Local muso Cedric Vandenschrik's latest offering at GrandWest's Roxy Revue Bar is a tribute to the Liverpool quartet who, in the beginning, felt that if they were lucky, they might be successful for a few years.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE Tribute to The Beatles. Directed and choreographed by Cedric Vandenschrik, musical director Shaun Johannes. At GrandWest’s Roxy Revue Bar, Wednesdays to Saturdays until March 17. DEBBIE HATHWAY reviews

LOCAL muso Cedric Vandenschrik’s latest offering at GrandWest’s Roxy Revue Bar is a tribute to the Liverpool quartet who, in the beginning, felt that if they were lucky, they might be successful for a few years.

Almost 60 years on, The Beatles still have a huge fan following across generations. All You Need Is Love opens almost predictably with four men in Beatles guise, a background AV projecting original footage of the public hysteria that accompanied their appearances, live and on television.

With Vandenschrik on acoustic guitar and vocals, Chad Zerf on vocals, Aldert du Toit on electric guitar and vocals with Adam Coolsaet on drums, they present a pleasing first set with aplomb. Beatles fans will appreciate the carefully constructed left-handed bass-playing image projected by Zerf, Paul McCartney-style, as well as the tone and pitch of the singers which could almost pass as the real thing.

The men leave the stage and everything changes. Enter Candice Malander-Thorne in casual wear for an incredible, slow version of Help. She is joined by bassist Rob Nel and keyboardist Tracy Johannes and eventually by the rest of the cast in casual garb, sans wigs and suits.

The programme includes a medley, honouring some of the women The Beatles wrote about: Eleanor Rigby, Norwegian Wood and Michelle, and an incredible While My Guitar Gently Weeps highlight solo by Du Toit on vocals and guitar.

Costume changes fluctuate between casual and evening wear for Malander-Thorne, but the return to suits for the John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr representatives makes no sense.

What’s more, they needed a whole lot more help from their (wardrobe) friends to get it right. Du Toit, in his first professional show, was particularly challenged by the angle of his wig, but to his credit was equally unfazed by the audience’s hilarity, which proved to be excessive.

His fellow band members took it in their stride too – the performance didn’t miss a beat.

The beginnings of another surprise surface as Zerf tickles the ivories in Revolution. He later takes over the piano for I Am the Walrus and Long and Winding Road as well as Let It Be, accompanying Malander-Thorne on vocals.

Vandenschrik likes to strut his stuff during the upbeat numbers and the audience responded well to his energy in songs like Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. Coolsaet, on the other hand, is typically “Ringo-ish” in his management of drums and percussion, and undoubtedly an asset to the group.

With Hey Jude performed as one of the encores, this tribute ended on a high note after doing justice to the memory of the group that is considered to be one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed to date.

During the final bows, homage was paid to a left-handed, violin-shaped semi-hollow McCartney bass guitar that held pride of place on stage. After two months of searching, and two days before opening night, the owner responded to an old Facebook group post confirming that he would lend Vandenschrik the instrument for the duration of the run.

l Tickets are R67. Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 8.30pm. To book, call Computicket at 0861 915 8000.

Why would a group of Norwegians make an annual trek to South Africa to put on a music festival?

Atiyyah Khan

WHY would a group of Norwegians make an annual trek to South Africa to put on a music festival? “Because we’re stupid” they laugh. But considering that On the Edge of Wrong is the only kind of improvised music festival that exists here, providing a valuable service by presenting ear-opening music, the fact that they receive no local funding is cause for concern.

For the past seven years, Morten Kristiansen has organised On the Edge of Wrong in various intimate venues in Cape Town – which, if you experienced any, were some of the most memorable musical happenings in the city.

The image of Carlo Mombelli playing an amplified handsaw – or a drummer sitting on the floor banging frenetically on a cymbal – are clear vignettes of musical exploration that stand out. Kristiansen, now armed with a team of facilitators, will present the next instalment of On the Edge of Wrong festival from Monday until Saturday. About returning to town, Kristiansen says, “It feels very different from the first time. We now have a good idea of what makes a festival work. We are introducing new things this year.”

Aside from the music line-up, the festival has expanded on a number of levels. The first is that it has found a permanent space with brand new jazz club, The Mahogany Room. Kristiansen comments, “It feels like a little breathing space for me and for artists on the festival, because there aren’t any venues like this – that let you do whatever you want.”

A new addition is Conversations, which as suggested are artists in discussion about music. Often performances can isolate audiences if they feel confused by what they’ve seen – this is a way to facilitate understanding. The programme is organised by Andreas Delsett, co-founder of the Norwegian art publishing house Feil Forlag. These discussions will happen between or before performances and allow musicians to explain their creative process. Kristiansen says the idea has been a long time coming, but was finally facilitated by Delsett.

