One more year to Grunge 2.0

Well it's 2011. Time to shake off those cobwebs and get going on those schemes that will make 2011 the best year ever, right? Even if it is difficult to get off your arse if the year starts on a Saturday.
January 2011 has a special kind of excitement for us at Blind Blimp - it means one more year to Grunge 2.0. And we just can't wait.
I think we can all agree that the first decade of the 21st Century was a second 80s; where standards, taste and discretion plummeted uncontrollably into the mire. Where shock tactics took precedence over talent every time. Only in that cesspool could the horrors of Lady Gaga and the like be allowed. This past decade is forever scarred with the festering footprints of distortion, repetitive electronic beats and things that go beep. We as discerning listeners know this is just not right.
But never fear!

As were the 80s sent packing by the Seattle Grunge Army (alright, it was more like a guerilla unit formed of scruffy peasants), so will the electro-horrors of 2000-2010.
The groundwork was already being laid in 2010 with the return of the old guard: new releases by Pearl Jam and Hole, Dave Grohl returning to his drum kit and the reformation of the Stone Temple Pilots. Veterans, we salute you (a crumpled self-rolled dog-end dangling from our fingertips)!
2011 will be an exciting time, with new raw talent popping up – bands who play instruments and care about the music rather than the trends. And out of this will come a band so far ahead of the curve that a new word will have to be invented for the genius at their fingertips. We know not what is coming, simply that something is.
Yes indeed, boys and girls, 2011 will be an interesting year.

The Unshakeable Chill, Courtesy of Tings - 4 Dec 2010

The perennially cool hangout known as Tings ’n Times turned 15 on 4 December 2010 and celebrated with a mengelmoes of live acts, Afro-entertainment and, for some reason, clowns.

I could have done without the clowns.

For those not in the loop, Tings (as it is affectionately known) is a laid back bar-come-band venue in Hatfield, Pretoria. In traditional Hatfield fashion, the booze is cheap and the food (somewhat less traditionally) is excellent. But Tings is all about the vibe and it consistently hosts the best intimate live gigs this side of anywhere.

It goes without saying that its birthday would be celebrated in style. The good people at Tings expanded outside its usual borders into the back courtyard and out into the street.

The intentions were good. The evening featured the likes of Scicoustic, Kidofdoom and Boo! (Miss Chameleon made a welcome appearance), a drum circle and fire dancing in the back courtyard and the usual service with attitude. By 6 pm we had hit a level of chill that could not be shaken. It was rock solid.

This may be a good thing, because operations were not running smoothly. (The rather shaky operations did not deter the performing bands - who like most successful SA bands are good in adversity and know how to compensate for a less than stellar sound situation.) By the time Boo! appeared the sound system was in a bad way and little was still working. Miss Chameleon went as far as to say that it was Boo!’s best worst gig ever. But this hardly mattered, considering the level of placid contentment that we had reached. The Chill was unshakeable. The happiness stood strong. And only at Tings could such a thing happen.

Having had dozens of amazing gig experiences at Tings up to this point (including a stellar Boo! gig at the beginning of the year), forgiveness for the minor f*** up was readily forthcoming. We stuck around for a few more drinks, bonded with waiters and patrons – all at an equal level of Unshakeable Chill – and mosied off, still in a mild state of euphoria.

Happy birthday Tings! May there be many more!

Official intro: Riotous wondrousness, here we come

Not having participated much in the blog thus far, I thought I would introduce myself, the other half behind BlindBump, and express what our blog is all about.

I think about all the millions of bands that are out there and I panic. How many of those millions are ass-kickingly awesome and I don’t know about it – I have not heard a whisper of their riotous wondrousness. Let’s be honest, South African media – including radio, TV and magazines – does not cater for innovative, unknown or breakthrough bands – with most scraping the barrel of third album sell-outs. I wish to find these merry troops of musical genius and make them my own until they too possibly succumb to the masses. I can’t guarantee success, I can’t even vouch for my taste, but you are welcome to join me in trying to look beyond the hype, the spoon-fed masses and what the radio stations want you to hear to something different, something more, newer and up to keeping with international music trends.

Tune in to hear us rant about bands, rave about bands, review live shows, reveal upcoming acts and follow our stumbling footsteps as we attempt to find fresh acts to worship like good little band aids.

We’re new in this space so bear with us while we get up and running. We have big plans!

- V