1. Zebra & Giraffe – from one man creation to ending the year with a bazuka sized bang when supporting The Killers.
2. aKING – awesome, awesome, awesome. Fab at all the festivals and a second album worth singing along to!
3. Blk Jks – launched their debut album, signed to an international label, played SXSW and much more. Sassy and hot!
4. Livingston – SA lead singer and guitarist in this five piece, now based in Berlin, and finally released debut album ‘Sign Language’ which went straight into the German charts. Can you say ‘Sehr gut’.
5. Heroes Wear Red – cool name and a hot lead singer armed with a strong voice, released their debut album Surviving September.
6. Josie Field – A much needed female representative for the SA sound and the real deal with her striking looks and original lyrics!
7. Die Heuwels Fantasties – Afrikaans rock who make music look easy and fun fun fun. Plus loads of good videos.
8. Parlotones – they’ve been around a while, but they’re still such a delight. World tour, third album and adverts aimed at the snacking S youth – Parlos are pure genius.
9. The Plastics – making indie sound exciting again, they have worked their way up to becoming a wanted band with a massive fanbase who follow them everywhere.
10. Cassette – onto their second album, international tours and dressed for success. Retro is cool and Cassette is in demand!
Hot up and coming artists to rock you in 2010
1.Thieve – with the perfect summer soundtrack song ‘Last December’, these boys are sure to win many hearts on the festival circuit this year.
2. Red Huxley – exhilarating music that smacks of Foo Fighters and yet has the enigmatic sound of Cape Town’s Taxi Violence. This is not to say that they sound like these bands, it’s more the feeling they force on you and you accept with great pleasure.
3. Checked Zebra – one of the ska bands who make brass instruments cool. They are tight on stage and a whole lot of fun!
4. The Arrows – this female two piece is pulling together nicely, with an album on iTunes imminently and a recent new year’s gig in the States. It’s only a matter of time before they take off. Girl power.
5. Ree-Burth – a melodic metal band from Soweto who are unique to the industry and captivated crowds at Oppikoppi last year, getting them to sing along to lyrics never before been heard!
6. Chasing Friday – with a front man who moves with all the zest and energy of a Jaegermeister fuelled Jack Black, this band is all about the fun and good tunes too.
7. The 357s – A three piece band who’s music is hard core and has the same zing you get after downing a ‘flaming lamborghini’. To describe this band on stage, think of getting into a Shelby GT500 and racing it down an open N1.
8. Jack Parow – Vanilla Ice of the Afrikaans world, this guy speaks in slang that both rhymes and makes sense. You can always tell it’s him under the shade of his epic peak cap. Check out ‘Cooler as ekke’ online.
9. Shen Winberg – SA’s own up and coming John Mayer. With his jazz background this guy can create any ambience he sets his guitar too. Check out the ‘City of Might’ video. Simple, but professional. Table Mountain as a backdrop interspersed between a purple room and punchy cutaways. Eye-candy and Cape Town in one. Nice.
10. Sterling EQ – the all girl classical quartet is a marketing man’s field day. They’ve recently created a film montage with each of them in different movie scenes in ‘Nova- the movie’. From Bond to Tomb Raider, Pulp Fiction to Dirty Dancing. Test your movia trivia and be spellbound by its sexy sound!
