The Arrows are a spellbinding trio from Durbs that, for lack of a more inventive phrase, are seriously awesome. They bring a fresh sound and incredible talent to the stage in a very unassuming and fun-loving manner. I remember during their set at Burn, the lead singer and bassist transitioned into a little dance routine that had them jamming together like two characters from a musical.

It's this attitude that really shines through their songs: a happy, friendly and uninhibited vibe that infects the audience like a care-bear stare.

Jacob Zuma has lost his machine gun, and he sings about it at every opportunity. Until now you may have only caught snippets of the song "Umshini Wami" on the news, and felt that you were missing out on a crucial part of history by not knowing this fine composition.

Luckily, I've managed to trace down the words and an MP3 of Umshini Wami, so you can sing along when they incorporate it into our national anthem next year! It goes a little something like this:

The master is back by popular demand, playing to a full house crowd at Catalina Theatre on Wilson's Wharf. He's still doing some amazing guitar magic, but with a slightly different twist to his set - it's more accessible, with a few extra upbeat numbers, including a new track called "D.I.Y." that is a major play into more easy-listening blues style.

Nasty, urban techno with a smear of street filth: that's the sound of Liberator! Kicked into life in 1996 by underground free party addicts, the liberator dj's and Paul Harding have gone on to exemplify everything modern techno should be - twisted, hard, gritty, punchy and alive with the noise and feel of the city. Consistently gut-wrenching, never less than mind-bending. Techno is the dirty underbelly Liberator sound. All hail the new scum!

Friday night at the Bat Centre was nothing short of that - a perfect flow of electronic mayhem. A live performance by Seake was a great start to the evening as their beats take on quite the minimal feel, and towards the end had many a toe tapping and head twitching. The change in dancefloor set-up led many to observe from behind in the early part of the night, but by the end of Seake's set enough alcohol had been absorbed by the wriggling tummies of those who had been the brave few to occupy the floor! A big thank you goes out to Luke and Malcolm for doing a benefit set in light of the high event costs for the hosting of Chris Liberator!

I decided that this review would not resort to the cheap tactic of throw-away cliche lines, like "Durban's liberation at the hands of techno legend dj" or "A liberating experience techno style"...nah that would be cheap and nasty...

So the Bat Centre Friday the 27th, saw another Trip Hazard party mission going down eThekweni style, with a slightly different flavour. Durban is most known for supporting breaks, hip-hop and house, so how was this world renowned techno DJ going to be received...

I really thought the 'ol Winnie had fallen off the map after Burn moved to Stamford Hill. Turns out, it's still rocking hard in the next couple of weeks for The Uprisings Festival preliminary competition. Twenty-four bands are taking each other on for the privilege of being one of the five chosen to play at Uprisings.

We went to check out a heat with Lowprofile, Black Die Grace, Go Go Bronco and Mea. Like always, I missed a couple of sets due to being out in the carpark or generally involved somewhere else, but managed to grab a complete song by Lowprofile, which is here for your perusal.

In the changing landscape of the music recording and publishing industry which in the last decade has been revolutionised by the vast array of digital media [hardware, software and transient online media], one aspect that hasn't received alot of attention in South Africa is soundtracks for PC and console games.

You're NOT going to Splashy Fen? What the hell is wrong with you? God, you make me sick. Get out of my sight.

Well here we go again, this is my second review of a Radar Complex live performance, the first being at Glass Magic Castle a few weeks ago.

Far from being predictable (except for the superlatives I will use to describe their music) this gig had some differences.

Firstly the venue, Snap Wine Bar, on a Tuesday night hosts a range of artists, organised by Wicked Rock. The emphasis seems to be on providing more "unplugged"/acoustic or just plain chilled music, especially from some of the more well known and "louder" rock acts from Durbs.

Well this review is slightly delayed, probably a good thing, as this last weekend saw a couple of awesome events going down in Durbs [see General MIDI article]. To paraphrase a famous quote: "something magical this way comes", as 2007 in Ethekwini is starting to take shape as a monster year of note for all things musical-entertainment!

So lets rewind to Friday 19 Jan, Glass Magic Castle, Hillcrest...

Just back from Society’s Wednesday Jam Session, and lemme tell ya, it was smoking tonight! Three groups played, all guitar-based lyrically strong tunes with consciousness and upliftment as themes.

Love Jones, Big Idea, yummy Sushi... and Durban venues pushing live music... good times are here again. Here's a quick speech and few pics from around town these past few days.

Dust off your smart shoes, cos we’re going to the symphony!

A couple of months ago, on my way back from the beach, I got a call about some Brazilian group called Napalma performing at the old Glass Magic premises in Windermere Road. The rumble in my stomach was begging me to go home and get some food, but something inside told me I'd be sorry. So, for once I followed my head instead of my hunger, to a show that almost brought the house down (literally).

London FlyerOverseas the clubing scene is growing at a tremendous pace.

With huge dance events happening all the time!