A band like Face Jackson was never going to bow out quietly. One of the first bands featured on Let’s Get Local, their farewell gig was a full-throttle farewell to eleven years of music between best friends.
Kicking off the night at The Armchair Theatre was Cape Riot. Their sound can be hard to pin down – sliding between grunge, hardcore, and metal influenced instrumentation with frontman Joshua Swannepoel’s vocal range enabling both melodic highs and dirty growls. Having them as an opening act can feel like a bit of a cold start, but if you aren’t loosened up and ready for the night ahead after their unhinged cover of LMFAO’s ‘Shots’, then you never will be.
True to form, Metro Villa delivered an energetic, infectious rock set that had the crowd shedding jackets and leaping into the fray. They pulled Face Jackson’s ‘Jimmy’ Vincent on stage to end their set with a cover of ‘Rock and Roll Queen’, a perennial sing-along that never fails to get the crowd on your side.
Karel Bester en die Kraaines band were in their element amid an already-energised crowd filled with Afrikalt musicians and friends. It was frantic, guitar-licking chaos – just another Friday for Die Kraaines. Keep an eye out for their gigs over the last half of the year where they’ll be selling limited edition merch in the buildup to their debut studio album release in December.
Face Jackson’s set was pure party. They ditched their usual shirtless look for nun habits, which did nothing to hamper frontman Riccardo De Naya’s iconic stage presence. The crowd was equally committed – waving hand-written signs (a particularly cheeky “I skipped therapy for this!” caught our eye), unleashing confetti cannons, and hoisting balloons taped with photos of the band.
Oh, right, and did we mention that the band ditched their habits and played the last song basically naked? Guess you just had to be there. Serious congratulations to Face Jackson for delivering a well-earned and heartfelt last hurrah.
