As we previously mentioned, Vodacom In the City is going to feature some massive artists such as The Hives and Skunk Anansie and more. We were fortunate enough to snag a very brief chat with them this morning as a precursor to the calm before the storm…
Skunk Anansie
The Hives
Skunk Anansie have enjoyed a steady serving of hits through the years. The British alternative quartet are known for an angry and sometimes sombre sound. The band concur that they are always evolving and they do not try to reproduce their sound as people get bored of it. Guitarist, Ace said, “If you look at your favourite bands of all time, they are always the ones with the most diversity in their music…we have managed to carry our old fan base and a new fan base.”
Band vocalist, Skin also commented by saying that some bands make the same albums but with them you will never find them doing the same thing over and over again. Skunk bassist Cass Lewis is pleased to be back in South Africa. “The last time we were here was 97. I know that because the last time that I was here, I bought a sticker from Soweto and I put it on my bass amp. Yesterday I was sound checking and I looked at it and it said ‘Soweto 97′,” he proudly stated.
Skin is definitely somebody who goes against the grain. She is a black female rocker so I pondered if she faced much adversity as a result. She said, “We don’t get the same levels of press, we don’t get the same levels of respect (as other bands) in England… Racism is there to keep you in place and stop you getting further. We have always had an attitude of the harder it seems to do something, the more we are going to fight for that and the better we are going to get.”
The Hives have also enjoyed an illustrious career and are famous for their infectious upbeat sound, matching suits and they hail from Sweden. Frontman Pele Almqvist said that as a band they experienced many strange and weird incidents over the years. “I remember Niklas jumping over a drum kit and pulling out the cable for the stage lighting. I remember falling on stage and getting a concussion. Once Vigilante was attacked before a show and had to perform lying down.”
The band exclaimed that amongst the best feelings in the world is when they can hear the crowd going crazy before a show. They also really enjoy when there are performances which begin with boos and it ends with them (the audience) standing on their seats.
Almqvist said that before he got here, he suspected that South Africa felt similar to Australia and now that he is here (even though for a short time)… he believes his suspicions to be correct. That being said they are a cheerful bunch of lads with immense talent.
Make sure you hit Vodacom In the City if you are in Joburg. It is going to be a musical blowout with some out of this world performances.
