Musically, 2017 was an odd one for me – I felt a big disconnect with new releases and instead immersed myself in nostalgia and the past, either via existing favourites or previously undiscovered gems. Usually I rely on my listening data from last.fm (today is my 11th last.fm anniversary) but trawling it for 2017 releases is both depressing and a bit misleading, so I’m taking some liberties with the data* this year and going by feeling.
So here’s the music I enjoyed in 2017.
December was pretty quiet for me gig-wise, so it was nice to inject some energy (and lots of hair) in the form of Ohgod‘s launch for their album The Great Silence. It was a cool show in an interesting (and almost-too-clean) venue, Bob’s District Six, with great performances all around from the headliners and supporting acts Dangerfields and Yndian Mynah.
Growing up I always had a soft spot for Texas and was low-key really looking forward to their Kirstenbosch show for ages. Happily they didn’t disappoint – they played all the old hits and some decent newer songs and the lighting and energy were great. There were some near disastrous sound issues, gifting us with an especially foul-mouthed and hilarious Sharleen Spiteri. She was so great. I loved the disconnect of hearing all this sweet poppy music from my youth punctuated by her hilarious and unapologetically Glaswegian attitude and anecdotes.
A super enjoyable show all-round with good support in the form of South Africa’s Henry Ate and Emily Capell, who wasn’t fantastically well-received but I still enjoyed her jokes and amusing lyrics.
It was my first time at Suntravolta: I’d last visited its previous incarnation (Carnival Court) in 2013, and since then the space has remained mostly the same apart from a few cosmetic changes. Old Long Street buildings with their high ceilings, wooden floors and oddly pervasive sense of granny decor make for quaint live music venues and Suntravolta typifies this. Palm trees and framed pictures hug the walls and the humble stage stands before a fireplace (occupied by a large amp) presided over by a faded floral still life and an oddly glarey marble bust on the mantle. A resolute plant dangles from the ceiling, flanked by crocheted lampshades. Cue the deafening sounds of powerviolence, thrash and hardcore.
I shoot live bands at Aces pretty much every Friday and it’s always enjoyable, but Hellcats were so great that they warranted a special post here. I love these guys, they’re just too much and always bring the most relentless energy. Ironhide Omerta were also great and got the crowd going nicely. Here are some shots from the night.
