One of the very few positive things about 2020 was the music – some really good tracks and albums were released in spite of (and sometimes even because of) everything.
On this day I note my 14th year on last.fm and use its data to help reflect on my listening habits from the last year; here’s a look at my favourite music from 2020.
Hot on the heels of the Beach Party show came the turn of the Dollfins at Mercury earlier this month. Supported by Julia Robert, Runaway Nuns and Jett Screams, they had Mercury fuller than I’ve seen in a good while. It was a night of intense humidity, with sweaty bodies crammed tight against each other, minimal ventilation and near-constant smoke, from the crowd (I’m sure there was a time smoking was banned inside Mercury…?) and the stage. Not my favourite gig-experience but the music was solid.
Here are some moody monochrome shots of the night.
It’s been a while since Beach Party have been in the same city together, let alone on the same stage, and Cape Town really showed up to their once-off sold out show at the Raptor Room last Wednesday. It was ridiculously hot and stuffy and there wasn’t a dry armpit in the house by the raucous end of the night. Just like the good ol’ days.
Here are some shots from the night.
2019 was a varied and somewhat disjointed year for me. I spent a lot of time on autopilot, in many ways. Looking back now at the topography, both personal and musical, of the last 12 months most of it all blurs together into a flat landscape, punctuated by the occasional hills and ditches. There was some music that really spoke to me and provided sustained periods of elevation…and a lot that I enjoyed for a while but ultimately lost appeal quite quickly.
As usual, I find the data from last.fm (breakdown here) really interesting and informative in making sense of my listening habits from the last year; here’s a look at my favourite music from 2019.
The Jagger Lounge was packed to bursting for Francois Van Coke‘s Dagdrome in Suburbia album launch at the end of last month. Ostensibly an acoustic show, things were pretty chilled but there was still plenty of energy, especially during the appearances of special guests and album collaborators The Voice SA’s Tasché, Fokofpolisiekar‘s Hunter Kennedy and Spoegwolf‘s Danie du Toit.
