Review

In Review

Champion Trees Shares Autumn Songs from a Band Far from Home

October 28, 2025 No Comments

It makes sense that Champion Trees‘ latest releases feel more like autumn than spring, since they’re now singing to us from the northern hemisphere. Before most of the band moved to England in early 2023, the band had a breakout two years surrounding the release of their debut album, NOW 3000, in July 2022. We gave the album a warmly appreciative review back then, praising its Western Cape sentimentality and heartening undercurrents. It should be no surprise then that we were very excited by the release of four new singles in anticipation of a full album, “I Wear a Shirt That Says Australia” , “I Want to Sound Like a Ghost” , “Gentle, Apple, Balanced”, and “Cabbage Song”.

In Review

Shadowclub and Rising Local Acts Light Up District at Madman Mayhem

June 4, 2025 No Comments

Cape Town winters can be brutal — cold, wet, and all too good at convincing you to stay home. But the lineup on 23 May made a persuasive counterargument: layer up, step out, feel something loud. From the moment you walked into District, there was a charge in the air — not just from the hum of amps warming up, but from the crowd itself. A room full of faces, both familiar and unfamiliar, pulled together by the gravitational force of live sound. It was intimate. It was electric. It mattered.

In Review

Fokofpolisiekar Launches New Album at District with Hellcats & Cistamatic

June 18, 2024 No Comments

Doors opened at 8 PM, and by 8:10, I was contemplating my options: stay at home or venture out solo to the Fokofpolisiekar show at Foul Play. The allure of live music won, and I found myself at the venue by 8:25, beer in hand, watching a diverse crowd filter into the dimly lit space. This was my first live show in Cape Town, and attending alone made me a bit apprehensive.

In Event

Keanan Eksteen’s album launch gave us all ‘Golden Fever’

August 1, 2023 No Comments

In the heart of Cape Town’s vibrant music scene, a captivating singer-songwriter has recently set the stage ablaze with his long-awaited album launch. Keanan Eksteen, a rising star in the music industry, showcased his most recent masterpiece, Golden Fever, to a rapturous audience at one of Cape Town’s most prestigious music venues, District. The evening itself was a testament to the significance of an album launch, as fans and music enthusiasts gathered to celebrate this talented artist’s artistic journey and immerse themselves in the soulful melodies of his debut album.

In Review

blaqkongo marks Luh’ra’s EP anniversary with a smokey electro remix

July 25, 2023 No Comments

Released in July 2022, Luh’ra’s sophomore EP Nice showed off a versatile indie-soul sound, full of cymbals, sunny brass, and tender vocals. To celebrate the anniversary of its release, producer and DJ, blaqkongo, offers up a bouncy electronic reimagining of the single ‘Give It All’.

In Review

Jean-Paul Britz makes an emotional entrance with sombre debut, Cold

January 28, 2023 1 Comment

Cold is the debut release from Cape Town-based musician Jean-Paul Britz, released in December 2022. The album’s eight tracks serve as a pensive meditation, with its experimental production choices resulting in a weighty, liquid soundscape.

In Review

The Funky Bazaar delivers a night of music, mannequins, and madness

January 7, 2023 2 Comments

[Face Jackson insists on being the best dressed in a room. PHOTO: Samara McQueston]

Every other month, the SGT Pepper bar on Long Street is transformed into The Funky Bazaar — a kaleidoscope of local bands, DJs, and vendors. Offering a curated night of Cape Town artistry, The Bazaar is a labour of love organised entirely by the local band, Face Jackson.

In Review

Golden Blue offers a hypnotising marriage of guitar and electronic production

December 15, 2022 No Comments

_{[Cam Trichart performs alongside Almost Alive at The Daisy Jones Bar. PHOTO: Supplied/Golden Blue]}

Golden Blue is the solo project of Cam Trichart, a Cape Town-based musician, producer, and sound engineer. He combines a range of guitar styles with sparkly synths and electronic production to make a soundscape that is impressively cohesive.

In Review

RT Palmer’s seven-track EP showcases the intricate layers of his mind

December 11, 2022 1 Comment

Gladiolus Tristis is Aaron de Kock’s, better known as RT Palmer‘s, second official EP. This project follows his 2021 release, Amalgamate, which featured BLACACTUS. Gladiolus Tristis marks the first-ever solo project from RT Palmer and is one that he took the time to meticulously curate into the oscillating seven-part production that was released on 9 December.

In Review

The Incidentals balance bravado and nostalgia in Coming in Hot EP

November 9, 2022 2 Comments

_{[The Incidentals in Cape Town PHOTO: Die Vetman]}

Cape Town-based folk-rock group, The Incidentals, was formed in 2019 and includes former founding members of bands Chiaroscuro and The Swingsetters. Recently, this guitar, bass, and drum trio have performed at Cape Town venues such as Woodstock Brewery and café Roux.