Ruth and I arrived at 4ish to an already humming crowd; it really is quite the atmosphere. We came way too close to not being let in due to a mix up with ticket allocation etc etc. But after standing at the office with sad puppy dog eyes, the lovely lady behind the glass window at SANBI offices felt some compassion for us and kindly handed us two comps. After thanking her profusely and being dragged away by security from kissing the glass pane (joking) we headed off to check out…what's their name again…ah yes…The Parlotones!
Before we got to the concert area we were approached by a lovely young lady asking us to sign a form promising to turn off our electric for one hour on 28 March from 20:30 - 21:30 to help stop global warming and create awareness blah blah. (Thank goodness I shall not be missing the Amazing Race…which should be on shortly BTW) So if you feel like slipping on those goody-two shoes, do feel free to join the rest of us and turn off that electric…plus, imagine all the fun you could have in the dark…The plan is being actioned by WWF who'd managed to hire a rather tired looking panda outfit to mingle with the crowd. Imagine Eeyore (donkey in Winne the Pooh) in a panda suit. We scored some badges after signing the list so it was all worth it…
After scouting for a real good spot we could wiggle our way into we found a front row seat on the grass. The sun was blazing so I put on my new fishing hat and Ruth pulled out her umbrella. If you meet Ruth on the street and she has her umbrella out steer clear of her…that's all I'm saying. Don't be fooled by her innocent demeanor, she's quite vicious. If you do happen to encounter her, a pair of goggles is highly advisable.
You gotta love front man Kahn Morbee. He's got the greatest dance moves I've seen on stage. He's even inspired a revival of the spirit fingers. The band's very polished and it seems the sky's the limit as they scoop up award after award including Best Rock Album 2006 at South African Music Awards, Best Music Act - People's Choice Awards 2008, Best Band - You Awards 2007 and FHM Readers Choice 2007.
They played some of their classics including “Colourful,” “Beautiful,” and “overexposed” as well as songs off “A world next door to yours” such as “Bird in Flight,” “Giant Mistake” and “Disappear without a trace”. Kirstenbosch were priviledge to hear songs off their up-coming album and it's gonna be great. They've mixed and matched, stitched and mended, painted and prodded and come up with songs that have a completely different beat and bass yet have that unique Parlotones stamp on them.
Kahn played an accoustic version of “Bird in Flight” just to give us a taste of what a song sounds like while in the making. He's got great versatile vocal ability and the rest of the band bring to The Parlotones a cohesive entity that highlights why they are so popular and why they've made it to the top time and time again.
After ending of with “Here Comes a Man,” they made a reappearance after the crowd shouted for an encore (loudest one so far at Kirstenbosch this year), ending-ending off with “Baby be mine” one of their sweetest ballads dedicated to a newly engaged couple at the concert. Ssweeet!
They're heading off to the UK in March but keep an eye on their MySpace profile to see when they're playing at a venue near you.
