The Bohemian in Richmond has a very relaxed atmosphere and laidback feel. Every fashion crime was committed which somehow gives this venue more character and less strangeness than it would anywhere else. The crowd were very different to what I am used to…no one clapped at the end of songs and few seemed to pay any attention to what was happening on stage – not easy for the bands that give out a lot of energy during their performances. Everybody seemed to be having a great evening though and were truly interested in the bands, they just weren’t very responsive. At all.
Gary Rathbone, guitarist for the 80’s band The Spectres, opened the evening. He did a short set which unfortuntely didn’t make much of an impression on me. It became more background music as people were filling up the tables and chatting.
The He-She’s were the band we were there to see, and they really made our journey worth it. They are putting old school, hard core rock into the SA music scene which seems to be leaning more and more towards the pop market.
Singer and self-proclaimed air-guitar expert, Nick Wilson, walked on stage with 15-6 drawn across his chest and black stripes under his eyes. This was of course in celebration of South Africa’s World Cup victory, but didn’t get much response from the crowd. He had so many great chirps, which also seemed to go over most people’s heads. The only time there was a noticeable reaction was when Nick started saying “F*** Cape Town, F*** Cape Town”! EVERYONE seemed to think this was great and started chanting along.
The He-She’s know how to put on a fantastic performance and everyone should try get out to see them. They looked and acted like rock stars which gives them a big thumbs up in our books!
It was clear that most people were there to see Jim Neversink. We found a spot on the floor during their first song, the Elvis hit ‘Well That’s Alright Mama’. At that point I thought ‘man, these guys are great’! Musically, they are all really talented – with each band member playing more than one instrument. We only saw the drummer playing the drums, but I’m sure, given the chance, he could play a mean tambourine.
This was such a strange set because by the about the fifth song I couldn’t place what was bugging me about the band. As good as they were, I had had enough. The vocalist sounded exactly like the lead singer of Violent Femmes and the whole nasal thing was bit too much after a while. There was also an accordion, which I will leave to your own interpretation. This clearly came down to personal taste because this band really do have a huge following.
Overall, it was really a great evening and worth the trip across Joburg.
More awkward, applaudless, silence. Weird.
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