Savage Lucy is a Johannesburg based instrumental trio, formed in April 2011, including Austen Lewis on guitars, Steven Bosman on drums and Clint Falconer on bass.

Arranging dynamic movements of melodic phrasing over eccentric rhythms, shadowed by darkly textured breakdowns, the trio intends to create emotional and erotic soundscapes.

Savage Lucy first proved their ability to entertain a crowd by winning Emerging Sounds Battle of the Bands 2011 just six months after formation. Since then they have been playing live in and around Johannesburg and Pretoria, including Kitchener’s, The Bohemian, Tanz, Shikisha’s, Rumours Lounge, Amuse Cafe, and Shivas Rock. Festival shows include Smoking Dragon (2012 & 2014), Oppikoppi (2013) and 4/20 D-DAY (2013 & 2014.

Savage has shared the stage with the likes of The Tidal Waves, The Brother Moves On, BEAST, Birth of Joy (NOR), Last Supper (CAN), The Slashdogs, Cortina Whiplash, New Academics, Taxi Violence, Albino Beach, Poverty Of Ideals, ISO and Shadowclub. With roots in post/progressive metal, post and psychedelic rock, blues and jazz, Savage Lucy aim to build upon their influences, orchestrating sonic voyages that seize and provoke discerning ears.

The year is 2086, and Planet Earth is under attack by an unknown alien force referred to as the pig people from Planet Zorg. In an assault led by the pig-lord General Barbatus, the space-pigs slaughter millions of people within the first few hours, and broadcast an ultimatum to the human race. Submit to slavery or die. Unbeknownst to humanity, the pig people visited planet earth nearly three thousand years ago, using a calculated approach to steer civilization into overpopulation by introducing essential technologies and sciences to nations across the globe. Throughout history, all the evidence was refuted and regarded as a hoax, until the day the pigs returned once the planet had enough protein and sentience. A rebel band of resistance fighters known only as ‘The Pig Whisperers’ went to see the oracle, witch doctor from the third world. Hoping to find an answer on how to liberate their race, she told them that the only way to prevent this attack is to go back in time and warn the world, through a mystical ritual that involves time-incarnation. ‘The Pig Whisperers’ were immediately born a hundred years earlier and received frequent visions from the oracle in one clear message: be prophets of the aporkalypse by any means necessary. Drawn together to tell the world of the fate of humankind, Boargazm introduced their first chronicle ‘The Aporkalypse’, followed by ‘The Baconing’, and now following up with their latest offering, ‘Armagammon’.

Boargazm has performed at most significant festivals in South Africa, including Oppikoppi, Mieliepop, STRAB, Witchfest, RAM concerts, and more. They have been the opening act for various international acts coming to South Africa, including Sepultura, Fear Factory, God Mother, Devildriver, Mantar, Protest The Hero, and more. Boargazm stretched their wings and toured to Brazil, Ecuador, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Mozambique, Botswana, & Kenya – and they said pigs couldn’t fly…

The Amblers are a folksy, Blues Rock duo hailing from the vibrant and diverse music industry in South Africa. The two have a broad range of both local and international musical influences from Southern Gypsy Queen and The Black Cat Bones, to The Rolling Stones and Jack White. Their approach to music is raw but not unpolished, lending an authentic energy to huge drums and dirty, vintage guitar tones.

Acclaimed drummer Jason Hinch provides an accomplished and powerful framework for Justin Swart to deliver his raconteurish ideas of music and lyrics to a listener. The duo have released  2 EPS to date “The Dustling Man” and “Ratty Old Mo” and are currently writing new material.

HOKUM (previously known as Marlowe) is a three piece progressive rock band, hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa. As Marlowe, they played all the major festivals in South Africa, and at the time were the biggest heavy rock band in the country. Under HOKUM, the band have plied countless more hours in the practice room and on the live music circuit. 

They released their debut album, ‘The Money Eaters’, in 2010. One of our songs, ‘The Emerald’, has been played on various radio stations (Mix FM, 5FM) and our song, ‘Touch Power’, was play-listed on Tuks FM and other varsity radio stations. 

They have since played ‘Oppikoppi festival’, and ‘Krank’d Up’ with the likes of 36Crazy Fists and Monuments. The fan base has grown considerably and continues to grow, with interest being shown locally and around the world from the USA, Australia and Germany, as well as Russia and Canada. 

HOKUM have just released their new video for the single, ‘Tonight is Your Night’, and are now preparing their next album, ‘Human. Sex. Equation,’ to be released this year, 2020.

