The Southern Cape (and I’m talking specifically of the Overberg, Theewaterskloof and Cape Agulhas municipalities here) is so beautiful right now. Lush, green farmland full of blue cranes, fields of bright yellow canola flowers, rolling hills and the all the fun of the fair with the R316 dipping and curving through the landscape.
There are other great driving songs out there, of course. But a-ha’s Analogue was playing as we headed past the infamous Houtkloof turn just north of Napier, and it needs sharing.
For the UK viewers out there (presumably in… the UK), I think the video should come with some sort of warning about setting off fireworks in an oil refinery; namely – don’t.
Women’s Day here in SA today and thus a public holiday, but I find myself hard at work in the lab. TB shows no respect for human public holidays and insists on growing and requiring care and attention. The plan is to get through the tasks in hand and then join the rest of the family wherever they are for some fun in the sun, ahead of the epic storm forecast for the weekend.
Not to delay those precious dry family moments then, herewith the new one from the Killers. Another band that haven’t changed their style at all, which is great because it was just fine as it was. Runaways comes ahead of their new album next month and – hopefully – another tour including somewhere in SA with some parking.
Propped up by Corenza C and Red Bull, I made it out to Grand West last night for the first OMD concert in SA since 1994.
This isn’t likely to be the most impartial review you’ve ever read. It was never going to be, because I could listen to 80’s synthpop forever and a day and still enjoy every single second of it. And when it comes to 80’s synthpop, OMD were.. are… it.
No pretence from Andy McClusky that his dancing style is bizarre at best, nor that he’s getting on a bit.
On the the crowd’s reluctance to get involved:
Don’t be scared. I’m 53 and I’m still dancing like an idiot.
And then after a particularly energetic effort to Maid of Orleans:
It wasn’t dignified 25 years ago and it’s not got any better.
But at least I can still do it!
And he could. An admittedly generally sycophantic crowd were transported back to earlier times as they knocked out hit after hit, Paul Humphreys repeating those electronic riffs which kept us entertained on cassette all those years ago.
Considering this was “soulless” electronic music, there was passion and, strangely, almost a spiritual element to the performance.
Oh – and the new stuff isn’t bad either. This was a very pleasant surprise.
OMD wrote Electricity when they were 16 – a fact that a quick glance at the lyrics will confirm. But as we’ve mentioned before with these 80s bands, those lyrics worked back then. And, as Kraftwerk showed, the singing was rather incidental to the electronic beats and the keyboard themes.
Thankfully, OMD have moved on lyrically since then. But their recent stuff still holds true to their musical roots – and for me, that’s just great.
We got back from the UK to find that 80’s legends OMD were performing in Cape Town next week. It’s this sort of post-holiday bonus that makes the air travel all worth it. Even with that baby on your flight.
A quick look at their discography is like a Who’s Who of 80s synth classics: Enola Gay, Electricity, Tesla Girls, Locomotion, Souvenir. But they also had hits in the 90s too: Sailing on the Seven Seas and Walking on the Milky Way.
I’m now playing catch up with their latest album, History of Modern Part I.
So yes, we’ve got our tickets and we’re off to see them.
As with all bands from previous eras, their line-up has changed over the years. But unlike other “old” bands who have been to SA recently this touring line-up is the “classic” one from 1980-1996 (Humpheys, McCluskey, Cooper and Holmes). They may all be in their early 50s now, but as the video above shows, there’s no shortage of energy.
Linkin Park, Schminkin Park. I cannot wait for next Thursday.
OMD are playing at Grand West in Cape Town on Thursday 2nd August and Emperor’s Palace in Gauteng on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th August. Tickets at Computicket.
I was out enjoying a bit of offroading madness this morning and I was up on the Crags in the mud and the rain when this popped onto my phone/GPS/music player:
