Dystopia Presents I: In Review, by Johnathan Breytenbach.

September 18, 2019

Dystopia Presents I: In Review, by Johnathan Breytenbach.

Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Editor's Note: In celebration of the success of our debut event, Dystopia Presents 1984: Something Wicked This Way Comes, it dawned on me that we couldn't write a review of our own event. Obviously. So we reached out to a talented, and all round lovely dude, Johnathan Breytenbach of Stoned, Doomed and Deserted, to give us his thoughts on how the evening went down from the fans' perspective. Enjoy, and thanks Jono. You legend.

Date: 07 September, 2019

Hosted by: Dystopia, The Local Band Scene

Venue: Railways Café, Centurion,
Pretoria

Line-Up: Smokey Mercle, Caution Boy,
Pollinator, Ruff Majik, Mad God.

Poster Design by Anni Buchner.

Poster design by Chris Minnaar.

It’s not every day that we as underground music fans get to experience a line-up so powerful, so exciting, that we confirm our attendance before the event has even been officially announced, but that’s exactly what happened (at least with myself) when I heard that Ruff Majik were coming back to SA to play one last gig before relocating to Europe for tours and record labels. Now, admittedly, I’ve been a fan of them for quite some time now, so I wouldn’t have missed this gig even if the world around me was burning (which it quite literally was thanks to all the Xenophobic riots here in Jozi).

Backtrack a few weeks to a previous gig at Railways, I found myself talking to Mia of the Dystopia team and was told of an event happening on the 7th of September. I was told of two of the bands, Mad God and Caution Boy and was already sold. Over the course of the next week or so, Dystopia slowly released the remainder of the line-up and boy, I was more excited than a junkie in an oxytocin factory. Ruff Majik was announced last, however I had already suspected as much, simply by the “Going” list on the Facebook event page and seeing that all three members had confirmed their attendance.

On the day of the Poster reveal (which was done by the amazing Ale and Cake Illustrations), I messaged my close friends and booked them for the 7th of September. No chance in hell I was going to share this electrifying, albeit, somewhat bitter-sweet, experience by myself. I say bitter-sweet because of two reasons. One, knowing that this may very well be the last time we get to see the original Ruff Majik members play in South Africa. And Two, as foreshadowed in the previous sentence, Jimmy, arguably the backbone bassist of the band, was leaving to pursue life’s finer pleasures.

Photo by Christelle Duvenage.

Fast track our way to the night of the gig. Railways Cafe is a far drive for myself, being around an hour drive there, however, for that full hour, the four of us in the car were bundles of uncontained furor, jamming out to groovy tunes, on our way to a tasty gig, to meet up with some wonderful people and share in our mutual appreciation of South African music. The venue itself was unusually busy, which means that the guerrilla marketing by Dystopia must have been a raging success. I’m talking about the plastering of dope-looking posters all around Pretoria and the near-constant reminders of the event on social media. Kudos to whoever was the marketing strategist behind the event, they certainly secured people’s attention. First thing we normally do at any event was to find a table and order food and drinks, but instead I went to buy merch. Can’t blame a man for throwing his money at yet another band shirt. Anyway, we eventually found a spot right in front of the stage, perfect for having a lekker chilled night and watching some music. Oh how I was wrong…

Within minutes, I heard the sweetest sounding psych rock tunes echoing from behind me. It was the new kids of the line-up, Smokey Mercle. A sizable crowd gathered to watch these guys, some friends I’m guessing and some like me, not knowing what they’re in for. Let me just say that if this is the energy and the raw talent these guys are putting out there as part of their debut, I’m already a big fan. Harmonizing well with the psych/garage rock combo they’ve got going, they even throw in some doom-riffic weight behind a few tracks, such as Tree Rats. I’m keeping a close eye on these guys and so should you. They may just be the underground’s next big craze.

Smokey Mercle by Henry Engelbrecht.

