#arcade empire

[watermarkhigh]

I'm playing a DJ set tomorrow night, at !Arcade Empire's new years party. I'm on the Tomorrow Never Happened stage at 19:00. If you're still in Gauteng, you know what to do...

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I'm playing the Bittereinder Pretoria album launch on the 11th of October! They're going all out, don't miss this!

[get-togetha]

Dead Letter Circus

When Dead Letter Circus blasted onto Australian airwaves in 2007, their bombastic yet nuanced take on alternative rock left most observers struggling to process what they were hearing. It was epic, it oozed confidence, it was intense and open all at once. It was the debut of a sound so fresh and unique that it was hard to classify.

Dead Letter Circus are unlike any rock band to emerge in years.…

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[watermarkhigh]

Pizza, beats and free entrance, TONIGHT! I'm on at 22:30.

[thexultimate]

One of the best Deep House Dj's in the world. From South Africa, 2Lani kills the tracks.

[reelrhetoricblog]

Drop by Arcade Empire (‪Pretoria‬) on ‪New Years‬ and check out DJ Culprate (UK), Zebra and Giraffe, Desmond and the Tutus, Gangs of Ballet...

[watermarkhigh]

An interview I did with Gauteng Music Scene this week. We talked about tonight's Griet Halloween show at !Arcade Empire and TWH in general...

[decortica]

Tour diary: South Africa 2013, part 4

Earlier in the week, we visited Tuks FM at the University of Pretoria, a well-known community radio station which has been significant in the careers of many South African artists and broadcasting professionals. Most of the staff are volunteers. They were eager to educate us about the local scene, describing the musical family tree of seminal Afrikaans alternative rock outfit Fokofpolisiekar - a band name that transliterates nicely into English. The station hosted a live-to-air with The Narrow and a young fan from the Reach for a Dream foundation. It was a humbling testament to the band’s relationship with their followers.

4 October, Arcade Empire, Pretoria

The anticipation for this show was high. People had described Arcade Empire as one of the top venues in the country and Pretoria is a stronghold of The Narrow’s fan base.

For a band of retrogamers like us, it was a great atmosphere: Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 wall art, Street Fighter II and Metal Slug 2 machines. While we played, the more diligent independent musicians among us set up the merch table and would manage this throughout the evening themselves, conscious of the accumulated value a few t-shirt and CD sales a night adds to a tour budget. Bassist Jow Feldtmann set a good example for the rest of us at these shows with his patience and professionalism, engaging fans (and hagglers) at the table, sipping moderately at his drink, dextrously taking the stage and quickly returning afterwards to pose for photos and sell another t-shirt.

Backstage there was a mix of home advantage sassiness and quiet reflection as we readied for a brawling show, primed by Show and Tell, Apollo 7 and Only Forever. Our set felt weighty; riffs and grooves resonated with this crowd. We were surprised by the reception but paused only to plug back in cables torn out of pedals or to suck down a couple of chestfuls of air as torrents of sweat filled our eyes. Voight-Kampff, Two Hundred Sixteen, Dihex, Helix, 11811, The Grid, Reservoir. By the end of it, I felt like I looked.

To the locals, every song The Narrow played was an anthem; they belted each chorus - some were tattooed with lyrics. I was determined to capture a moment with Vine as free and reliable Wi-Fi is rare at venues. It was difficult to penetrate the front rows.

-Mathew

More: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 5