Metro Villa, an alt-rock four-piece from Cape Town, was formed in late 2019 thanks to a Facebook ad and a guitarist with a penchant for railroads. On the heels of the release of their debut single “Sort Yourself Out” on November 18, we caught up with the band to learn more about their musical backgrounds, inspirations, struggles, and even dream future collaborations.
Being forced to take classical piano lessons is an experience most children do not remember fondly. For Benjamin Fisher, however, this experience set him up for a journey of endless musical discovery and developing a deep love for the instrument. Almost a decade later, this solo artist now has a debut single, ‘I Don’t Need No Other’, to boast about and a new single, ‘What It Was’, due for release on 18 November.
[Matty and the Cartoon Graveyards members (from left) Wessel Krige, Matthew Carstens and Andrew Veldman at The Armchair Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre-Louise Bredenkamp]
Matty and the Cartoon Graveyards are a recently formed punk-folk group performing around Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The band’s beginnings date back to 2020, when local pop poster boy Matt Carstens was looking to move on from his solo work after a whirlwind year of touring.
[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.
[Jonathan Tait and Alex Muller of We Kill Cowboys rock District’s stage on 27 October. PHOTO: James Browning]
We Kill Cowboys is a Cape Town-based four-piece that has crawled out of long lockdown rehearsals to serve audiences a cocktail of punk, country, blues, and folk. What started as a solo project by Alex Muller, tattoo artist and co-owner of The Body Architects Tattoo and Piercing Studio, finally took to the stage in February 2021 after filling out the lineup with other local scene veterans.
[The boys from Pearl Rose (from left) Jacques Holloway, Kristiaan de Kock, Cobus du Plessis, Dirkie Joubert and Leon Kotze at the Upstairs Theatre in Stellenbosch on 18 November 2021. PHOTO: Supplied/ Pearl Rose]
Pearl Rose is a five-man rock outfit from Stellenbosch. They began playing in 2021, with shows in Cape Town at the Open Sesame Bar and closer to home at Bohemia in Stellenbosch. The band released a four-track EP titled Love At Last Sight on 28 October, which follows up their debut single ‘Can’t Live With It’ from November last year.
[Aflos take shots with the crowd at The Daisy Jones Bar in May. PHOTO: Wilné van Rooyen]
Since 2019, Aflos have been leaving a long trail of hungover mornings, lost voices and vaguely remembered nights in their wake. These pillars of the Stellenbosch nightlife have never failed to deliver unashamedly student-centred rock with a sense of humour and irresistible live energy.
Trying to describe the dynamic four-piece Yndian Mynah is a troublesome task. This instrumental band’s departure from the conventional rock sound and adoption of a more complex musical style has set them apart from all other South African rock bands.
[Francois Roux (left) and Storm Opperman (right). PHOTO: Supplied/The Stinging Rogers]
The Stinging Rogers emerged from Stellenbosch when high school friends Storm Opperman and Francois Roux began performing under the name in 2018. The pair’s latest single releases ‘Borderline’ and ‘Purgatory’ — 2021 and 2022 respectively — deliver skilful guitar work through dreamy verses and full-bodied choruses.
With her undeniable vocals, instrumental skill, eccentric aesthetic, and poetic lyricism, Ellenie Eloff makes one reminisce about legendary female musicians such as Karen O, Kathleen Hanna, and Carrie Brownstein. As the frontwoman of local four-piece, Elle E, she and her band have been making waves in the local music scene, so we thought it only fair to sit down with her and learn more about her musical journey, travels, challenges, interests, and future goals.
