SA bands in Berlin bash
Four South African bands performed a showcase at one of Europe’s biggest music trade shows and conferences, Popkomm, which was held in Berlin two weeks ago.
The venue was the intimate and gothic Duncker Club in arty East Berlin. The bands were Lark, Harris Tweed, Josie Field and Cassette. The showcase formed part of the South African Music Export Council’s exhibition at Popkomm.
Surprisingly or rather encouragingly, there was much hype around the SA showcase and the venue was packed with international promoters, journalists and publicists. Our bands did not disappoint.
First up was the duo Harris Tweed (and this time I’m gonna get it right). They’re so cute you wanna wrap them up and give them to your 5-year-old daughter as a present. They have a beautiful take on pop music and are extremely talented.
Josie Fields was up next. She did an unplugged set with top rock guitarist, Kevin Leicher, who also plays with Plum and Arno Carstens. Her performance was captivating and intense. She is alluring with her grunge-ish angst.
Lark’s even darker take on Siouxsie and the Banshees really suited the Berlin underground night club . Their theatrical performance went down a storm.
Then it was time for Cassette, whose five members impressively managed to squish onto the small stage. And again lead singer, Jon Savage, managed to out-weird everyone with his enigmatic performance. They ended with the Springbok Nude Girls classic, Bubblegum on My Boots. The crowd loved everyone and it was a beautiful night for South African music. It felt good to be a South African so far away from home.
Naturally, the SA camaradarie among the bands extended way into the night with Jägermeister shooters a-plenty.
But even better was the fact that every band was approached by an agent or a promoter for further work in Europe. Harris Tweed even impressed the Japanese promoters who had come to see them.
This is the fourth time that South African bands have showcased at this all-important music trade fair and, finally, we are seeing a breakthrough. This is further proof that consistent showcasing at events like Popkomm is good for our music industry.
Via Tonite