Overseeing a career filled with preeminent highs and intense lows, Truth & Its Burden have embraced and enjoyed some of the world’s finest festivals, countless shows, and undertaken extensive touring throughout South Africa, Europe, UK and the US. Against a backdrop of adversity that very few touring outfits ever experience, on their own steam and with almost no label support, they have forged a space in which to exist. Prolonged adversity can permanently fracture bands. But, for Truth and its Burden, it has created a steeled determination and a street-smart grit, remaining a staple in the heavy music scene.

A palpable sense of passion for creativity and performance seeps throughout Truth & Its Burden’s discography, spanning a string of EP’s and 3 full length releases. Their most recent offering, I Labour, delivers a huge shift in sonic adventurism and evolution, production value and energy. I Labour is their most accomplished work to date and exists as their pinnacle, their revolution, a successful navigation of the wild and tumultuous waters they sail.

One rarely encounters that unique sound that draws you in and alerts your senses…that rare quality in a musician that forces you to listen more closely and pay attention.  Evert Snyman is exactly that – a multi-talented songwriter and performer who has enthralled many an audience with his galvanic melodies, poetic, yet straightforward lyrics and hypnotic rhythms.  What sets Evert apart from other musicians is the raw honesty of his music.  He is a fearless and unabated songwriter and lyricist, speaking to emotions we often keep hidden – even from ourselves.

Based in Johannesburg, Evert Snyman has launched and collaborated on various projects, cementing himself as a versatile multi-instrumentalist.  Perhaps the most well-known of these are alternative rock bands, Pink Noise and Pollinator.

Evert’s powerful vocals range from angst-ridden screams to crystal clear melodies that cut through intense rock guitars, drums and keys.

He records and produces all his own music from his studio in Auckland Park.

His first solo debut album, The Aviary, was released independently in November 2019 and has already gained the respect of fellow musicians and audiences alike.

In the faint light that separates dreams from reality, lies from truth and heaven from hell, lives the Acid Magus. Meditating, surrounded by darkness and light, energising the air with electric anticipation. Come forward and listen, stay awhile, there are no sins… 
 Acid Magus is an experimental rock outfit from Pretoria, South Africa. Doom, stoner, punk, psych, and classic rock are all common themes. 
 As huge fans of the rock greats (Zeppelin, Sabbath), stoner/desert rock behemoths (Kyuss, Sleep) as well as the tripped out psychedelic stylings of modern “psych” bands like Slift. Acid Magus take inspiration from all kinds of great music, spanning the entire gamut from 60s Hendrix/The Doors to Hawkwind and Scorpion at their heaviest, all the way to pretty much everything inspired by Black Sabbath today. 
 All this with maybe a little Alt Rock sensibility thrown in for good measure… 
 With an uncompromising, DIY approach to writing, Acid Magus promises to offer up only the best, most impassioned musical works. Long, slow, heavy, soft, it’s all there, and it comes from the heart…

Ethyl Ether are a five-piece Psychedelic rock outfit from Cape Town. Formed in 2016, the band has released 3 full length albums, the last album, 2020’s ‘Chrome Neon Jesus’ earned the band a SAMA  (South African Music Awards) nomination for Best Rock Album as well as being well received by international rock media with the likes of Distorted Sound calling “an album that is worthy of a world beating rock band, proving to be a catchy and intriguing tour de force from start to finish” in their 9/10 review.

The band has been hard at work in the studio over the last 9 months on their new album ‘Violent Entertainment’ which will drop on the 27^th of January 2023.

“Violent Entertainment is a commentary on the times we find ourselves as humans… a constant diet of social media and reality shows. We are shocked by nothing anymore, allowing ourselves to be influenced by whatever speaks strongest to our personal viewpoint. We have become selfish, and live from selfie to selfie, one foot in the real world and one foot online. Violent Entertainment laments the loss of real human emotion and cries for a return to real interactions… a call for a time that is sadly long gone.” – Ethyl Ether

In a small, secluded mining town in rural South Africa, three friends heard the call of the void, and spat fuzz back at it. Thus, Ruff Majik was born, and the adventure of sex, drugs and mostly rock ‘n roll began.

Ruff Majik set sail to Pretoria, South Africa, where they’ve become infamous for their lively shows and aggressive on stage persona. With their brand of what they call “stoner rock/sludge ‘n roll” they move between slow grooves and breakneck speeds in the blink of an eye, with live shows being described as ‘whiplash inducing’.

