Friday, July 25, 2008

FTTW and The Julii at Zula Bar- 17 July

Having been away for what seemed like decades, I was raring to get stuck back into the Cape Town music scene! Not a day after landing in not-so-sunny SA, I had a promising gig lined up: FTTW and the Julii at Zula Bar. With great music, great company and a great venue, what’s not to get hyperactive about? Zula Bar in Long Street is a kiff venue which I do not visit nearly often enough! The vibe and the people (mostly) set exactly the right vibe for a gig. They could, however, do with a new DJ. Individually, the songs he played were not terrible, but mixing Britney Spears and Duffy with Hip-Hop and Coldplay (!!) does not work. The Julii undoubtedly has potential, but that’s about it. Though the musical side of their act is passable, the vocals need work. The instrumentals are almost impressive, though generic. While I would normally be thrilled to see legendary influences such as Radiohead and The Cure, I was almost offended that they so blatantly steal their music, copying almost exactly some of their guitar chords. The crowd was reluctant to get into the show, lingering on the periphery of the floor. I have not given up completely on this band, though. Perhaps once the vocalist has hit puberty and stops touching himself on stage they will have my feet tapping. FTTW remains one of my favourite local acts! Couple Sinead and Marc take the stage with energy and fervor one rarely sees. Though hailing from Durbs, they had the crowd jamming their hearts out, dancing and singing along to every word! They do a wonderful job of involving the audience in their performance of upbeat Indie pop, their sound combining a lively garage stroke with sugary but fierce punk. Despite the average sound system, FTTW pulled off a spectacular show that satisfied their Cape Town fans. They have all the talent and more and I am confident that it is only a matter of time before these guys (and girl) make it big outside of South Africa.