Passenger launched their first full length album on Friday night, in a very classy and high-budget event at The Speaker Box, Gateway. In case you haven't heard of them yet, they're one of Durban's hottest bands and were a very close second place in last year's Burn The Bands competition.

We were treated to some superb lighting, fantastic sound and even a two meter high projection behind them, which alternated between showing the live performance and awesome music-video style effects created by Kablooey! design studio. It's great when a band puts extra effort into their presentation and attention to detail on an album launch, especially when it's backed by outstanding musical ability.

As for the album, it's been on my shopping list for ages and it is an absolute winner. The production is clean, the songs are amazing and it just screams class from every direction. I would say they are influenced by international acts such as Muse and Chevelle, with a bit of local attitude thrown in for good measure. The songs have got great original riffs, catchy hooks and are a delicate balancing act between clean singing and hard rock.

What more could you want? What more can I say? I love it. Catch them at Chiltern Park this Friday with Misled, Sibling Rivalry and The Rising End; or main stage, Thursday night at Splashy Fen!

Check the links section on the right hand side for their website.