Another new addition to the festival is DIVERSE Diverse – an initiative by Norwegian visual artist Ørjan Moen, an old friend of Kristiansen’s. In the spirit of improvisation, Moen will be available throughout the week for a Drawing Club at The Mahogany Room. The goal is to exchange ideas, techniques and artworks. The reasoning behind this is to encourage artists to collaborate and not create work in isolation. The Mahogany Room will be an exhibition space in progress. The Drawing Club is a great opportunity for local artists to network.

In September, Moen will take work from South African artists to the next instalment of DIVERSE Diverse in Norway, so local artists are encouraged to participate.

As usual, the music line-up is a collaboration of musicians from Europe and South Africa. This year audiences can look forward to Swiss duo MorFrom who combine field recordings with improvised guitar and organ. Headliner Rolf Erik Nystrøm is a saxophonist who will be performing solo, conducting workshops and also leading the Explorers Summit – a big band with revolving members. Nystrøm has had more than 100 works written for him by contemporary composers. Kristiansen says, “We’re very lucky to have him. He plays all over the world.”

Local drummer Andre Swartz will perform for the first time at the festival and dynamic Mozambican drummer Texito Langa returns to the festival to perform solo. Tune Recreation Committee (TRC) is the brainchild of trumpeter Mandla Mlangenis and includes Keenan Ahrens (guitar), Brydon Bolton (bass) and Claude Cozens (drums). Kristiansen says he was drawn to them because of their strong connection to improvised music.

Conceptual sound artist James Webb will present Telepylos, described as an ongoing work of sonic science fiction inspired by cinematic mythology. Cape Town-based artist and musician Josh Ginsburg’s works are an exploration in still image, film, sound and text. South African performance artist Leila Anderson, who performed at last year’s festival, will collaborate with Stan Wannett from the Netherlands on Afrika Lag [deel 2], a collage of live action animation and sound.

Not to be missed is The Oslo Experience with dancer Magnhild Rem Fossum who will trigger sound with the movement of her body. She is joined by sound artist Mats Sivertsen for a piece that examines the human condition in a techno-crazed world. Completing the line-up is multi-instrumentalist Maxim Starcke and percussionist Ronan Skillen.

The festival receives funding mostly from Norwegian arts organisations and also Prohelvetia Swiss Arts Council. While the organisers joke about why they continue to stage the festival here, on a serious level they add that aside from being rewarding, it “provides value of thinking outside the box” to audiences.

l Events take place daily throughout next week. The Drawing Club will run from 2pm at The Mahogany room (79 Buitenkant Str) and is free. Each night’s music programme starts at 7pm and tickets are R80 for the entire evening. Other venues this year include Commune 1 (64 Wale Street, CBD) and Theatre Arts Admin (Cnr Wesley and Milton roads, Observatory). See www.edge ofwrong.com/2012.

The elevation of the operatic genre in the popular mind to a status approaching a musical holy grail is, I suspect, largely the product of the 20th century world of recording, even if prior generations had undoubtedly venerated individual voices or soloists.

WAGNER SOCIETY: Donizetti´s Viva la Mamma; with Siyabulela Ntlale, Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi, Mandisinde Mbuyazwe, Linda Nteleza, Karen van der Walt, Makudupanyane Senaoana, Tehesele Kemane, Thando Mpushe, Phelo Nodlayiya. CPO conducted by Kamal Khan. Directed by Lara Bye, designed by Jesse Kramer. Costumes by Reza Levy. Lighting Faheem Bardien. Deon Irish reviews

THE elevation of the operatic genre in the popular mind to a status approaching a musical holy grail is, I suspect, largely the product of the 20th century world of recording, even if prior generations had undoubtedly venerated individual voices or soloists.

Society has treated the opera house in much the way we viewed the cinema before the advent of television and home video: a place one frequented to be entertained and, occasionally, even moved or improved.

A great many operas – mostly now forgotten – were accordingly commissioned by theatre managements and written to draw the audiences of the day back for something new and different.

We should not forget that Donizetti composed some 23 operas for Naples between 1822 and 1830, with as many as five in some years.

Experiencing the revival of a work such as Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma, one is heartened by the realisation that 18th and 19th century opera also produced works of vacuous amusement, in precisely the way that television sitcoms or Hollywood comedies generally do.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

To describe this opera, therefore, as a show through which one might not inappropriately nibble popcorn is not to denigrate it, but rather to recognise its intended purpose.

One does not scan its libretto looking for Truth (although it contains much that is recognisably true); and the score serves the libretto by providing music that is professionally crafted and theatrically appropriate.

Bye has recognised these factors in a production which was charmingly innocent in its direct approach. The humour is real, neither contrived nor clever (although the simulated boxing scene tried to be one and almost became the other).

This was the grubby, unflattering world of rehearsal and the milieu was neatly captured in Kramer’s efficient set.

