Beast.

I sit in bed, at 1:13 AM on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, with my customary post-night-out-McDonalds. There is a ringing in my ears that I savour.

Tonight was the night that I attended The Perfect Circle gig at Mercury Live in Cape Town.

The line-up - Glen Hartmann, Woodstock Mafia and Beast (Inge Beckmann's new band - more on that later). The atmosphere, as my brother described it: "They have bum-cushions!". The lighting was soft, the vibe was relaxed and there were a few familiar faces from the Cape Town indie music industry, including Kyle Gray, drummer (not bassist - although it would fulfill my dream of all the band members getting up in the middle of a set and swopping instruments) of Fox Comet.

Black Label in hand, I settled down to witness the first act of the evening. Glen Hartmann's sound was a relaxed tone that left me thinking to myself: "What is the name of this sorcerous genre? I need to get some of this music!". It was a soul-searching, deep performance, with simple, yet extremely effective extras, such as (I forget his name) on drums and Glen's girlfriend (I forget her name as well) on backup vocals. The songs were creatively written, and held a certain enchanting feel.

Next up, Woodstock Mafia. The vibey, dynamic sextet were, once again, on top form, and even in the unusual acoustic setting, they performed admirably with their upbeat songs, relating often to the life of typical Capetonians.

Finally, the audience were graced by the presence of Inge Beckmann's new band 'Beast'. Being a huge fan of Lark in their heyday, I was eager to see the route in which Inge had gone with this new venture. An angelic voice with performances such as 'Lament in G' under her belt, I was curious to see how she would adapt to a heavier setting in Beast. In short, their performance blew me away. This next section, on Beast's performance, deserves its own paragraph.

Ah, there we go. I sat, awestruck, as the heavy sounds erupted from the speakers when Beast began their sound-check. Their interesting use of basses (one acoustic and one electric, later to change to two electrics) was something I was unsure of, and I must admit that I leant towards expecting a sound that was cacophonous instead of pleasing on the ear. The result, however, was miraculous. With a Black Keys style distortion on the electric, their set exploded with the type of intensity that one sees in movies like The Runaways, The Boat That Rocked and Lords of Dogtown. Inge's obvious knowledge of the versatility of her voice shone through, and once again I was impressed by her adaptability and vocal brilliance. An enormous mention has to go to their drummer (I didn't, unfortunately, catch his name). His dexterity was admirable as he built, descended and took us through the hard and fast emotions of the songs. Inge Beckmann is certainly, in my mind, one of those people that would probably be able to achieve some sort of tantric climax purely through the music that she was feeling, and that has always held some fascination for me. Not only does she feel the sheer power of the music, but she portrays that clearly through her singing.

As I said on Facebook when I returned home: "There is none as enigmatic as Inge Beckmann". And that is the truth. For reals.

I'll certainly be at the next Perfect Circle gig at Mercury Live, and I encourage you to do the same.

What's in a genre?

I'm watching The Great debaters as I write this - and it has led me to a new thought.

In the film, there is a social where swing music is blasting from a live band. The contrast in the scene comes when some of the party head down to a small shanty town, where hard-time blues music is playing.

Suddenly, a thought enters my head. I should get some of this music - I enjoy jazz, and I'd quite enjoy having some to listen to when I'm in the mood.

Then a contrasting thought struck me. How can I, sitting here in my comfortable house, think flippantly to myself: "it would please me to have that music to listen to"? The people of that time struggled, and they took refuge in their music. I haven't been through any of those struggles, and I will never be able to understand the difficulties that they experienced. The difference between me and a casual jazz-listener is that I respect their struggle. I may not know everything about it, but I respect it.

Have listeners, over the years, lost respect for music and its surroundings? The melodies and styles over the ages have been pertinent to the people and their experiences of any given age, and this circumstantial music requires respect in order to be enjoyed to its full potential.

Jazz, the anthem of American slave struggle, is a particular example of how this is true. How can we enjoy jazz properly when we don't understand where it comes from and why it exists?

I occasionally feel that modern music is difficult to appreciate because of its lack of roots. Then I think to myself - the roots of these modern genres lie in other genres!

Dubstep's roots, for example, lie in the complex history of the Rastafarians, playing dub music at social gatherings where they would dance, worship Jah and be with their fellow people. These days, however, 19 year old girls in short skirts and young men in collared shirts dance awkwardly in clubs to an adaptation of this once-great social music. Even here, I am not saying that I don't enjoy dubstep. Often, in a club, bass rippling through your veins to remind you of those wonderful, rich Rastafarian roots is refreshing and interesting.

So remember - respect the music!

Afternoon all!

I haven't blogged in a while, I'll be honest. I've been quite busy holidaying etc etc etc. I spent a while in Durban and Pietermaritzburg (two places, the climate of which, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy). But I am back in the mother city and I couldn't be happier.

I spent a rather wonderful time last evening with two friends of mine, Britt and Laura. We decided to be spontaneous and drive somewhere - so Laura and I kidnapped Britt and we went to the Engen. After this, we played a game whereby we would follow a car, and when it turned, we would turn in the opposite direction, and see where we would end up.We ended up at Kirstenbosch gardens in the middle of the night. yeeeahhh. We then got sopping wet in the sprinklers, acting like a SWOT team running around the fields. We then drove to the airport, and drank coffee while watching planes arrive. A most enjoyable evening.

MIND BLOWN