Whether you’re a bohemian ska musician from Cape Town in a bit of a funk or a moody 90s grunge singer contemplating suicide, unplugged sets are a great way to have an intimate evening with all of your fans, and possibly a very intimate evening with one of them.

Captain Stu, one of our favourites here at The Daily Discharge, does occasionally do some unplugged sets.  Also, as you know from Kyle’s last post, Dance, You’re On Fire is down in Cape Town for the next week or so doing a bit of a tour.  They decided to team up and grace us with an unplugged session at an awesome little cafe down in Kalk Bay called Octopus’ Garden on Thursday 22 July. (Facebook event)

(Shameless self-promotion: Kalk Bay is also the setting of my upcoming novel, ‘Dirty Nights in Cuba’ – which is available in serial form at Things By Chase)

Normally I would just stick this on the gig guide and let you find it for yourselves, but this one deserves a special mention. Captain Stu unplugged is an awesome thing to see, and Octopus’ Garden is definitely worth a visit if you haven’t been there before.

The atmosphere is charming. The food is great. The beer is wet and cold. I’ve never seen Dance, You’re On Fire but from all the hubbub people are making about them I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’re probably in for a treat.  In the meantime, here is a clip of Captain Stu playing an unplugged version of their song ‘The Journey’ for Channel MK’s Unplugged series.  Geniet.

[Thumbnail image graciously stolen from One Small Change photography - thanks Debs!]

Hailing from Johannesburg (a city I’m no longer allowed to slate since we acquired a writer based there) the band describe their music as “Rock / Radicore…yes, radicore” which can be ignored in favour of the description, “a meeting point between rock ‘n roll and indie.” They impressively forgo the masturbatory self absorption found in many indie bands instead writing songs with a more radio friendly pop slant to them so those who lack the pretentious diehipsterscum mentality can actually enjoy their music. Most importantly no members of the band sport ‘Ironic’ facial hair in their press photo’s.

An irony free image

They will be heading to Cape Town for the first time since they released the music video for their single ‘Blockade’ which has has had top 10 success on university radio countrywide as well as being playlisted on 5fm and MK89. They are plotting the release of their follow up single ‘Little War’ and their full length album which they are currently recording. They will also be playing at Oppikoppi in August.

There are three scheduled gigs in over the weekend my calender refers to as week 29. On the 22nd they’ll be playing an acoustic set at the Octopus Garden in Kalk Bay alongside Captain Stu, a band who have proven their ability to play unplugged sets. Next up they’ll be playing at Mercury Live with New Holland and The Pretty Blue Guns on the 23rd and on the 24th they wrap up their tour with a gig at Aandklas in Stellies with Captain Stu and New Holland.  For clarity I’ve lazily block pasted the list below.

22 July – The Octopus Garden, Kalk Bay

+ Captain Stu – Acoustic Show (R30)

23 July – Mercury Live, Cape Town

+ New Holland and The Pretty Blue Guns (R40)

24 July – Aandklas, Stellenbosch

+ New Holland and Captain Stu (R30)

Pick a night or location convenient to you and head through.

For more info about the band check out their Facebook Page

They’ve done a live, unplugged recording, and here is a video of the performance:

From what you can see, Captain Stu deliver a melodious ska sound. But this doesn’t really convey the depth of variety that the band is capable of. Their make-up has shifted and changed as members came and went, with only bassist Ryan McArthur remaining of the original four who started Captain Stu and the Llamas in 2002.

Their style represents this, and listening to their latest album end-to-end you’ll find a range from mellow ska to new-school jazzy rock. Their live performances are electric, and very few bands inspire new listeners to dance around with the hardened fans.

Taking over on vocals after founding frontman Nick Key left for Korea, guitarist James Klopper adds a new dimension to Captain Stu’s sound. He claims that the band’s sound is in a constant state of flux, and that they all contribute their creative energies and influences, regardless of whatever those may be. James also drinks a shitload.

The Only Man Standing

Nevertheless, Captain Stu is The Business.  They play awesome jams, have a great live presence and can be seen on just about any weekend in Cape Town.  To give you a taste of some of their other music, check out the excellent video for ‘More Than Friends’:

They are just a few of the hundreds of images he took over the course of the weekend.  When he could remember which way to hold his camera. Most of these are shown as-shot, with little or no alteration.

This will (hopefully) be part one of a two-part series of images taken by extremely talented friends of mine.  We hope you enjoy them.

If you’d like to see more of Cameron’s art, you can find him at http://cameronrichards.com, or you can visit his page on facebook.

The Hogs Live at Synergy

Our crew was there to see Hogs, if we missed anything else. And despite any incapacitation or hallucinations, we trooped down to the stage to jam to our heroes.  Check out Kyle’s post to get a feel for what the pit was like.

