Desmond & the Tutus, Shadowclub, Double Adapter & more at The Assembly

Sat 10 September 2011

Last time I saw Desmond & the Tutus they were totally awesome, so I was really looking forward to seeing them again along with the rest of The Assembly’s formidable line-up of Joburg-based acts: Double Adapter, Shadowclub, Dance, You’re on Fire and The One Night Stands.

I missed the beginning of The One Night Stands’ set and didn’t actually know who the band was until much later in the evening…looking at them they all sorta stuck out as individuals with a very unique sense of style – a death pop princess keyboardist, rockabilly rockstar vocalist/guitarist and a ska-tinged suited bassist and drummer. This variety seemed to apply to their music too, and I can’t really describe their sound as it’s such a mixture.

I can say that I thought they were very cool and enjoyed their music, especially the song sung by the keyboardist.

Up next were Dance, You’re on Fire, who I’d last seen supporting Jesse Clegg. I preferred their previous performance but still thought this one was pretty cool.

I’d contemplated seeing Shadowclub’s gig with Machineri at the Kimbo the night before, and after their Saturday performance, I’m sorry I didn’t. They’re very cool, almost painfully so, both in sound and general (and they know it, I mean, you can buy their album on white vinyl…).

I wasn’t expecting them to be as bluesy and old-school rock n roll as they were (the black nail polish and trendy hair had me ready for something more indie or post-punk) so I guess that was quite refreshing.

Also, they’ve just been confirmed as one of Kings of Leon’s supporting acts (and make more sense to me than the other two, Die Heuwels Fantasties and The Black Hotels) which is nice going.

Desmond & the Tutus were marginally less manic than the last time I saw them, but still super-energetic and equally as enjoyable. It’s an awesome thing to be in a crowd that knows all the words to all the songs; the band doesn’t visit Cape Town too often, but when they do it’s always packed and loads of fun. I really hope they release a new album soon…

What happened next was kinda strange – Double Adapter unleashed an intense electro assault on the dwindling crowd of rock kids. They highlighted the fact that playing with rock bands was something unusual to them but they were keen to give it a go, and it actually worked out pretty well. I hadn’t seen them before and thought they were pretty cool but yeah, a little out of place, and my head wasn’t really in dance mode…though their 90s mix was a pretty awesome and nostalgic trip.

The fun-tastic VGA finished up the night with loads of energy and smiles – even though it had been a long night, it was impossible not to linger for a bit of his set.