Obsessie met Als, Woodstock Mafia and Saintfearless gig review

By SuzCruz

(Sorry it is a bit late, we here at Cape Town Music Scene was , and still is, just a bit swamped)

I didn't quite have my party hat on when I ventured into the Turtle on Saturday evening. It
was miserable enough outside to send the most hardened party animal into hibernation
mode. I considered bailing out but the call of duty was louder than the urge to stay in.
Knowing nothing about the bands on offer made it a tad more challenging, but I was up for
the experience.

Rushing to make it to the start of the show on time, I get to the venue and there are no
queues! One of the bands posted on their Facebook a status post suggesting a sold-out
show. Getting inside you assume it's only the band members and their BFF's hanging
around awaiting their turn. Back in the day I wouldn't hit the streets before at least 11pm!
My fears were dashed when I spotted bodies drizzling in through the doors, right on time.

Although I probably should not say this out loud, I'm partial to rock & roll and all the
trimmings that come along with it. The bands on show were the perfect example of what
this embodies.

The styles were distinctive, the personalities different, but the general consensus was that
they were going to play their hearts out, and they delivered.

First on the menu was melodic rock outfit called Saintfearless. They were confident, cocky
and very charismatic, belting out their set with great pizzazz. The energy they exude is
infectious. Conventional Lovesong and Dry Your Eyes were of the favourites. Lights were
dimmed for their instrumental making it feel like I was witnessing something U2-esque or
The Killers – like, and the audience got to stretch their vocal chords during Tango Tango.
Don’t worry if you find yourself watching the band thinking you have double vision. There
is a set of twins (and no it’s not Locknville) and one of them isn’t afraid to take his shirt off.
Fortunately enough - and by sheer accident might I add - I was able to catch up with the
lads before they hit the stage. Kelvin - keyboards and vocals - elatedly informed me of their
OppiKoppi experience earlier this year which was clearly a highlight. One would consider
this a great honour as it is one of the ultimate outdoor South African music festivals. They
even managed to pull off playing at Zula Bar's opening weekend extravaganza on both
evenings! If I am to believe Kelvin, their new single due to hit SA's airwaves later this year,
will blow your brains out and rocket up the charts. He sounded very convincing and I am
inclined to believe him!

Photo's : Elsibe McGuffog  of hy-se-sy-se.com 


Saintfearless consists of: Kieron Brown - Vocals, Guitar; Paul Fairbrother - Guitar; Kevin
Mercuur - Bass; Cody Meyer - Drums, Vocals; Kelvin Pelvin - Keys, Vocals

Obsessie Met Als was on next, keeping the momentum of the evening going. Performing
tracks such as Klippe Kou, Kom Saam and Oggend Vissie from their 2010 release, Splinter
Nuwe Moeilikheid, which they are currently promoting. They are a modern rock outfit
from Paarl who formed in 2007 and still proving their metal. Their style is reminiscent of
something that reminds me of “Bellville Rock City”. We were treated to a sing-a-long of
a song about dancing around in someone's stomach. Whilst trying to figure out exactly
what that meant, we kept on stomping about. They've shared the stage with the likes of
Fokkofpoliesiekar, AKing, and Heuwels Fantasties - bands which compliment their style
perfectly. Again, I was lucky enough to be able to chat with the trio in the aftermath of

their performance. By their own admission being an Afrikaans Rock band, it's difficult
to escape comparisons to the aforementioned bands, especially Fokof, but they draw
inspiration from bands such as Paramore and White Lies. What impressed me about
meeting them in person was how humble and professional they came across. To me it
suggests you'll still see their names on set lists for many years to come.

Photo's - Vetman Design and Photography

OMA members are: Heinriech Voslchenk - Drums, Pierre van der Naam - Guitar and Vocals,
and Evan Scheepers on Bass.

As the evening progressed I started to ponder exactly how big the boulder was I'd been
living under. Why have I not come across any of these bands before?

Enter Woodstock Mafia who exploded onto the stage despite the faltering number of heads
in the venue. Had the faders known what those of us who chose to remain behind would
be witness to, they may have made an effort to linger for longer. The head bobbing and foot
stomping continued. The Mafia enjoy what they do and like their fellow artists on show
they impressed with their execution of hits in a grunge-rock sound. I was especially taken
with Dance on Cars.

Upon leaving I came across a flyer of a pending release of their debut album. Do I smell an
album launch?!

Photo's : Elsibe McGuffog  of hy-se-sy-se.com 


The band consists of Joe Theron - Lead Vocals and Guitar; Nick van Rensburg - Lead Guitar,
Vocals Owen Ingarfield - Drums and Ryan Matthews - Bass

Thoroughly impressed with how the evening played out and what I witnessed I was happy to
retire to my humble abode knowing that there are still great things out there to discover.

Heed my words - remember these names and go support them at venues near you, ‘cause
this is surely going to happen and you won't want to admit that you missed out.