If you weren't there, you can't understand

Being in that crowd, when you know the words and your friends are around you, is what everyone there came for. And we got it for three days solid.

The Rudimentals put on a jamming set.  Which I sadly missed, because it was 40 degrees Celsius and we were all passed out under the gazebo farm. Fortunately one of us was there to capture it.

Fokofpolisiekar were one of the most exciting bands of the weekend. Unfortunately they swapped their set with the band before them, and we got there late.  But at least we saw most of it. Francois seemed to put just about everything into that performance, and the effect on the crowd was awesome to see.

It might seem like we’re romanticising it, but we’re not. It was every bit as cool as it looks and if you missed it, you missed out.

And finally, the shot which I feel pretty much sums it up. Two crazy characters, as happy as you can imagine, streaked with sweat and dirt, popping up in front of the camera just before the shot was taken.  This is exactly how it came out, and if you want to know in an image how Synergy Live 2009 was, here it is.

Instead I provide my thoughts based on the few flashes of memory remaining after the weekend. I’ve taken this long to write this because I was trying to pull together a moderately coherent recollection to give to you, and unfortunately failed.

The weekend began at 9 on Friday morning. The cold goods were removed from the deep freeze and fridge and thrown in the car. A brief stop off was made at Spar to pick up cigs and gum, the fuel financiers were collected and ensconced in their respective seats, and  the road was hit. Excitement filled the car as we tore up the N1, stopping briefly to load 12 Kg’s of ice into the otherwise empty coolerbox.

On arrival we were greeted with a green grassed, mud free field and a murderously hot sun. We checked in through the gate and found the scouting party. Two heavily overloaded trips later and all the supplies and equipment had made it from the car to the campsite. Beers were cracked, cigs were lit and hearty congratulations were exchanged all round. After a brief flurry of activity the tents were up and more beers then consumed.

A campsite. Similar to ours but not it.

We settled in to wait out the afternoon while constantly adjusting the seating to keep the gazebo farm between us and the sun. At some point the evening fell and the first trip to the stage was made. To see… something. From here things become hazy. I’m pretty sure I saw Dirty Skirts and Zebra and Giraffe. I know I saw Flash Republic. At some point there was someone on my shoulders but I have no idea who. Flash Republic finished their set and ashamedly so did I.

The Dirty Skirts - According to time stamps

Upon waking, the first priority was boardies. The second was the river. After that the recollections fade again until someone pointed out that it was time for Hog Hoggidy Hog. Slops were exchanged for proper shoes and the dash to the stage was made. I downed my beer upon arrival in the knowledge that it would simply water the ground were it taken into the pit. Life became a fight to survive the absolute rager of a moshpit. This is what I live for. And this is what the Hogs live to provide. Life was awesome. A Rocking the Daisies hat found it’s way to my head. I assumed it belonged to a friend and took it back to the campsite with me. It didn’t. Score!

Method to the Madness

With the sun making it’s way out of the sky it was time for a last swim to wash off the dust from a day spent in the pursuit of hedonism. Shorts were swapped for jeans, T-shirts were dug out for the first time in the day and inebriation became the overwhelming goal. Once again recollections become a set of brief flashes. A ride on some vile spinning fairground ride activated my upchuck reflex and despite my best efforts a small part of the day’s hearty excess escaped.

The power went out during a set, possibly Prime Circle. It didn’t matter, good humour prevailed and the power was restored. Glowsticks were acquired, activated, broken open and sprayed everywhere. It seems chicks dig the dude spaying glowing goop around, bear that in mind for the future. In the process of spraying all of my sudden group of disciples I sprayed some in someones eyes. Seemed painful for them, avoid doing that. I also, while spraying a girl, hit her in the arm by mistake and cut her with some or other part of the stick. She seemed to take being stabbed with something full of apparently poisonous fluid better than I took having done it. Goldfish ended and a resupply run was made. Then the night became a blur of electro tent shenanigans and wanton abuse of the human liver.

The most evil machine ever made

After awakening on Sunday, a trip was made to watch Captain Stu. The crowd was dead or walking-wounded. A tour up north ending with Saturday night at Synergy seemed to have taken a toll on certain members of the band. The songs were played to a standard only slightly lower than usual, however the on-stage chatter had descended to idiocy. Most of the crowd identified with the bands’ struggles. As the set ended the realisation dawned that perhaps we had exhausted our bodies’ ability to endure abuse and it was time to give up and head home. Better people than us could give the final bands of the day the support they deserved.

"Why the fuck am I awake?"

The overall impression of the event was that it was well organised.The bands were “polished”. The weather was fucking awesome, the food was well priced, as was the merch. The crowd was young and beautiful and the vibe was relaxed. In a comparison with Rocking the Daisies, Synergy comes out as a definite winner.

Perhaps a bit harsh?

I will be there next year. So should you. Till then, there’s always Ramfest.