The cast do well and none of the nine protagonists let the side down. But inevitably, the writing favours some of the characters and the careful casting ensured that the young soloists had a good outing.

Ntlale – a baritone in the cross-dressing title role – did extremely well and came across as surprisingly pretty for a big man.

His sheer physicality tended to dominate the stage, and his personality was quite its match.

Opposite him, Mkhwanazi as the “diva” is true to life, and rather suggests that – the above thesis notwithstanding – operatic divas managed perfectly well without recordings, thank you very much.

Of the other roles, Kemane pleased with his adoring and star-struck husband; Van der Walt with a lovely account of the neglected, slightly butch mezzo; and Mbuyazwe with a credible performance as the composer/conductor.

Kahn leads the CPO well in the Rossini-inspired score, capturing the distinctive style with fair success. Balances were (but for a few transitory episodes) exemplary; and the ensemble of the frequent large set pieces in general beautifully controlled, although there were a few passages in which members of the cast looked terrified and musical strands emanating from stage and pit seemed to have parted ways.

The production was a credit to the Richard Wagner Society of SA and confirms its status as a serious player in SA’s operatic firmament.

"Verdi's my man!" says Goitsemang Lehobye, one of the stars of the Festival Opera Gala Concert to be given at Artscape on Saturday and at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden the following day.

Wilhelm Snyman

“VERDI’S my man!” says Goitsemang Lehobye, one of the stars of the Festival Opera Gala Concert to be given at Artscape on Saturday and at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden the following day.

“I’ll sing anything because singing will make me happy,” says the vivacious Lehobye, who will be sharing the stage with Olesya Petrova (mezzo), Neil Shicoff (tenor) and Colin Schachat (baritone).

The Cape Philharmonic will be conducted by Richard Cock.

“It’s beautiful music,” Lehobye says.

She enjoys singing in the open air, such as at Kirstenbosch.

She has been told she looks relaxed when she sings with a microphone.

At one point, after an intruder entered her home in Pretoria, Lehobye thought she would not sing again.

“I didn’t actually get sick, I screamed very badly.”

Instead of screaming to technique or hitting a high C, she simply screamed, much to the chagrin of her professor at UCT’s Opera School, Kamal Khan, who asked her: “ ‘Why didn’t you scream with technique?’

“That was the last thing I could do at the time. Someone threatening your life and you think about technique!”

Lehobye has come top in her class, and is only in her second year at the Opera School, after spending six years at the Black Tie Opera Chorus in Gauteng.

Of Khan, she says: “He knows my voice. He knows it more than I do. It scares me sometimes. He’s always there for me. He’s an inspiration.”

Lehobye is careful about the roles she sings, and her goals include the great Verdi roles.

She says her talent comes from her mother’s side.

“I know my mother’s family, not my father’s. And the reason I know the talent comes from my mother’s family is because they’re the fat ones!”

Lehobye first sang in choirs, as her uncle and little sister do.

“The first aria I sang was Mozart’s Porgi amor,” she says.

“People thought we were crying, and laughed at us, and then we said,‘No, we’re singing’.

“We looked at DVDs of operas and then when we saw the subtitles we understood why they seemed to be crying.”

Lehobye is looking forward to the concert, but says humbly in referring to her co-stars: “They’re international people.”

The programme includes a duet from Verdi’s La Traviata, as well as excerpts from Mozart, Puccini, Bizet and Saint-Säens.

Asked about her favourite operas she says passionately: “Verdi! Wagner’s too much. I may go there when I grow older.”

Lehobye loves lieder because “they groom the voice and the poetry and the music are beautiful”.

As a genre lieder need more attention, whereas Lehobye loves Verdi for the drama.

She also loves Bellini’s Norma, and describes herself as a lyric soprano.

Nabucco is the opera in which she really wants to perform one day, in the role of Abigaille. “Just because it’s Verdi and it’s big and grand.

“I learnt Ritorna Vincitor (from Aida). But, ah those costumes, that set!

“I have a dream, though, of singing the (title) role of Carmen. I love that role. If only I was slender! I like to see myself as a Micaëla. Carmen needs to look sexy. It’s one of my favourite operas.

“But Nabucco… Verdi, he’s my man! But I’ve got a thing for big voices.

“Montserrat Caballé is also one of my favourites, but if I had a choice I would be a basso profondo.

“I have sung a low C before but, you know, we sopranos, we always have to go up to a top E or somewhere.

“I would love to be a mezzo just to do Cavalleria Rusticana and Carmen. So I’m a confused soprano.”

The confusion about where to place Lehobye’s voice means we can expect great things from it.

But there’s nothing confused about her loves and ambitions.

Asked where she gets the strength for her performances, Lehobye says: “Is it not God giving us the strength?”

In speaking of some of the people she has sung with, she raves about Johan Botha, with whom she recently performed scenes from La Boheme.

