Three Is A Crowd
Ever listened to a song where you start to get that kick. The kick where the beat is sweet, your hairs stand on end all the way up to your neck and into your skull. You unlock your phone, see the artist(s), remember that they only consist of 2 musicians. How can it be possible for only 2 people to make music like this you ask?
It brings me great excitement to mention the following artists. If you must know South Africa has some insane 2-piece bands. Now being in a band like this makes you very vulnerable. There is only 2 artist to look at on stage and there is a greater responsibility shared between them to entertain. I feel it requires great skill to pull it off. The synergy between the guitarist and drummer has to be like they were born in the same womb. These bands often break off into masterpiece instrumental parts that can make a large crowd want to start a riot out of pure ecstasy. They break away from the standard music ensemble making their mark with only a few instruments usually consisting of drums, guitar and vocals. Sometimes the guitar is swapped out for bass with some pedals to give it a guitary feel like Royal Blood or Death from Above 1979.
There is quite a few pros and cons when it comes to being in a duo act. There isn't a lot of gear for one. The bar tab is only shared by two people so the band can get super drunk. More fan capita per band member. Con-wise, only having 2 instruments there is a lot of room for criticism. It is easier to hear the mistakes but I feel solid work from the drummer and a pedalboard with a skilled front can work wonders. A guitar and vocals can be limiting and I often see duos using many unique pedals to their advantage.
The following duos I am going to mention you absolutely have to see them live. Seeing just 2 people make an entire crowd move in ways you couldn't imagine is quite something. I wanted to rank these bands but my brain started to hurt so in no particular order:
Garage Surf Punk from Cape Town. An absolute gem I discovered on SoundCloud and another reason I urge you to get on there and support our locals. They made a relapse and recently added a new member. Yes, I know they are not a 2 piece anymore but if you go back and give there stuff a whirl you won't be disappointed. From the Pizza Ep to Losers Drink Beer and their latest album titled "Nothing to Lose Nothing to Prove" raw punk riffs filled with the occasional surfy wave will transcend you back to simpler times. Cape Town truly is the current leaders when it comes to punk in my opinion. Very simple always leaving you to feel complicated. They have an upcoming show on June 14th with Black Lung and Weed Dealer.
From the early days to my discovery of Black Math a similar band popped up onto my stream. Hailing from Durban this 2 piece is a force not to be reckoned with. You can hear they have been heavily influenced by the holy trinity but have their own take on the genre consisting of high energy fuzz noise rock. With a pedalboard that can launch a small nuclear missile and Goliath beats on the drums, Mouse is truly magic to your ears. Being one of the youngest, referring to the overall age of the group, I simply cannot contain my joy to see how they will progress. There is the promise of a new album on the way with the latest release of their new song Electric Face. I recommend you have a good stretch and hydration session before one of their shows as you might end up feeling like the last tic tac aggressively shaken out of its case.
This band was probably one of my first live duo shows I had the privilege of witnessing. I cannot emphasise enough how badly you should see them live. Hellcats, being probably one of the biggest and most well-known acts today, will give you a performance difficult to forget. These guys opened for international acts such as The Cure. The guitarist will bring the show to your face and I find that lacking in shows today as stages often create a divide. As an avid fan of bumping and jumping, I would not complain one bit to see a guitarist shredding his fingers to bloody pieces inches away from you. While being graced by the presence of insane solos you take a glimpse at the back of the stage beholding another madman on stage. They should attach robotic spider legs to his kit and he too can just enter the crowd and be in your face. This duo always brings true knuckle rock and roll to your soul. Alessandro and Warwick if you are reading this thank you for snowballing the standards into new heights and keeping the scene alive.
Saving the best for last. Take the alternative to a new level. Now imagine a band with about 11 albums dating back from 2010 with more or less 14 songs on each album. I am really not joking go check out their Bandcamp. They have been in this scene for quite some time now and it makes me proud to be a South African when you see the insane tours they do overseas. They would play more shows in a month that some would do in a year. Make-Overs have set the standard for any band, let alone a duo. I hope you had the chance to catch them live before they go spread their word across the pond. It even comes as a bonus when you realise they both do vocals and I have yet to witness a duo to match their stage presence. Make-Overs we at Dystopia salute you and thank you for the work and love you put into this beautiful scene we behold today.
