People of all ages and tastes have been drawn to the socially diverse, fun-filled music genre of ska and punk ska, with live shows which capture the imagination from bands who defy compartmentalisation into a particular musical genre with its mix of instruments, beats and rhythms!

When ska entered the South African music scene in the 1990’s, it was a fairly unknown concept to music lovers. Brilliant groups have emerged and are still making waves in South Africa. Punk ska bands, particularly in Cape Town, manage to survive for years in the underground scene, playing very few gigs and not getting any commercial radio play - a strategy that only few can pull off.  Sue Northam introduces six bands on the local SA ska scene.

Hog Hoggidy Hog



One of the first bands to emerge in the Cape Town ska scene, and whose name has been etched deep into the mosh-wounds of the South African scene, is Hog Hoggidy Hog. It’s been over a decade of action-packed music, mischief and mayhem since the young hoglets first blessed South Africa with their debut performance. They have recently released a new album called ‘Method to the Madness’! All these years, a few well received releases and a good number of nationwide as well as European tours later (having shared the stage with the top acts in the world of their genre such as Nofx, Mad Caddies and Lagwagon), they still remain the energetic inspiration for younger ska bands.

Captain Stu








One of these younger ska / reggae acts is the six piece Cape Town-based band, Captain Stu. Their slow climb to prominence gave the band the time to perfect their art and grow their fan base through word of mouth Р the best kind of marketing you can get! As runner-up of the Road To V-Fest Competition 2008 as the best unsigned band in SA (where they played alongside top international acts such as Maroon 5 and One Republic), Captain Stu brings you an urban twist with a tightly executed, energetic and eclectic blend of ska, funk, rock and reggae while skillfully incorporating as many of their varying influences as possible. Captain Stu has two albums to their name - ‘The Untold Tales’ released 2005 and ‘The Adventures of Captain Stu’ released in 2009.

7th Son and Little Kings








Other young ska bands include two Cape Town bands Р 7th Son and Little Kings. While 7th Son refer to themselves as reggae rockers, Little Kings consider themselves rock reggae fusion Р both a natural progressions from the ska sound. 7th Son have three albums, the latest 2009 release is ‘Ontology’ (the study of being), whereas Little Kings released their first independent demo in mid 2008 and recently released an EP entitled ‘New World’. They’ve been gigging up a storm, recently performing at Malibu Fest in J Bay as well as Ramfest earlier this year and last year they played Billabong Pro as well as Concert for a Cause, where they performed in front of a 3,500 plus crowd, alongside Goldfish, Rudimentals and Prime Circle.

The Rudimentals



The Rudimentals, also from Cape Town, are made up eight musicians Р including a three piece brass section! They released their debut ‘More Fire’ six years ago, with their sound a blend of the essential elements of ska combined with rural and urban African music, resulting in African ska as they call it! They also deal with distinctly African issues in their songs Р such as Aids, drug abuse and gangsterism.

Fuzigish

And finally, we have Fuzigish, another big name on the punk ska scene, but one who break the Cape Town trend, hailing from Joburg! They have been around since 1997 and supported The Violent Femmes in 2006, playing to 22,000 people over two nights!

All in all, it is evident that the ska scene is alive and thriving in South Africa, having started back in Jamaica over 50 years ago, before evolving into reggae by the 60s and morphing into ‘2 Tone’ in the 70s (2 Tone combined Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock’s more aggressive guitar and lyrics). By the 80s, bands were playing punk ska with brass instruments and by the 90s, South Africa started evolving its own interpretations of the ska scene, bringing us to where we are today! Ska all the way I say!