“Sometimes I struggle because of the voice I have. Sometimes you ‘outsing’ a person, but Johan is there, he supports you.”

l The Festival Gala Opera Concert at Artscape on Saturday starts at 8.30pm. For the concert of opera arias and ensembles at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on Sunday, be sure to ask about the starting time. To book, call 021 421 7695.

Brandy. The quintessential South African drink, most often consumed around a braai and mixed with cola

Terri Dunbar-Curran

BRANDY. The quintessential South African drink, most often consumed around a braai and mixed with cola. Not necessarily. The team behind Fine Brandy By Design are winning over new enthusiasts with every sip.

If you’re keen to explore the world of brandy and learn to enjoy it without drowning it in soft drink – then make a booking at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay.

The restaurant is offering a special pairing menu together with Fine Brandy By Design, which showcases a variety of brands and their potential. The menu, which changes periodically, was created by chefs PJ Vardas and Eric Bulpitt and sommelier Joakim Hansi Blackadder.

I was invited to discover just how versatile the drink could be. After enjoying a refreshing brandy and ginger ale cocktail while taking in the gorgeous view from The Roundhouse gardens, we were ushered into the building which dates back to 1756.

One of the most important lessons to learn when tasting brandy is how to approach the drink.

There were several burnt nasal passages at our table when we plunged our noses into the glasses to have a good whiff.

You won’t do it twice.

With brandy it’s best to gradually let the aroma waft from the glass, breathe in gently and enjoy.

When it comes to tasting, Joakim also mentioned that it’s best to never take that first sip with a dry tongue.

The basics out of the way, we set about exploring the flavours in each glass.

The chef had prepared a variety of exciting dishes that worked together with the elements of the brandy, and it was interesting to experience how the flavours interacted at different stages in the meal.

Before each course we watched a short clip in which spirits enthusiast Dave Broom animatedly discussed each drink and what we should be on the look out for.

First up was a heavenly white bean veloute with sour dough and caramelised pear paired with Oude Meester Demant.

The soup had a delightful texture and the crunch of the sour dough combined with the sweet pear was an instant hit. Dave suggested we look out for hints of black fruits, chocolate and apricot flavours in the brandy. I definitely found the sweet notes.

While the rest of the table savoured farmed cob with sea lettuce, pickled mussels and beurre noisette emulsion, the chef prepared a fabulously light ham hock terrine for me.

Not only was it beautifully presented, but the combination of flavours was stimulating. The salty meat was complimented by the crisp, vinegary sweet carrot. It was immensely satisfying and the portion was just right.

That course was paired with Collison’s White Gold, my favourite for the day. It has a far sweeter aroma, think figs and vanilla – which would explain why it worked so well with the saltiness of both the ham hock terrine and cob.

I hung on to my glass when they cleared the table for the third course – I couldn’t let the last few sips go to waste.

And so it was that the glasses began to pile up around my place setting, because next up was the Klipdrift Gold. With its rich aromas of chocolate, sweet spices and dried fruit, no one was even remotely tempted to dilute it with coke.

Accompanying it was venison loin with hay ash baked beets, pickled blackberries and cherries. A simply stunning dish judged on appearance alone, which offered an array of flavours when I destroyed the beautiful presentation with an eager fork.

The juicy pickled fruits lent a crispness to the gamey fallow deer. The whole dish was a glorious riot of colour which left my plate looking like an abstract watercolour once I’d finished every morsel.

To round it all off, what better accompaniment to brandy than something chocolaty? Dessert was a gorgeous six textures of Felchlin chocolate with banana, walnuts and chocolate sauce. Sublime.

The textures were a delight as was the combination of banana bread and rich chocolate ice-cream.

It earned itself a place among the most satisfying, creative and successful desserts I’ve had in a while. All that chocolate goodness was paired with Van Ryn’s Collectors Reserve 20 Year Old. A careful sniff revealed spicy sweet aromas. It is a brandy that, as Dave so eloquently put, “wears its age well”.

The first sip instantly yielded chocolate and oak tastes which blended seamlessly with the dessert. Not a drop or smear of sauce was left.

If you’re a dedicated whisky drinker, or enjoy the decadence of a wine pairing, do yourself a favour and take a risk – branch out a little, you may just be surprised.

l The pairing menu is R450. To book, call 021 438 4347.

Hip Hop Kaslam rocks the Baxter with isiXhosa, street slang and hip hop, for one night only on March 3 at 6pm.

HIP Hop Kaslam rocks the Baxter with isiXhosa, street slang and hip hop, for one night only on March 3 at 6pm. This musical celebration of home-brewed hip hop pays tribute to music and artists from ekasi (township) who rap about life in the hood. The Baxter put out a progressive call to hip-hop emcees, soul or R’n’B singers, bands and poets who perform in an indigenous African language.