These are my favourite songs by the bands mentioned above:
Death Panthers - No Teeth
Mouse - Tide Shift
Hellcats - Black Stabbath
Make-Overs - Skeletons
Stay tuned big announcements to follow!
Author: Wessel Möller
It brings me great excitement to mention the following artists. If you must know South Africa has some insane 2-piece bands. Now being in a band like this makes you very vulnerable. There is only 2 artist to look at on stage and there is a greater responsibility shared between them to entertain. I feel it requires great skill to pull it off. The synergy between the guitarist and drummer has to be like they were born in the same womb. These bands often break off into masterpiece instrumental parts that can make a large crowd want to start a riot out of pure ecstasy. They break away from the standard music ensemble making their mark with only a few instruments usually consisting of drums, guitar and vocals. Sometimes the guitar is swapped out for bass with some pedals to give it a guitary feel like Royal Blood or Death from Above 1979.
There is quite a few pros and cons when it comes to being in a duo act. There isn't a lot of gear for one. The bar tab is only shared by two people so the band can get super drunk. More fan capita per band member. Con-wise, only having 2 instruments there is a lot of room for criticism. It is easier to hear the mistakes but I feel solid work from the drummer and a pedalboard with a skilled front can work wonders. A guitar and vocals can be limiting and I often see duos using many unique pedals to their advantage.
The following duos I am going to mention you absolutely have to see them live. Seeing just 2 people make an entire crowd move in ways you couldn't imagine is quite something. I wanted to rank these bands but my brain started to hurt so in no particular order:
DEATH PANTHERS
Garage Surf Punk from Cape Town. An absolute gem I discovered on SoundCloud and another reason I urge you to get on there and support our locals. They made a relapse and recently added a new member. Yes, I know they are not a 2 piece anymore but if you go back and give there stuff a whirl you won't be disappointed. From the Pizza Ep to Losers Drink Beer and their latest album titled "Nothing to Lose Nothing to Prove" raw punk riffs filled with the occasional surfy wave will transcend you back to simpler times. Cape Town truly is the current leaders when it comes to punk in my opinion. Very simple always leaving you to feel complicated. They have an upcoming show on June 14th with Black Lung and Weed Dealer.
MOUSE
 |
| Photo By Henry Engelbrecht |
From the early days to my discovery of Black Math a similar band popped up onto my stream. Hailing from Durban this 2 piece is a force not to be reckoned with. You can hear they have been heavily influenced by the holy trinity but have their own take on the genre consisting of high energy fuzz noise rock. With a pedalboard that can launch a small nuclear missile and Goliath beats on the drums, Mouse is truly magic to your ears. Being one of the youngest, referring to the overall age of the group, I simply cannot contain my joy to see how they will progress. There is the promise of a new album on the way with the latest release of their new song Electric Face. I recommend you have a good stretch and hydration session before one of their shows as you might end up feeling like the last tic tac aggressively shaken out of its case.
HELLCATS
 |
| Photo by Alet Pretorius |
This band was probably one of my first live duo shows I had the privilege of witnessing. I cannot emphasise enough how badly you should see them live. Hellcats, being probably one of the biggest and most well-known acts today, will give you a performance difficult to forget. These guys opened for international acts such as The Cure. The guitarist will bring the show to your face and I find that lacking in shows today as stages often create a divide. As an avid fan of bumping and jumping, I would not complain one bit to see a guitarist shredding his fingers to bloody pieces inches away from you. While being graced by the presence of insane solos you take a glimpse at the back of the stage beholding another madman on stage. They should attach robotic spider legs to his kit and he too can just enter the crowd and be in your face. This duo always brings true knuckle rock and roll to your soul. Alessandro and Warwick if you are reading this thank you for snowballing the standards into new heights and keeping the scene alive.
MAKE-OVERS
 |
| Photo by Leigh Taylor |
These are my favourite songs by the bands mentioned above:
Death Panthers - No Teeth
Mouse - Tide Shift
Hellcats - Black Stabbath
Make-Overs - Skeletons
Stay tuned big announcements to follow!
Author: Wessel Möller
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