stufftodo » Music Reviews

THAT 80’S SHOW

Editor — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:24:56 +0000

80’s music tribute show at Roxy Revue Bar

Date Friday 25 November to Saturday 14 January

Wednesday through to Saturday

Time Doors open at 20h00, curtain rises at 20h30

Venue Roxy Revue Bar

Tickets Available from Computicket

Cost R67.00

New Year’s Eve show – Saturday 31 December at 22h30, at R120 per person

Back by popular demand, Mike McCullagh’s That 80’s Show returns to GrandWest’s Roxy Revue Bar between 25 November and 14 January, Wednesday to Saturday. A special New Year’s Eve show has also been planned for 31 December.

As with the earlier run this year, the musical tribute will have the audience dancing in their seats as they’re taken on a musical, cultural and fashion tour through the 80s.

The show, set to a television studio storyline, covers artists such as U2, Cindy Lauper, The Bangles, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Queen, Whitney Houston, George Michael and many more.

The flawless vocals of Riyaan Cornelius, Lucy Holgate, and Liani Ekermans will be complemented by the wizardry of Warren Lomberg on guitar, keyboardist Denzil Thorne, bass guitarist Neil Payton, drummer Safwaan Goodenough and the talented Morgan King on Saxophone.

Doors open at 20h00 and the show starts at 20h30. Tickets are available from Computicket at R67.00 each.

The special New Year’s Eve show starts at 22h30 and costs R120.00 per person.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE ASSEMBLY

Editor — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:06:09 +0000

WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER : See You Next Wednesday ft. SFR & Charlie Juke
Doors open at 8PM | R10 Girls, R20 Boys
S.Y.N.W has parties down to a simple formula – cheap drinks and good music – served up every Wednesday by the Stone-Age Citizens and friends! This week featuring SFR and Charlie Juke (Musical Chairs JHB) with Ram Jam’s DJ Chopper and Iron Leyden plus Dynamo!

THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER : Music Network w Goodluck, Taxi Violence, Pascal & Pearce, Machineri & Louise Day
Doors open at 8PM | Free before 8:30, R40 after
Music Network brings together the industry and fans for a night of showcasing the best in the South African music scene, featuring Goodluck, Taxi Violence, Pascal & Pearce, Machineri & The Louise Day Band!

FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER : Discotheque: Musical Chairs (JHB), Jam Jarr, George Daniel, JakobSnake & Battle Beyond the Stars
Doors open at 9PM | Ladies free before 10PM. R30 before 9:45, R50 after
Discotheque imports Joburg’s Musical Chairs and squares them off against Cape Town’s live tech-hop duo Jam Jarr, backed by some of the city’s finest DJs George Daniel, JakobSnake and Battle Beyond the Stars.

SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER : Rocking The Daisies After Party with Ashtray Electric, New Holland, The Plastics, Peachy Keen & more
Doors open at 8PM | Free for RTD ticketholders, R30 for public
The Assembly hosts the official Rocking The Daisies Afterparty, with indie rockers Ashtray Electric, New Holland, The Plastics, Peachy Keen, DJ Sideshow and VGA!

WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER : See You Next Wednesday
Doors open at 8PM | R10 Girls, R20 Boys

FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER : Discotheque: P.H.fat, Richard the Third, Das Kapital, VGA & more
Doors open at 9PM | Ladies free before 10PM. R30 before 9:45, R50 after
Discotheque assembles only the most vibrant figures of the South African electro scene, and this Friday is a sterling example with bass rap trio P.H.fat, master producers Richard the Third and Das Kapital, and party starter VGA!

SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER : Miller Music Series Presents: Wrestlerish & Friends
Doors open at 8PM | More details soon
The Miller Music Series returns with the next stop on our world tour right here in Cape Town, featuring folk rockers Wrestlerish and more!

WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER : See You Next Wednesday
Doors open at 8PM | R10 Girls, R20 Boys

FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER : Discotheque: Halloween Edition w Sedge Warbler, Kennedy, Blush N Bass, Audiophile 021, Funafuji & more
Doors open at 9PM | More details soon
Discotheque delivers the tricks and treats this Halloween with a lineup that will truly knock your socks off and get you on your feet! With Sedge Warbler, Kennedy, Blush N Bass, Audiophile 021, Funafuji, the Contraband VJs and more…

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER : Halloween with aKING, City Bowl Mizers & Friends
Doors open at 8PM | More details soon
The Assembly’s Halloween Weekend continues with a night of live music by aKING, the City Bowl Mizers and friends!

WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER : See You Next Wednesday
Doors open at 8PM | R10 Girls, R20 Boys

FRIDAY 4 NOVEMBER : Discotheque & Dont Party Presents: KOAN Sound & Asa (UK)
Doors open at 9PM | More details soon
When Discotheque and Dont Party team-up, you know its a recipe for an epic night! With the UK’s KOAN Sound and Asa, plus a lineup of South Africa’s finest.

Daz – So So Gangsta

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:39:20 +0000

Daz – So So Gangsta

Some info:
	Having made an appearance with Death Row, Daz eventually moved on to bigger and better things with Tha Dog Pound where he made a name for himself as an artist with a fair degree of talent. Yet this did not satisfy a voracious appetite for fame and he eventually gave the world Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back. After some attempts at doing it solo as well as a few collaborations with the likes of Kurupt and Snoop for the recent Cali Iz Active album, Daz eventually decided to try and make his mark with his latest, So So Gansta. With Jermaine Dupri running the show, and collaborations with some acclaimed “Westside” artists (Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube) the album was set to reach some new heights for this budding rapper trying to make it into the world of “album sales”. Unfortunately for Daz So So Gangsta falls short of being a very mediocre album. Whilst some of the tracks sound good and have some serious potential, others come across as clichéd and unoriginal. One gets tired of the west vs east rivalry that led to some great music initially highlighting the feud yet starts to get tiresome after a couple of decades of the same old music. DPG Fo’ Life, Money On My Mind, and Rat a Tat Tat all scream “Westside”, whilst The One and On Some Real are hollow and very lacking in soul. Badder Than A Mutha sounds like it was an attempt on Daz’s part to make it onto the radio and although it features Avery Storm, one just feels that it is still missing something. For an artist that has been in the industry for such a long time, it is a pity that Daz’s influences remain one-sided making his latest solo attempt exactly as his title proclaims – so so.

Daniel Powter – New Edition

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:38:46 +0000

Daniel Powter – New Edition

Some info:
	James Blunt, Paulo Nutini, and Daniel Powter definitely deserve to be ranked as some of the worlds most talented contemporary singer/songwriters. All three have been making waves in countries around the world and have received many hours of play-time on international radio. Their amazing voices, quality piano riffs, and composed lyrics make them the dream of women the world over. Whilst his New Edition is by no means “new” it is nonetheless still good. The same songs as the original debut CD, the album, no doubt released through popular demand, includes a DVD with music videos and acoustic versions of some of the tracks. A nice feature of the DVD is the “live from studio A” videos that comprises Daniel playing piano and the rest of his band doing what they do best whilst in the studio. Some of the classic songs that have become extremely popular amongst fans include “bad day”, “free loop”, and “Jimmy gets high”. These renditions add a certain refined quality to the album and a certain mood that could complement just about any scenario where candles and wine are involved. Nice.

Jet – Shine on

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:38:25 +0000

Jet – Shine on

Some info:
	Whenever another English band comes onto the scene with some good guitar strings and are somewhat rock n roll sounding, people can’t help comparing them with the likes of Oasis and the Beatles. Not that these former bands weren’t excellent in their own rights, but Jet also shares some star characteristics that need to be evaluated independently. Straight off the cuff one can tell that these guys are very very British. A brief glance at the cover will reveal this fact. “Kings Horses” taken from a famous English nursery rhyme has now been used to create a really good sounding song. Who would have thought? Whilst some of their songs do sound like a bit of a toned down Liam Gallagher, they still have some qualities that are distinctly unique. Their intriguing way of blending some old sounds with some new ones like in the track “come on come on” makes for some really enjoyable listening, whilst “stand up” seems to have taken some hints from some of the older American rock n roll groups. Yet while their first album “Get Born” was met with mixed reviews, Shine On looks set to cement their position as a band that’s here to stay. A position with which the British public will be sure to benefit from.

Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:37:58 +0000

Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

Some info:
	Two greats have joined forces in order to bring the world an amazingly eclectic and well constructed album. St. Elsewhere is the collective effort of Cee-Lo (better known for his involvement in Goodie Mob), and Danger Mouse, popular international DJ. Together they go by the name Gnarles Barkley. Both have been producing music for a good many years now, and it shows. With two of the tracks off the album (St. Elsewhere and Crazy) already having been on the UK’s chart at # 1 respectively, the album has been greeted with astounding success. One could go so far to say as this album is possibly Gnarls Barkley’s biggest success to date. I don’t think that there is a club in the world that hasn’t had the song crazy played for its patrons. It was even the unofficial 2006 summer anthem in the UK. Another interesting cover is that of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone”. A bit of a surprise to hear it in the album but somehow it fits. There are also some great Motown renditions that leave one with an almost nostalgic ear. It’s an interesting album in that it mixes an eclectic array of music and does it well. With two instant hits in the UK alone, Gnarls Barkley seems set for some far greater heights. Let’s hope that St. Elsewhere will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Muse – Black holes and revelations

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:37:41 +0000

Muse – Black holes and revelations

Some info:
	Muse very rarely disappoint when it comes to quality music, and their latest release is no different. With three decent and extremely popular albums already under their belt, this UK trio decided to launch yet another album for their ever growing fan-base. Black Holes and Revelations has already seen itself reach # 1 in the UK and been rated highly by charts around the globe. The new album brings a new sound with it that is different (in a good way) to their previously recorded “Newborn”, “Origin of symmetry”, and “showbiz”. This time the album makes the listener want to get up out of the ever-present armchair and onto the metaphoric dance floor. What a pleasure. Its harmony to the ears with ‘starlight’ and ‘supermassive black hole’ making a clean break from the usual pop one hears on the radio whilst ‘soldier’s poem’ makes for another great ballad. Its hard to choose good songs out of an all-round great album. Muse have certainly managed to surpass their former glories and set themselves with a difficult task in outdoing their current status as chart toppers and trend setters in the future.

Paolo Nutini – These streets

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:37:20 +0000

Paolo Nutini – These streets

Some info:
	Haggis, Tony Blair, and now Paolo Nutini seems set to be Scotland’s next biggest export. This youngster emerging out of the land of Black pudding seems set to melt a good many hearts with his debut album entitled These Streets. With an amazing voice and well constructed lyrics he manages to make a good show of it too. Not too mention that singer/songwriters have always carried a greater, somewhat more romantic view about them walking the mean streets armed only with their guitars and singing about all that they see. But when it comes to quality music that doesn’t let you down, Paolo Nutini is a name thats becoming more and more spoken in the right circles. His music is almost poetic and his ballads carry a poignancy that has become sorely lacking in modern songwriting. Track number two, ‘last request’ is especially good and looks set to break its way into some international charts. But don’t take my word for it, hear it for yourself and make sure to clear some space in your music collection for this rising star.

P. Diddy – Press Play

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:36:56 +0000

P. Diddy – Press Play

Some info:
	By following the instructions (i.e. pressing play) one gets to hear the all new P. Diddy/ Puff Daddy/ Sean Combs latest. Artist turned producer turned artist. With his new networking skills and popular name, Combs has pulled out all the stops and attempted to make a seductively compelling hip hop album. He has managed to join forces with a whole host of great names like Christina Aguilera, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Brandy and Nas to name but a few. A very talented individual that joins forces with other talented individuals can only create a very talented set of songs. An entertainer through and through, Combs was also the executive producer of the album which enabled him to give it his own personal touch. Many of these songs will definitely be making their way onto dance floors the world over, and if past successes are anything to go by, he’ll probably win some awards too. I’m sure there will be a lot more people “pressing play” to P. Diddy’s new album.

JJ Cale and Eric Clapton – Road to Escondido

stufftodo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:36:26 +0000

JJ Cale and Eric Clapton – Road to Escondido

Some info:
	Two guitaring legends come together in The Road to Escondido – the latest compilation between Eric Clapton and JJ Cale. The album itself stands testament to their legendary greatness whereby they have achieved an all round compelling yet laid-back album. The songs which have been recorded and performed by both Cale and Clapton are consistent and poignant in their prose and performance. It’s the kind of music that leaves one reminiscing about days gone by or indeed about times that are yet to be. Certain songs seem to venture into Country and Western territory which adds a certain quality to the music and enhances the timeless air that the album exudes. Perfect for relaxed Sunday listening.