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.
For years, Jonathan Stephen Simons and his bandmates performed under other names, but at the end of 2021, they began going by his birth name. He describes the sound as “expressively free, genuine heart music,” which sums up the style perfectly.
[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.
Cape Town-based singer-songwriter, Thandekile Maboee-Banzi Umthimkhulu Ndlebezintle Zombini Unasele, also known by his stage name Kila G, emerged on the local music scene in 2019 with his debut EP, Stone Age. His musical talent and the soulfulness of his voice have been apparent since his first release, titled ‘Green Conversations’ which he still holds to be some of his best work to date.
Full-time student, sportsman, and sound selector, Khanya Dilima, is the poster child for chasing your dreams and remaining authentic in the process. Better known as Chef KD, Khanya has spent his years at university juggling studies, varsity cricket, and perfecting his craft as a house music DJ. All the while, he has spent years intricately planning the launch of his collective — Pots and Pans — which is now in full swing.
[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.
This afro-pop soul group has been together for over a decade, but they haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of their potential. The Muffinz, a five-piece from Johannesburg, have big dreams of making it onto the international touring circuit and helping younger local up-and-coming performers to do the same.
[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.