Moving past the welcome surprise that was Smokey Mercle, next was Caution Boy, who are in a category all of their own. Raw, Rowdy and Raucous, this three-piece played what I’d consider one of their best gigs to date that I’ve seen. Andi Cappo, Cuation Boy’s Vocalist and Guitarist, always has good stage theatrics, and is entertaining to watch simply because of the energy and passion he exudes. If you want some more deets on their sound, check out Dystopia’s write-up, “Introducing Caution Boy”.

Caution Boy by Henry Engelbrecht.

Following Caution Boy’s blowout, was Pollinator. They were seemingly the crowd favourite, following Ruff Majik. Pollinator laid down some equally groovy and sexy tunes to which the crowd was eager to soak up. Evert Snyman brings a lot to the table when on stage. I saw him in amongst the crowd at one point, mid-set, then even lying on the floor, all while still laying down some flavourful licks.

Pollinator by Henry Engelbrecht.

I subjectively haven’t given Pollinator the time they deserve, but after that gig I certainly could consider myself a fan of what they do. More on Pollinator and their latest album at “I'd pray to some moth gods. Introducing: Mothball Deities, by Pollinator”.

Now for the big one. Ruff fuckin’ Majik. God, this was an emotional set. Not in the soppy, angst way, but more in the “We all are proud of everything these guys do.” way. Seeing these three Saints get up on stage, as drunk as they may have been, and play with their hearts and for their fans… It’s a soulful moment, ya’ know?

Their set was… unorthodox though, in the sense that there were few technical difficulties, one being a broken kick drum pedal from Benni playing too damn awesomely, secondly a feedback loop on the bass at one point which was quickly resolved, and thirdly… momentary guitar tunings. All of which was resolved hastily, but put all this aside though and take the gig for its face value. To play loud music for you to party to and have a jol of a time, and that’s just what Ruff Majik delivered. No one worried over the slight mishaps, everyone just wanted the trio to stay on stage and party as long as possible. The set ended with all three band members embraced in a final group hug. A fitting sentiment to the bond of three life-long friends, the creators of everyone’s favourite band, and the end of Jimmy’s reign as bassist for Ruff Majik.

Ruff Majik by Henry Engelbrecht.

Alas, following a set as emotionally-fuelled as that is tough, but that’s why I suspect Mad God was kept until last. Soul Crushing Doom for a crushed crowd. Mad God’s set was doomy as ever, with weighty tone bearing down across all ears, heads slowly bobbing in response heavy basslines and lumbering drums. I dare say that the sound may have been the best out of any of Mad God sets yet, as the audio team knew just how to adjust the guitar levels so that they weren’t drowned out by chunky, demolishing bass lines. As to be expected with doom, the set lasted an eternity, and I loved that. Far longer than any of the previous sets, resonating the souls of the crowd long into the night. Unfortunately, we had to leave before the end, but seeing as the crowd was still well focused on their music, I’m certain that they were a fan favourite, and may have even gained some new fans. More on Mad God in Dystopia’s article, “Mad God- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Doom Band."

Mad God by Mootstraat Vos, Gareth Pretorius.

Dystopia, you guys nailed a kick-ass event, your marketing was on point, the venue was chosen perfectly, the sound was great, your choice of bands couldn’t have been any better and your crew/team was friendly, helpful and just all-round a great bunch of peeps. Congratulations on the first of many great events. You’ve scored yourselves a reliable circle of people who will be at all your events, if this one was anything to go by. Keep up the great work guys.

And to Johnni, Benni and Jimmy. If you guys are reading this, I just personally wanted to say thanks for everything you do. You three have made more than just good music, you’ve crafted a legacy. You’ve created something from nothing, and have brought together more people than you realize. Thanks for being the most down-to-earth group of guys I’ve met and the hardest rocking band I’ve ever had the privilege of partying with. I hope that each of you kick ass in what you do, no matter where your paths take you.

Stay Doomed.