Groups had to have an album or demo or a product to sell and have 100 or more fans on Facebook to qualify to enter. A vote was put out to the community to choose who they wanted to see on stage this year and Stritlife, a talented crew in Khayelitsha, are suitably chuffed that they have been selected. Stritlife (admittedly an unusual spelling owing to so many other crews named Streetlife) are TT Ntshayi, 26, Nast, 27, Tasko, 28, and Dee, 31.

But when I asked them to share some socially conscious rhymes, I was thrown that they were unaware that the lyrics they chose to share in the song Lengoma are highly inflammatory and surprisingly insensitive towards the high rate of rape and domestic violence in SA, and absolutely disrespectful towards women.

However, Stritlife are a popular people’s choice for this year’s Kaslam and I wonder how many female fans they have, or will have after their Baxter performance if they perform these lyrics in isiXhosa, as translated here by Stritlife’s Thembelihle Ntshayi.

“Wishes and dreams shut down when the man is being sentence to life in prison. When the judge tells him that he didn’t have the rights to rape, even though they are in a relationship. Tears dropped on the man’s cheeks like the water from the river. Brother is always away in prison cells asking himself and the ancestors, what is it that he has done wrong? The answers of this man lies with the people who came up with the constitution that protects women even when they have done a man wrong. Thousands of our brother are wrongly convicted because you klap your girlfriend, she would quickly run to the police station. And she wastes your money and then you run to the police station you will be made a laughing stock... in our day all of men’s rights seems to be suppressed... back in the day men used to be heads of the house, but not anymore.”

“Basically the verse speaks about some of the challenges that we men face and how the constitution doesn’t protect us the same way it does women and children,” explains Ntshayi.

“We don’t just rap about stuff. When we write about a topic that we are not familiar with, we do research on that particular topic, so we rap about stuff using all your facts so you know what you are talking about. Our music is in street slang what is now known as Spaza. We represent the streets, so we address the people in a manner and language they understand.’’

I am sure Sonke Gender Justice and the British Council could book someone so lyrically on it like Benjamin Zephania, or socially sussed contemporary hip-hop stars to host an empowering workshop in Khayelitsha at Lookout Hill for emerging hip-hop groups to be even more socially conscious and shred their rhymes to reach the next level.

I gave Ntshayi my feedback on their song Lengoma and asked if he wanted a second stab at translating it and if he stood by what he wrote. Here it is: “He got sentenced for life in prison; they accused him of rape, though he had, consensual sex with the girl, they were both wearing smiles when the deed happened, tears ran down his cheeks, like water in a well, he asked his ancestors what is it he had done wrong, but his answers lie with those who create laws, rights and judicial services, all of the above which have made women lose respect for men. If you slap a woman you get arrested, but if you go to the police station to report the misuse of support money, you become the laughing stock of the town…”

Ntshayi says late American rap star Tupac’s music has been a major influence on their group. “He was rapping about the life on the streets of America and we related more, and that’s when we started writing.”

Ironically, Archie “Dat” Sopazi was one of the first local artists to discard the American hip-hop culture and rap style and create one in his own language. He chose to rap in “ringas” which is a township street slang also known as tsotsi-taal. This evolved into Spaza today – a combination of various indigenous languages. What started out as a rebellion against the status quo and the direction which music was taking, ended up becoming a movement which even Dat (Sopazi) did not foresee. The ringas rhyme inspired a whole generation of existing rappers and made a significant change in the local hip-hop scene here over the last 15 years.

Despite Stritlife’s inflammatory lyrics, they have performed with some serious cats like Jimmy Dludlu and Mafikizolo. To their credit, they have performed to raise Aids awareness for loveLife, and at the Don Bosco Festival performing for homeless children.

Stritlife say their most memorable gig was at Sanlam Centre in Khayelitsha years back, when kwaito music was still “the ish”. Ntshayi says that at that time, it was not about getting paid for your performance, but just to represent your kasi (’hood).

“At that time there were no beat makers (producers), artists were either using famous kwaito beats and international hip-hop beats of guys like Nas and Black Rob, and that day we were performing one of our tracks Oolova (Thugs) and we killed it because we were rapping about the streets of Khayelitsha using our mother tongue so that the whole community could get the message.”

Ntshayi says their dream, like any emerging band, is to have their own home studio where they can meet, “and cook some music”.

They are in need of their own sound system so they can tour and do promotional shows to market themselves and their music. Ntshayi says: “We really need a manager who will be responsible for hooking us up with gigs, handle the paper work and assist us in making sure that Stritlife becomes a house-hold name in SA!”

