'It's gonna be cool'

2008-11-07 10:00

Duncan Alfreds

Cape Town - It's a case of the old guys versus the new as some classic South African bands reform for one show only in the annual Bandslam.

"It's gonna be cool," Ian Watson of Lithium tells News24.

Lithium is an old South African band and despite the greying hair, they say that fans can expect a show at full throttle.

However, the band has no intention of reforming.

"It's difficult with Dave [Owens] living in Johannesburg," says Paul Opie who plays bass.

No reunion

"And it wouldn't be ethical for us to audition a new vocalist because it was really Dave's voice that people remember," adds Watson.

They do acknowledge that they will play the odd show for fans but that a permanent reunion won't happen.

"We never had a game plan," says Opie about the early days in their career. "We played the music we liked and we are keen to release some old songs."

"Our music wasn't pop music; it was the hardest stuff we could do at the time," says Watson. "We were lucky with our timing. South African society at the time was in an upliftment phase and that was good for us.

On the other side of the Bandslam show is young band Taxi Violence.

Accidental name

Their controversial name is a complete accident, Louis Nel who plays drums tells News24.

"There was a list of names for our band on a list, and Taxi Violence was the last one. We just picked it as it was a headline in the newspaper."

"And we got a lot of free advertising as there was actual taxi violence in the Western Cape at the time," adds vocalist George van der Spuy.

The band's songs have a spiritual element and their inspiration is "stories of saints and sinners", along with a healthy dose of blues and Led Zeppelin.

"We don't write music specifically for South African audiences and we've always been as underground band," says Nel. "If people like it, great. "

· Bandslam is on at the Mercury in Cape Town, November 14 and 15. Tickets cost R100 for both days and may be booked online.

- News24