Barleycorn Line-Up Monday 29 October 2012
Barleycorn News
LOCAL ESCAPE
Johan van Niekerk started playing guitar at age 14. His earliest musical influences include Credence Clearwater Revival and The Rolling Stones and he has also played in a band covering the music of The Shadows and The Ventures. Over the last 13 years, he has played in various rock line-ups and in venues accommodating more than 1,800 people and has performed more than 500 times. Although he is largely self-taught he has also been tutored and influenced by Richard Pryor (Boulevard Blues / Pebbleman) and Morne van der Merwe (an in-demand performing and session guitarist). After seeing Boulevard Blues perform a few years ago, his love for the blues was re-ignited and led to the formation of Local Escape.
Local Escape is a blues rock band that covers the great blues standards and
also plays original material. It consists of Johan van Niekerk (guitar &
vocals), Jason Reinecke (guitar & vocals), Colin Gordon (bass) and Johan
Bosman (drums).
They have successfully entertained fans at Die Boer, Dorpstraat Teater, Plaasteater,
The Jolly Roger, Mercury Live and at private functions. The band members
share a
passionate love for the blues and count as their main influences John Mayall,
Eric Clapton, J.J. Cale, Joe Bonamassa, Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix. We welcome Local Escape for
their first appearance at the Barleycorn and hope they have a great performance!
TRENTON & FREE RADICAL
With his feet firmly planted in African soil, Trenton Birch has a global musical sensibility. Having done his time in London developing the distinct sound and conscious lyrics of his reggae-infused Afro-beat band, Trenton and Free Radical, his return to Cape Town is a major score for the South African live music scene. Birch believes there’s a revolution afoot. A tidal wave of changing attitudes; around the way people think about their world, their responsibility towards each other, the planet, and the type of music that’s being churned out.
Trenton and
Free Radical is a musical partnership between Birch and writing collaborator
Marco Wielander, is evidence of this revolution. Ibiza-raised Marco is a
studious musician who is never without his guitar; having played with the likes
of Roots Manuva and Killa Kella, he’s developed unique techniques for laying
down tracks, sampling, and layering, giving their music a distinctively
individual character. Their sound—seductive, acoustic, urban—elegantly marries
catchy tunes with meaningful lyrics. Their songs have the energy and impact of
anthems, their words pack meaning and their rhythms are ones you can’t help
bopping to.
Birch says he’s disgusted by apathy. Pay attention, and you find yourself
intellectually engaged; they’re stoking awareness, activating listeners.
They’re not radical in a purely political sense, but Birch is a poet with
something to say, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. The band sings about
war, about social injustice, about love; and they sing the praises of heroes
like Mandela, offering thoughts on making the world a better place.
Before setting of for the UK,
Birch was prominent on the local music scene as part of electro-rock band
Anti-Gravity which opened for South African performances by both The Prodigy
and Faithless. Whilst in Europe, Birch
promoted Johnny Clegg, and headed up the African hip-hop website / label
Afrolution and ran the record label Black Mango Music which helped launched
Goldfish internationally.
Birch and Wielander are joined by local bassist Thabo Mobo, Keyboard Player
Clem Carr (Rudimental, The City, Little Kings) and drummer Ruby Crowie, filling
out their live sound as they constantly strive for a richer, more authentic,
local flavour. As Birch puts it: “Although we started playing in London, our sound and
inspiration was always from the African continent—this is where my roots lie.”
Mobo has played with, amongst other bands, Ill Skillz, Archetypes,
ShapeShifting and Calabash, and leapfrogs between hip-hop, funk, jazz, and soul
house. Swartz, whose roots are in gospel, has also worked in diverse genres,
from jazz and rock/ska to hip-hop and hip-hop metal crossover. He’s played at
all the country’s major festivals, recorded locally, and toured
internationally.
Free Radical delivers honest beats—although there are diverse influences,
including hip-hop and electro, the result is sufficiently distinctive and edgy
to evoke a sense of being unique, avoiding tired genre labels. Theirs is a
contemporary African sound with universal appeal, and the muscle to unite
divergent tastes. It’s revolutionary music geared to ignite dance-floors while
exploding our thinking.
DIGBY AND THE LULLABY (previously
DieselVanilla)
Digby and The Lullaby are the indie singer-songwriting duo that’s stirring
hearts all over South Africa.
Although their musical partnership spans just two years, Rouchelle Hubsch and
Darren Digby Peens have already been hailed by their growing collection of fans
as a match made in heaven.
On piano and lead vocals, Rouchelle Hubsch plays and sings with a haunting
depth of emotion that far surpasses her young age. As an only child, Rouchelle
found the piano a profoundly rewarding companion, and has been writing songs
since she was seven. Now just twenty one, Rouchelle has already written over 60
songs, and caught Darren’s attention at the Kingfisher FM Do you Rock original
music competition.
On guitar and backing vocals, Darren Peens fell in love with music when he was
just 6 years old. Darren then got his first taste of ‘rock stardom’ as
guitarist in Eminent Child: a band that found relative success in South Africa and Europe.
These days, armed with a Dictaphone a note pad and an acoustic guitar, Darren
never stops creating.
Collectively influenced by anyone with a great song, Digby and The Lullaby
thrive on intimate performances. They love small venues. “It makes our
connection with the audience so real and tangible,” smiles Rouchelle. “It’s
also really helping us gauge which songs to put on our album,” adds Darren.
Digby and The Lullaby have just finished tracking their debut album in New York with producer
Kieran Kelly (Sufjan Stevens, Angus and Julia Stone) and are aiming for an
Easter release.
Although they ultimately want to grow their audience, and are currently working
to express their music through film and television as well, they like the idea
of keeping their live performance roots in theatre.
Live performances to date include shows at Seabrooke’s Theatre in Durban, The
Chaplin at Uptown Theatres in Port Elizabeth, Googies in New York and an
invitation to play at the prestigious Hilton Arts Festival in Durban two years
running – where extra seating had to be put in after their first performance.
Ralph Piaden (the Fleur du Lys’ theatre manager) commented that they were ‘the
most complimented act’ in his theatre throughout the festival.
Goosebumps, standing ovations, and an audience moved to tears are not uncommon
at Digby and The Lullaby shows - So a fine way in which to finish off the
evening!