Well, drop the hate-speech rapping against women and work on building up a socially conscious female fan base, is my advice. Especially seeing as in their Fine Lady music video, directed by Luthando Ndzimande, Stritlife choose to wear Hajila Movement T-shirts made by highly conscious creatives based in Gugs.

l Call Phila Nkuzo at 073 667 6647. Tickets are R30. Book at Computicket at 0861 915 8000. Phone Stritlife at 073 860 7455. See www.youtube.com/stritlife See www.ireallyloveafrica.tumblr.com

The Old Mutual Summer Sunset Concerts at Kirstenbosch are known and loved for their varied line-ups.

Jason Curtis

THE Old Mutual Summer Sunset Concerts at Kirstenbosch are known and loved for their varied line-ups. This Sunday at 5.30pm promises not to mess with a formula that continues to attract 6 000-odd music lovers to the lawns of the city’s biggest and most beautiful backyard.

New music comes this weekend in the form of the gritty ambient rock mélange offered by Machineri, along with the well-established and much loved Taxi Violence. As first-time inductees to the gardens, the blues-infused Machineri, made up of singer-songwriter and guitarist Sannie Fox, along with fellow guitarist Andre Geldenhuys and drummer Daniel Huxham, are excited at the prospect of ploughing through the contents of their Just Music eponymous debut album. “We’ve been looking forward to this show since we were invited last year,” Fox says. “It’s a place that’s known for bringing out the best in all who perform there, so I’m hoping the same applies to us.”

Invitations are something Machineri are happily getting used to. Before the band had the chance to look for a record company to release their music, the label came to them. “Forming a band, writing songs and then getting a record company to support your vision have turned into a monumental experience,” Fox says of the trio’s four-year journey so far.

“There are so many great bands out there, so creating music that people can identify with on some level is a big deal. It’s clichéd, but no less true, when I say that we’re into the music we make.

“Some bands are all about the business, whereas Machineri’s only about the music. Make no mistake, though, we’ve all learnt a lot about how it all pieces together, but having a label and management means we can focus squarely on what we do. It’s a dance and everyone has their part to play.”

With independent record companies the world over driving album sales and keeping the passion for original music alive, Machineri’s custodian, Just Music, has a knack for turning its many bands and artists into success stories. “I think it’s because we both share the same beliefs,” Fox says of her motivation for inking a deal with the label.

“Our label found us, and although I’d perceived it as a necessary evil, the relationship we share is great. There are no shackles of pressure to do anything other than what we choose to do.”

London-born Fox is something of an entertainment-industry veteran when you look at her lineage. She was born to parents Revel and Roberta, both icons in their own right. Her father is best known for his directing successes and her mom for her acting and singing abilities. Combined, the two have clearly passed on their artistic ability to their daughter. She holds a degree in theatre and performance, with honours. In 2009 she also played a leading role in the film Long Street.

“I started writing songs at the age of 19,” the 26-year-old Fox says. “You could argue that it was inevitable that I would head in the direction of a career in the arts with the exposure from a young age to it all.”

Machineri’s first music video was done as a homework project for a sound engineering course Fox took. Her ability to machinate her and the band’s music has made for an album they can proudly call their own. “It took two weeks to record,” Fox says of the disciplined approach to laying down each of album’s 11 tracks. Their singles and associated videos for Machine I Am and The Searchers are now both high-rotation favourites on the DStv music channel MK. Lyrically inspired by poetry, literature, life and politics and infused with inspiration from Led Zeppelin, John Frusciante, PJ Harvey and Janis Joplin, Machineri’s magic comes from a deep well of innovation. “I can tie all those influences together,” Fox adds, “but our songs still sound simple and stripped-back because we use so few instruments.”

With each show the band plays, the growing number of fans and album sales is quickly making them popular. “I’m not doing this to become famous,” Fox says. “I do it because I love music. It buys me the freedom to not have to rely on a nine-to-five job.”

As a three-piece, each member in the band actively contributes to make up what fans and curious onlookers will hear at Sunday’s sunset show. “We’ve got our own chemistry. The band creates the sound and I drop my voice into the mix. Making music is a surreal process, one I love being a part of.”

So it is that Kirstenbosch is the playground where Machineri, along with Taxi Violence, will look to gauge their ability to make an audience perhaps even dance to their multifaceted music statements. “I love to watch the crowd’s responses. We’re pretty used to playing to crowds not yet familiar with our songs. I often see people at shows taking it all in, wondering what it is that they hearing, and translating it so that it fits into their realm of happy familiarity. Once that’s achieved, they tend to get on their feet and rock out a little.”

And what can Taxi fans expect? George van der Spuy, vocalist for Taxi Violence, says, “We are planning on making our show at Kirstenbosch as extraordinary as possible. The band and I will be playing mostly unplugged, accompanied by strings and piano. We’ll also have a few friends and collaborators from known bands joining us on stage – so definitely not one to miss if you can help it.”

l To book, call 021 761 2866.

