By Dani

I set out on Wednesday evening with photographer Gavin Collins in tow, to catch two energetic dance-driving bands on stage at Zula Bar in Long Street, Cape Town.  It was the much anticipated launch of MacGyver Knife’s new album, Sewing Legend.

Supporting act, She Man Lion rocked up and rocked out. Two words: Superior Synth! Their 80s inspired dance beats could only be likened to a modern, male-fronted Yazoo with double the synth and double the style. Impressive hyper-speed drumming kept things upbeat and happening in a real techno-party fashion right through their set. Psycho-dancing enriched with disco lighting and solid tempo merged to form an electric hurricane on-stage.

By Dani

The internationally acclaimed Cirque du Soleil swung into Cape Town’s entertainment scene with an almighty ‘whoosh’ of magical mayhem in 2011. My pursuit of leisure led me to Grand West’s main arena for the spectacular spectacle that is Cirque du Soleil! Sold out nearly immediately, they consented to add another five full days of performances to the Cape Town leg of the circus’ South-African tour and even then the packed arena was near capacity! Yipee!

The cast of mischievous circus folk includes clowns, acrobats, contortionists, strong-men, mimes and many more performing gravity-defying feats of unnatural proportions, accompanied by phenomenal musical performances by a cast of live musicians and even opera singers. All tied together with a candy-striped ribbon of comedic genius, the show was a boisterous manifestation of all things astonishingly bizarre.

The Official Playboy South Africa Launch Party (CT)
By Dani

On Saturday 7 May 2011, trendy young Cape Tonians put the wag in swagger at The Fez Club to celebrate the arrival of Heff’s infamous billion-dollar empire, Playboy, on South African shores.

Much like the brand, the Playboy event boasted everything sexy and stylish with an extra little kick of flirty fun!

At 8pm, in Fez fashion, the red carpet rolled on out along the roadside that was, on this exclusive occasion, lined with gorgeous hunks of metal. Flaunting luxury and limited editions, the sexy cars included Austins, Jags and a personal favourite, the Mustang. Waiting in line has never been so exciting and tormenting at the same time. It’s one of those times when you want to grab your phone and take a picture but you choose to keep your cool instead – unfortunately this moment lasted longer than most while I stood in the freezing cold wearing the skimpiest, flashiest dress I own.

South Africa has seen some pretty amazing acts from around the world visit its stages and now it can add another to the long list. Australia’s Pop Princess, Kylie Minogue, will be performing in Cape Town and Johannesburg in four sensational concerts. If you want to see Miss Minogue in action you better get your tickets fast.

Minogue is currently on her Aphrodite Tour. She has already wowed audiences all over the world in countries such as France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Australia and England. If the video updates are anything to go by the months of hard work, rehearsal and planning that went into the tour are paying off.

He is currently one of South Africa’s most sought after DJ acts. Haezer has been mixing and making his own “trash electro” music for some years now but only recently began getting some proper recognition. On Tuesday 26 April (the night before Freedom Day) Griet (events and artist agency) and Haezer joined forces to give the locals a Go!Go! EP launch party they won’t quickly forget, and I was there.

Haezer has worked his way up from opening for international acts at The Assembly to headlining the gigs himself. He has definitely created a stir in the local and international electro scene as the numbers of excited fans who flocked to Cape Town’s City Hall to see him proved.

If you’re familiar with the popular musical Grease you’ll know that years ago going to the drive-in was a favourite pastime for families, friends and young lovers. When I was a kid my family took a trip up to Rustenberg, about two hours’ drive from Johannesburg, and we decided to go to the local drive-in one night. I absolutely loved it; the massive screen ahead, the tuck shop where you could buy popcorn, sweets and coke and all the cars parked neatly into rows was something new to me, especially because we were outside. Now Cape Town’s residents can enjoy a drive-in of its own in Stellenbosch.

Since 2005 The Dirty Skirts has rocked local and international stages to screaming fans. The band’s blend of pop indie-rock and reputation for giving incredible live performances has propelled them from the underground into the sometimes obsessive arms and ears of thousands of devoted fans. Now, ladies and gentlemen you’ll all be happy to hear that the four-piece benchmark for Cape Town indie-rock will be releasing another studio album.

With Jeremy de Tolly on vocals and lead guitar, David Moffat on guitar, Maurice Paliaga on bass and Mark de Menezes behind the drums, The Dirty Skirts has found a perfect formula to make music that has nothing formulaic about it.