The first thing I saw was a pink drink and a pile of scavenger hunt cards. Not the usual start to a Cape Town music launch, but Pretty Loud has no interest in doing things the usual way. On 7 August, co-founders Erin Elliot and Amy Tjasink — two women with the resumes and stage presence to back it up — introduced their new women-centred music collective with The Pyjama Party. Invite-only, unapologetically femme, and designed to feel like the sleepover of your dreams, it doubled as a statement of intent: the future of music in this city is collaborative, not competitive.
That intent was everywhere, from the photobooth to the temporary tattoos and on-site piercings supplied by The Piercery to the Cream Creative Agency dancers who opened the night like they were cutting a metaphorical ribbon. It wasn’t just fun for the sake of fun; it was a deliberate inversion of the industry’s oldest trick — pitting women against each other. The room was full of musicians, producers, DJs, and fans who might otherwise have been kept in their own lanes. By the end of the night, people who’d arrived as strangers were swapping numbers, plotting collabs, and trading compliments like they were currency.
The lineup was stacked. Mila Smith’s set — equal parts stand-up and powerhouse vocals — broke the ice instantly. Tjasink, performing as her alter ego Rebel Bunny, brought a dose of attitude, while Erin Elliot’s punk rock set came with the kind of raw energy that instantly reminds you of listening to Avril Lavigne on your CD player. Her duet with Sophia Frank was a goosebump moment that felt so unapologetically fierce. Anica Kiana had the room singing “Kiss Me Hard” back to her word-for-word, before Paxton closed the live portion with “So High,” her butter-smooth vocals leaving the crowd on a high of their own. Dani B’s DJ set kept it rolling with throwback beats until late.
Aesthetically, Pretty Loud nailed it. The venue was dipped in pink, pulling from Y2K sleepover vibes without falling into cliché. It was Instagrammable, sure, but also intentional — a space built for women to take up space, loudly and joyfully.
Cape Town’s music scene doesn’t suffer from a lack of talent; it suffers from a lack of infrastructure that nurtures it equitably. We’ve all heard the tired excuse from bookers — there just aren’t enough women who bring the vibe. One night at Pretty Loud made that argument obsolete. This roster alone could carry a festival stage.
And just four days later, the collective made their next move: announcing the launch of Pretty Loud memberships. The first 50 sign-ups join an exclusive founding members club — a clear signal that Elliot and Tjasink aren’t interested in one-off moments. They’re building a sustainable network, a community, with a dream that women in South Africa won’t just be part of the music industry, we’ll define it.
Pretty Loud isn’t just a collective, it’s a fully-fledged music powerhouse. Operating as an active studio, they offer everything from full-scale music production and writing camps to radio plugging, playlist pitching, rehearsal space and the countless behind-the-scenes steps that turn a dream into a career. Members get more than just community; they gain access to industry know-how, artist development guidance, and special events designed to sharpen skills and open doors. It’s the kind of all-in-one support system that ensures women in music aren’t just creating songs — they’re building sustainable, standout careers.
If The Pyjama Party was the first chapter, the membership model is the engine that turns it from a brilliant night out into a lasting cultural force. At this rate, Cape Town’s live music calendar is about to get, in every sense, pretty loud.