Consisting of three members, Johni Holiday, Jimmy Glass and Ben Manchino make up The Atomic Trinity, the relentless noise machine that is Ruff Majik (blessed be the name). The band surfaced in 2015 with the release of their first 6 track, “The Bear”. This got them lots of attention from reviewers all over the world, including well renowned blogs such as Heavy Planet. They quickly followed up with “The Fox” in 2016, that got them into Classic Rock Magazine with the song ‘Sodoom and Gomorrah’ as well as 108 000 views (and counting) on the YouTube stream of the full album. In 2017 Ruff Majik released “The Swan”, “The Hare and the Hollow”,“A Finch in a cherry tree” and “A Dragon and his hoard”, with the follow up, “A Stag in the leaves”, set to release in March 2018.

Ruff Majik is a power trio, a stoner rock juggernaut, and they bring earthquakes with them wherever they go.

No one knows where the name came from, and it all happened such a long time ago that nobody can really remember…circa 1997 – 25 years ago to be exact!

Their style of music gave the outlandish name, FUZIGISH, meaning. It was 1997 and the ‘new’ South Africa was alive with optimism and energy. The rainbow nation was ready for some two-tone inspired uplifting party tunes and locally brewed rainbow attitude with a bag full of punk, ska, rockabilly and soul mixed in with potholes and politics.

Recorded in 1997, FUZIGISH had some initial success with their ‘How Rude!’ EP, culminating in a slot on the ‘main’ stage at Oppikoppi in 1998 and No.1 single on Barney Simon’s Modern Rock Chart.

After a couple of line-up changes the band recorded their first album ‘Skankers Union’ in 2000. With help from the punk network that had recently sprung up across South Africa, FUZIGISH was able to tour South Africa and spread the FUZI good vibes. Songs such as ‘Little Bird’, ‘Scratching’ & ‘Secret Police’ have become part of the South African musical landscape and are still played live today…or the crowd gets violent.

In 2002 FUZIGISH recorded ‘Southern Ska Stomper’, a darker, more complex album that was well received and delivered the FUZI gospel, slowly building their fanbase, and now with international interest, FUZIGISH was booked for their first European tour which saw them play in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark. They toured Europe for a second time in 2005.

FUZIGISH became known for its legendary energetic live shows, filled with drunken anthems sung by loyal punters and is still the expectation of patrons today. From beer funnels to haircuts on stage and even the occasional song, (the longest FUZIGISH set clocks in at just over two hours, totalling a forty-song set to celebrate Rockwell’s 40th birthday), anything is possible at a FUZIGISH show and everyone is welcome.

‘Exploited & Distorted’, released in 2004, is a fast paced back-to-your-roots punk album, written on the road whilst touring Australia with the legendary Australian punks, Frenzal Rhomb.

The band got busy, very busy. They actively fostered and developed the local music scene, by starting their own record label ‘Red Ambulance’, signing local bands such as The Diesel Whores, Half Price, Japan & I and Misled and started a live show circuit called Mad Circle.Roll on 2007 and ‘Roll With The Punches’, featuring vocal contributions from Joey Cape of LagWagon and Fokofpolisiekar, amongst other fantastic musos. The packed launch party went down in history as the most people to ever squeeze into Melville’s Roxy. ‘Roll with The Punches’ saw FUZIGISH receive a wider audience and even some radio play, but they don’t care much for that.

Whilst taking a break from writing, Jay Bones had the idea to bring a few international bands to South Africa to play with the local talent. He formed the booking agency ‘Punk Safari’ with fellow band members. This resulted in NOFX, LagWagon, Mad Caddies & The Exploited, all touring and experiencing South Africa with FUZIGISH and friends. During this time, Setlist was released and was basically a record of Fuzigish’s setlist and two new songs, Burn The Fucking House Down and We Rise!

‘Crazy Friends’ was recorded in 2013 with the current line-up: Jay Bones (vocals and guitars), Malcolm “Rockwell” King (bass and vocals), Big Willy (trombone, trumpet, oi’s and funnel) and Tom (drums). A brilliant album that went under the radar with zero promotion but spread to all that mattered – the FUZIGISH fans.

In 2020 during the midst of the Covid pandemic with the hopes of spreading some joy in a world that had lost live music for the foreseeable future, the band released the Flaming Funnels Of FUZI, a live album recorded during the aforementioned NOFX South African tour.

With so much accomplished the band members of FUZIGISH worked on a few other projects, released some albums, toured the world, taught music, and tried to survive Covid.

A not-so-interesting fact is that Jay Bones and Tom both nearly died from tick bite fever in January this fine year of 2022, which would have been an absolute fucking travesty as they are about to release their new album, self-titled, through Mongrel Records. New producer (Matthew Fink), new label (Mongrel Records), new album (it’s fucking brilliant) and 25 years of doing what they love sees the release of their first single, Believer, on Feb 18th and the much-anticipated new FUZIGISH album in April this year.

Keep Skankin!