Gangs of Ballet. Now there’s a blast from the past.
And this particular track would surely be considered to be a South African classic.
Am I allowed to say that? Can I be a judge of what makes that list?
Gangs of Ballet were a three-piece from Durban and also had that other big hit (here). I think they were a bit ahead of their time. Hello Sweet World would be on every Netflix hospital drama series if it were released these days. As the angry bit kicks in just after the 2 minute mark, you can almost see the tearful, distressed female doctor storming out of the ER into the wet streets of downtown Chicago after her night shift, during which she saved twelve lives and broke up with her handsome surgeon boyfriend.
And yet – as far as I am aware – they never really made it beyond these shores. See also The Parlotones, Zebra & Giraffe and Ashtray Electric (and maybe Isochronous, as well). There’s some properly good South African indie rock there (and The Parlotones), which you really feel could have gone a lot further if it had just managed one big break.
Clearly, as you can see from the links above, I tried my best.