The first reluctant visit to an AA meeting is sure to be anything but dull, especially when the visitor in question is an alcoholic cabaret singer who has yet to realise she has a problem

ABSOLUCY. Directed by Alex Tops, with Lucy Tops. At Kalk Bay Theatre until March 3 at 8.30pm. TERRI DUNBAR-CURRAN reviews.

THE first reluctant visit to an AA meeting is sure to be anything but dull, especially when the visitor in question is an alcoholic cabaret singer who has yet to realise she has a problem. Lucy Tops brings the sharp-witted, entertaining star to life in this one-woman show presented by Followspot Productions.

Absolucy opens with a heart-felt rendition of I Wanna Hold Your Hand sung largely to a bottle of wine. It sets the scene for a production that covers a range of sentiments.

It’s a chatty show, the kind that makes you feel you could happily sit down with Lucy for a cup of tea – or bottle of wine more likely. The setting of a support group allows for an openness that wouldn’t come so easily had there been another character included. She begins as many would, a little on edge, unwilling to admit she really has a problem and as she talks and sings her way through her story the bravado slowly begins to crumble.

Tops’s voice is full, emotive and would be just as at home in a large concert hall as it is in an intimate theatre. She has the ability to capture your attention and hold you spellbound until the last note.

That goes for both the humorous numbers and heart-wrenching songs, which she manages to pump full of personality.

Coupled with a wicked sense of humour and a huge helping of fun, it would be easy to sit back and enjoy her performance for far longer than Absolucy runs.

The show encompasses a range of artists and styles, there’s a medley of 1990s music and dance moves that will have those who spent their teens in that decade shrieking with laughter.

Scattered throughout are witty lines and comments you’ll want to remember. “Alcohol will not solve your problems, but neither will water or milk,” she chimes.

Her interpretation of some old favourites are great too, look out for Spoonful of Sugar and That Don’t Impress me Much.

The stage is set simply with three stools, a microphone and a hat stand for a variety of props and costumes. With nothing more than a wig, hat or item of clothing change, Tops whisks the audience through the singer’s past. She has a host of anecdotes and characters all equally entertaining and carefully studied.

Even when she’s just being Lucy there’s an honesty that brings a lump to the throat. Sometimes her voice quavers with emotion and suddenly it’s not a show anymore and the audience melts away and it’s just her.

Yes, it’s fun, humorous, clever and entertaining, but it also feels true. Although it’s not the driving force behind the production, there is also a gentle message there for you to quietly take away if you want to.

l Tickets are R95. Absolucy runs Wednesday to Saturday. It has a PG12 age limit. To book, see www.kbt.co.za

The smell of curry hangs thick in the air as you enter the kitchen

SHIRLEY VALENTYN. Directed by Hennie van Greunen, with Shaleen Surtie-Richards. At the Baxter Theatre until Saturday. TYRONE AUGUST reviews.

THE smell of curry hangs thick in the air as you enter the kitchen. The cook moves around leisurely as she prepares the evening meal. But it is soon clear that this is no ordinary cook, and that this is no ordinary kitchen. In-between stirring the dish simmering on the stove, the cook treats herself to a glass of white wine every so often. And the walls of the kitchen are, in fact, her closest confidant, which she affectionately calls Muurtjie.

This particular cook is Shirley Valentyn (Surtie-Richards): a woman with a huge appetite for life, a shrewd intelligence and a cheeky sense of humour. It is clear that she wants more from life than standing in front of a stove every day. “Somewhere along the road,” she laments, “Shirley became this woman.”

She feels crushed by the weight of the daily demands of her nitpicking husband, Johnnie. Their children – the wayward son, Brian, and the self-absorbed daughter, Milandra – only add to her burden.

More than once, Shirley refers to her unused life (“ongebruikte lewe”). But she seems powerless to change the empty routine into which it has fallen.

“How the hell do you begin again at 50?” she asks in despair.

Despite being in a loveless marriage, she does not place all the blame on Johnnie (nor on men in general). She recognises that he also stopped growing and living to his full potential. But about one thing she is clear: she is not prepared to carry on in the same way as before.

Yet there appears to be no way out of her desperate situation. Until, that is, her recently divorced friend Jane generously gives her a ticket to accompany her to Greece on a two-week holiday.

Shirley wistfully takes the ticket, but at first does not seriously think of going and leaving the hapless Johnnie to fend for himself. But when he rages ungratefully one night at the meal he is offered, she promptly changes her mind.

She then quietly makes plans to go to Greece (and, even then, considerately prepares her husband’s meals and clothes in advance for the entire period she will be away).

Her life is never the same afterwards. “I am in love with the idea that I can live,” she tells herself in Greece.

Shirley’s story, then, is not that of a bored housewife looking for a passing thrill. It is about an individual’s quest to regain her identity and her sense of self.

It is also about an individual’s determination to explore more fully the possibilities of life.

The result may not always be what you wish. As the bartender Costa tells her in Greece: “Dreams are never in places where we expect them to be.” But even in itself, the mere pursuit of a more fulfilling life can be the source of much joy and gratification. That is Shirley’s joyous and self-affirming discovery.

It was true for the Liverpool woman in Willy Russell’s original play, Shirley Valentine, written almost three decades ago. It is as true for the Cape Flats woman today in director Hennie van Greunen’s translated – and brilliantly localised – version.

Shirley Valentyn is a captivating work. After inhabiting the role for so many years, Surtie-Richards’s performance is utterly compelling. She is poignant as a woman trapped in a loveless marriage; she is exhilarating as a woman who relishes life and seizes its opportunities.

While there are fleeting reminders of Surtie-Richards’s character Nenna from the Egoli television series, these are absent in the range of other characters she plays (including her pretentious school friend Marjorie, her nosy neighbour Gillian and the “gender terrorist” Jane).

Van Greunen’s version of the play is far more than a translation: it successfully transports Shirley Valentine to another time and place. While it retains the essence of Russell’s play, it virtually creates an entirely new character in Shirley Valentyn.

She is a recognisable, flesh-and-blood character (even though, at times, skirting dangerously close to the stereotype of an earthy Cape Flats woman). Kosie Smit’s stage design is quite basic, but effectively depicts two very different environments, ably assisted by some subtle lighting.

Shirley Valentyn is an outstanding production, both in its conceptualisation and execution.

l To book, call Computicket at 0861 915 8000, or see www. computicket.co.za

This Valentine's Day, jazz fans can introduce the loves of their life to their love of music at the Pure Love Concert at the CTICC tomorrow.

Terri Dunbar-Curran

THIS Valentine’s Day, jazz fans can introduce the loves of their life to their love of music at the Pure Love Concert at the CTICC tomorrow. Guests can either book tickets for just the concert or for the full experience, which includes a three-course dinner at Marimba, the concert and an after-party.

The concert will feature jazz trumpeter Ian Smith, Virtual Jazz Reality (VJR) and the Delft Big Band with a programme that should appeal to a variety of listeners.

“It’ll be a romantic evening with a bit of a mixture,” says Smith. “Beautiful ballads and a couple of originals from VJR. There will also be quite a lot of vocal content, even though VJR is usually primarily just instrumental.”

The bands will perform individually as well as collaborate. VJR, formed in 1993, has an extensive catalogue of songs including over 100 original compositions.

“I’m having difficulty deciding which pieces to hone in on. It’s quite a tricky one,” says Smith.

“It goes right across the board in terms of, there’ll be something to please the jazz fundis, but VJR are also very entertaining and accessible to the layman. So there will be some Bublé and Sinatra thrown in too,” he adds.

This won’t be the first time the two bands have shared the same stage, so while rehearsals are under way, playing together is not a completely new experience for them.

“It’s a good marriage,” says Smith, who is one of the core members of VJR and founded the Delft Big Band in 2008 as an initiative of the Department of Social Development and the non-governmental organisation, Cape Outdoor Adventure Service and Training.

The programme is aimed at vulnerable youth and uses music to equip them with valuable life skills. The more advanced musicians in the programme make up the Delft Big Band.

The band will perform again, with Melanie Scholtz, at Artscape’s kykNet Theatre on Friday at 9pm as part of the Suidoosterfees. Smith will also take to the stage with original VJR members Sammy Webber, Andrew Ford and Frank Paco at this year’s Cape Town International Jazz Festival on March 31.

“We’ll concentrate on our own original material. The band is known as a quartet when we play jazz gigs,” says Smith.

In addition to those performances, Smith says the Delft Big Band is also planning to participate in the Baxter’s Big Band Festival in May and he has been involved in a collaboration with the French composer and artist, Braka. The collaboration is being documented and Smith says there is the possibility of performances locally and in France.

“Busy is an understatement,” says Smith. Yet despite their performance schedules and their own projects, he says that VJR always find the time to work on new songs.

“There are quite a few new compositions for the Jazz Festival. And a new CD is long overdue. So resting is something that’s not on the cards for now. In this game you learn you don’t say no. It’s either feast or famine.”

He is also very much involved in various outreach projects which he finds extremely rewarding, especially when he sees the results. A number of talented musos who have been involved in the Delft Big Band are mapping out their careers, with a few now enrolled at UCT. “And that’s from never having any training outside of the big band.”

Developing and promoting jazz in all its forms will remain a priority for him as he strives to expose a wider audience to the music and make it more accessible.

l Tickets for Pure Love are R120, or R250 for the dinner, show and after-party. Tickets for the Suidoosterfees showcase are R75. To book tickets for all three concerts, call Computicket on 0861 915 8000. See www.iansmithmusic productions.com