THE HIVES

The Hives will no doubt satisfy long-standing fans with music ranging from their early albums Barely Legal (1997) and Veni Vidi Vicious (2000) to Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004), The Black and White Album (2007) and their most recent Lex Hives (2012).

Catapulting them to international rock status with hits like ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’, ‘Main Offender’, ‘Supply And Demand’ and ‘Die’, ‘Alright!’ off of Your New Favourite Band (a compilation of songs from Barely Legal, VVV and the A.k.a I-D-I-O-T EP). The Hives made lovers of garage-rock sit up and take notice. Tyrannosaurus Hives gave birth to tracks ‘Walk Idiot Walk’, ‘Two-Timing Touch & Broken Bones’ and ‘A Little More For Little You'; and The Black and White Album shook the airwaves with its hit single ‘Tick Tick Boom’!

Knowing they still had so much awesomeness to share with the world, the 12-track compilation Lex Hives was released in 2012 on The Hives’ own label, Disques Hives. Lead single ‘Go Right Ahead’ moved the band into glam-punk territory and was met with rave reviews and huge airplay.
 
 

SKUNK ANANSIE

Reunited after an eight-year hiatus, Skunk Anansie have ‘come home’, says lead singer Skin. Along with band members Ace (guitar), Cass Lewis (bass) and Mark Richardson (drums), Skunk Anansie have rekindled the feeling and soul of their previous work to continue the distinctive and dynamic sound that has made them the award-winning music force they are today. Skunk Anansie will get feet stomping and crowds jumping with their versatile range of hits from multi-platinum albums Paranoid And Sunburnt (1995), Stoosh (1996) and Post Orgasmic Chill (1999). Fans will remember singles like ‘Brazen’ (Weep), ‘Hedonism’ (Just Because You Feel Good), ‘Weak’ and ‘Secretly’.

Newer music off their albums Wonderlustre (2010) and Black Traffic (2012) combines Skunk Anansie’s trademark raw rock riffs, deep funk, frenetic drum-work and lush vocals with more confidence and maturity. Singles ‘My Ugly Boy’, and the gothic, slow-burning ‘My Love Will Fall’ have reinforced their status as one of rock’s most innovative, passionate and soulful bands.

Skunk Anansie will also be releasing their first-ever live acoustic album; the as-yet-untitled collection will be released in September this year, just in time for Vodacom in the City and Rocking the Daisieshttp://rockingthedaisies.com/

Boys Noize

Making music for over half his lifetime, Alex Ridha, well-known to the world of electronic music as Boys Noize, has graced some of the world’s biggest stages performing alongside huge industry names. An undying work ethic and motivation to take electronic music to the next level on a global scale, Boys Noize has remixed and produced the biggest names in the global music world such as Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, Feist, Santigold, Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg and Skrillex and is known for his innovative sound.
 
 

Alt-J

Gwil Sainsbury, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Thom Green met during their student days at Leeds University. They formed Alt-J in 2007 and have since taken deeper strides into the high ranks of Britain’s indie culture. The quartet released their debut album ‘An Awesome Wave’ in May 2012 and triumphantly accepted the British Barclaycard Mercury Prize for their efforts. From Australia to Belgium, France, Ireland and the USA ‘An Awesome Wave’ has put Alt-J at the forefront of indie rock and with nominations at the Brit Awards 2013 for Best British Group, Best British Album and British Breakthrough, the band has only teased us with a sample of their true potential.

COMPETITION

 
To win a double ticket to this incredible one-night show, follow all three steps:
 

 
The winner will be announced Wednesday 18 September at 17h00.

Relevant links:

In the City
Webtickets
Facebook
Twitter: @InTheCityJHB

Vuyiswa Mutshekwane, better known as Vie among Joburg’s cool kids, is a radiant young woman who owns the boutique store Twenty Two, situated on the colourful strip of Juta Street, Braamfontein. Another brainchild of Vie’s is Fashion Fridays: a monthly event held at Twenty Two where fashion, art, music and a fashion crowd collide to create a vibey scene.

Words: Saint-Francis Tohlang

Photography: Vie Mutshekwane

Braamfontein has become the artsy capital of Johannesburg; it’s grungy, it’s energetic, it captures the hustle and bustle of Jozi and it’s home to what could be referred to as the city’s cultural underbelly. Braamfontein is a fitting example of a space that breathes life into the CBD; it is an evolving ecology where a cultural movement is taking shape, a cultural movement not yet identifiable or easily clustered into definitive qualities. An initiative like Fashion Fridays adds to this growing cultural movement, where fashion, art and music are digested into a packaged lifestyle.

I went along keenly to check out the hype surrounding Fashion Fridays, questioning whether this was just another pseudo attempt at creating an alternative scene, pretentious by nature and vulgar in its attempt to be different. I anticipate the nauseating fashionistas blabbing about the latest fashion trends or the iconic vintage girl sporting a brown ensemble. But I arrive only to be met by a completely honest vibe. Honest in the way everything just feels authentic.

It’s a cosy store, modest in its dimensions with a distinctly African feel. It’s not an African feel that screams African kitsch. The soft lighting and the warm colours of the walls invite one into the space. There is just that fine ambient sound that makes one feel chilled and at ease. Vie welcomes all the guests with a personal touch encouraging them to browse around and have a drink in the courtyard. The clothing catches the eye and I enquire whether the brands are all South African. I am assured that all pieces are local and lekker.

I chat with Vie, who explains that Fashion Fridays is a representation of ‘the new Joburg’. Vie goes on to say, ‘Joburg is no Sandton City, it’s about being on the street’. Street culture or not, Fashion Fridays works. DJ Okapi, who is proud to strictly play vinyl, is the resident DJ of Fashion Fridays. After stints as a resident in Marvel on Long Street and playing in places like the popular Kitcheners (around the corner from Twenty Two) he has happily found a place whose appeal is in being unique. His selection is different, opting for a more soulful feel. One would swear that this white boy is a child of the soul era. He changes it up with some local eighties pop and funky township jive – just to remind us that we are still firmly rooted in the New York of Africa. It’s an appreciative crowd, moving to his beats, refreshed by some golden oldies and surprised by his musical cues that prompt a shared revisit down memory lane.

The courtyard is where everyone congregates, mingling in the icy weather. Conversation is healthy, ranging from municipal political campaigns, the practicality of suede shoes in Cape Town, toilets (overheard), Lady Gaga and everything and anything one can eavesdrop. Vie is proud that Fashion Fridays attracts a diverse crowd ranging from rugged artists to some wrinkled tannies who still have a liking for happenings. I ask Vie who is most likely to be found at Fashion Fridays. Very tongue in cheek she responds: ‘the cool kids of course’. She elaborates to say that Fashion Fridays are for those who are fashion forward, appreciate innovative things, celebrate local talent and embrace an ‘alternative African lifestyle’ (whatever that means).

I leave Fashion Fridays relieved that it was a breath of fresh air. I have claimed it as a piece of my Joburg, a monthly experience of nightlife retail shopping. It’s all a visual dialogue sparked by the colourful decor, the wayward outfits, catchy pieces and the funk that is abound; all to be revisited, and reinvented next month at Twenty Two.