drums, beats and brutal fruit slushies

so, its 11.15 on a sunday night, and i still feel a little bit sore after yesterdays adventures. my neck is insanely painful and stiff, and i have no idea what i can attribute this pain to. there isnt even a skanky story behind it. i think it was from all the tres cool head nodding i was doing and the drinks i was throwing back, who knows. oh, incase you didnt get the memo, was in stellenbosch yesterday hanging with good friends, listening to good music, and drinking a lot of beer.

so got there at around 11, just in time to catch 3rd World Spectator, who i think are from stellenbosch. okay, if you havent heard of this band (which is not unlikely), then make a plan to check them out. saw them at zula once last year, and they had this uncanny resemblence to muse, and yesterday just confirmed my thoughts. the sound isnt too muse-y, but the lead singer, peter something, has the most incredible vocal range i have ever heard come out of a sober, uninjured man. i kept thinking that he was like matt belamy of muse fame, but then realised that he is even better than matt belamy himself, and that dear matt must pull himself towards himself and watch out for this guy and his band. why they arent more out there is beyond me. i guess only those who have their fingers on the pulse of whats happening know about this band (all 1 218 of us)

there was some time to kill before the bands that we really wanted to see were playing, so this time was filled with chit chat, bottles of wine and cups of beer. arrived at tollies to swim through a sea of jocks, which is a hobby that i sincerely love, but we were there for the tunes and to perve on hot musicians, which is a hobby that i really do love ;) caught the end of some band called Black Market Riot, who i really didnt like and didnt understand. the only thing i enjoyed about them was the hot guitarist...yup, that was about it.

New Holland then pulled me out of my awkward confusion/misery. k, i only have one issue with this band, and its the lead singers hair. i dont know what it is, but i just want to pull at it and slap him in the face. argh!!!! its one of those things that you have to see for yourself. HOWEVER, hair issues aside, this band really is phenomenal and a whole bunch of fun. a light hearted, thoroughly enjoyable performance. they remind me of a cross between arctic monkeys and the fratelli's, which are both bands that i enjoy, so there really is no reason to hate on New Holland. oh, the one thing that the lead singer had that i did enjoy was his sweet guitar. it was so pretty and shiny, and somewhat sparkly. me likes.

then it was Ashtray Electric, the musical loves of my life, and as per usual they did not disappoint. perhaps im slightly biased, but this band is some other kind of cool, and have such a unique sound that they aptly refuse to compromise on. they stay true to themselves and to the art of creating something magical. *sigh* i always just picture them playing small, intimate gigs to a tres cool crowd who are all there for the love of music and red wine. i personally dont think massive gigs suit them-intimate, velvet underground-esque performances are what i see in their future. but maybe im just being selfish. the one issue i did have was that the drums were a bit loud, and drowned out andre's voice a bit. but otherwise, a stellar performance.

now, foto na dans is slowly becoming my new fave band. what an electric performance, but like seriously. if one could bottle energy and sell it, i would want their specific brand. they sing in afrikaans, so naturally i dont really know what on earth they are singing about, but that doesnt even matter when they perform. apart from the fact that musically they are not too bad, and that they are not painful to look at at all, its their energy and presence that just does it for me, and if you're one looking for an electrical performance, then they are for you. i think thats why my neck hurts, i was jumping around a lot and 'head banging' (and whilst 'head banging', i wished i had hair on my head so that i could swish it around). i think i even jumped into someone...awkard.

im not even going to go into the dirty skirts. i will say this though, please look excited when performing on stage-all the younger bands did, what makes you so special. the lead singer, jeremy, was the only one who seemed excited to be doing what he was doing. it seems that there is a trend, that once you make it on the 5fm playlist, you have the right to not be passionate anymore. yeah...no.

so after all that, the night went on and on, and a lot of jamming and shit talking was done. ended up at rock room once again ingratiating myself into this culture that i really have nothing to do with, drinking tequila and somehow got conned into half a shot of stroh rum. dont ask. there are photos somewhere, and one or 2 will be put up for all to see.