from counter to counter being refused on the grounds that they "looked 14" (which they did). After waiting for about 20 minutes for two Amstels we headed toward the stage to snap some pics of When Karma Sleeps. They sounded aweful from the distance but when we got up close we realised it was just the sound being distorted as it carried away from the stage and that vocalist, Megan really could sing. This Evanescence-like outfit was on a scale of 1 - 10, about a 6. Their music still needs to mature, but they do have good stage presence that managed to capture the crowd that was quickly building up in numbers.
We went back to the dingy little corner to find the rest of our company and to gather our thoughts. The Undefined, a more hardcore band, were up next and even Mr Francis was somewhat impressed. My guess is, given a year or two and some "practise makes perfect", they'll be pulling in some major head-banging crowds. They reminded me very very slightly of a Staind in the making. Look out for this band in the future. Chasing Friday concluded the smaller bands sets with some fast-paced movement that complimented their sounds. They were insync and well put together.
Taxi Violence was awesome. They have original powerful lyrics that speaks to an audience. The rythmn and bass pulls you into dancing and literally "Untying yourself". They played a flawless set and George even got a Mexican wave going. Fun times, fun times. It was a rather tough crowd though with a rather reserved lot not moving around much...rather frustrating actually when you're trying to get your scream n' shout, jump n' dance on.
Johannesburg's Crash Car Burn, formerly known as Tweak made their presence known and they got a great reception in the mother city. My guess is cos they've had quite a number of their songs playing on 5FM. Their music is pop-rock, bubblegum, chew it up and spit it out pop-rock. They did covers of "Summer of '69" and Kelly Clarkson's "Since you've been gone". I liked them moderately until they did the Clarkson number. From then on out it went downhill for me. Crash Car Burn is nothing special in my book and I know a few unknown bands gigging around Cape Town who would put them to shame.
Next up was The Dirty Skirts and they kicked ass. I love this band and I got the t-shirt to prove it. It's not about the strings or the drums, it's about the lyrics and that distinct voice that churns them out. It's soulful deep lyrics song after song after song. It's the melody and beat that you feel running through your bones. The Dirty Skirts will take you on a ride through a fantasy world that can only exist in the imagination. They played songs off their lastest album "Daddy Don't Disco" as well as "On a Stellar Bender" getting the crowd clapping and singing along enjoying the magic essence that is The Dirty Skirts. I've seen this band one too many times and am close to being called a groupie so don't take my word for it; go check them out at Chevelle tonight - a chic club that's just opened up on Harrington Street, Cape Town. They're also playing at Mercury on 15 May along with the Plastics and Dario.
The Parlotones were up next and this band has probably reached stardom status in South Africa and it's pretty easy to see why. They're a flawless act, dressed up in their red and black gear with Kahn Morbee doing his crazy dance moves up and down the stage. Every song they played has had some airplay on radio stations across the country and there wasn't a single one the crowd weren't singing along to. Mr Francis, who will never admit it in public, whispered to me that he liked a couple of their songs too. He has every reason to, The Parlotones have toured the UK already and are great ambassadors of the South African music industry and what we have to offer.
aKing were up next but had to cut their set short due to time constraints. What a disappointment really cos they're a great band. Even though the crowd was quickly dispersing, heading home to snuggle up in bed, aKing's fans stayed behind and even demanded an encore - the only band that got an encore all evening. They didn't even have time to play "The Dance" - my favourite song, but they did play "Safe as Houses" which is always a crowd favourite.
Mr Francis and I limped to the car after a great evening out. Ratanga's Walled City is a nice cosy venue and I wouldn't mind seeing more concerts held there. A very well organised event all in all and I do hope to see more cool SA bands featured at FROCK 2010.
