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COLUMN
 Saturday Night Fever
So if Fred Durst ever does make it to South Africa, I’m going to slap
him so hard his tattoos will fall off! Cancelling their concert not once,
but twice! Bad form Freddie. Bad form. I hope Big Concerts takes them to
the cleaners. And if I didn’t like Limp Bizkit so damn much I’d burn all
their cd’s I own.
On Wednesday we went to see the opening performance of A Handful of
Keys starring Ian von Memerty and Roelof Colyn. Both performers are
not only world-class pianists, but also experts in the art of deadpan
one-liners and comedy sketches. Their show covers a wide range of musical
genres, from the classical masters to legends from the early 1900’s and
present performers. While paying tribute to the various musicians the duo
also does hilarious send-ups of the musicians. I don’t think I’ll ever be
able to listen to Bach, Mozart or Beethoven again in the same light. For
an evening of great music and laughs, this show is hard to beat.
Friday night we went to see Alvon Collision’s “To Life”
followed by a gig by the Uninclined and Freshlyground at the Obz
Café. Well, what can I say, I’ve got lots of stamina and can go all night
long… Hey, get your minds out of the gutter. This isn’t that kind of
column!
To Life starts of well enough, with Collision elegantly decked
out in a grey suit, red bow tie and piano-themed scarf. Initially he
looks, and elegantly plays the part you would expect from a musician
playing music by Sinatra and Gershwin. He also politely meets and greets
most of the people in the front row. But as the show progresses Collision
substitutes the suit jacket and bow tie for a garish waistcoat, and the
breaks between songs become longer and longer as Collision often goes off
on a tangent with his anecdotes, which at times are rather crude. Towards
the end, the show just drags on and his behaviour becomes completely
contrary to the content of the show. Collison should sing more and talk
less. Much less.
After that we headed off to the Obz Café for the Uninclined and
Freshlyground double bill. Unfortunately we were too late for the
Uninclined performance, but Freshlyground delivered another outstanding
performance of their unique blend of African Jazz and Rock music. With
band member playing bass guitar, drums, violin and the flute, it’s rather
hard to bracket their style of music. Lead vocalist Zolani Mahola has a
very friendly and engaging presence and it’s pleasure to watch them
perform.
On Saturday we checked out DaPub Underground, a new
bar/nightclub in Riebeeck St that’s only officially opening on the 17th.
Layout is basic and clean, with a large bar area, some couches, tables and
a fairly large dance area with pool tables at the back. DaPub Underground
looks very much like an unpretentious place where you can go in jeans and
a t-shirt, kick back and relax. Something I’d like to do for the remainder
of my Sunday afternoon.
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