Top of the Pops on Twitter

Which South African artists have the most followers on Twitter. Below is the latest list of rock and pop artists with their Twitter handles and number of followers.

1	Seether	@SeetherOfficial	85 114
2	HHP	@HipHopPantsula	73 178
3	Liquideep	@LiquideepSA	43 521
4	Locnville	@locnville	37 506
5	The Parlotones	@parlotones	35 614
6	2nd Life	@2ndlifeband	31 334
7	Goldfish	@goldfishlive	30 655
8	Loyiso	@loyisomusic	29 151
9	Toya Delazy	@ToyaDelazy	23 140
10	Danny K	@dannykmusic	22 110
11	Lloyd Cele	@LloydCele	19 215
12	Prime Circle	@Prime_Circle	17 918
13	Civil Twilight	@civiltwilight	17 637
14	Chris Chameleon	@chrischameleon	17 565
15	Elvis Blue	@elvisblue	16 978
16	Arno Carstens	@ArnoCarstens	12 420
17	Freshlyground	@FRESHLYGROUNDsa	11 018
18	Dave Van Vuuren	@DaveFromFire	10 625
19	aKING	@aKINGband	10 376
20	Ard Matthews	@ardmatthews	9 681
21	Spoek Mathambo	@SPOEK_MATHAMBO	9 485
22	Zebra & Giraffe	@zebraandgiraffe	9 481
23	The Arrows	@thearrowssa	8 197
24	Jax Panik	@jaxpanik	7 945
25	The Graeme Watkins Project	@grawatproject	7 333
26	Pascal & Pearce	@PascalandPearce	6 902
27	GOODLUCK	@goodlucklive	6 793
28	Mark Haze	@MarkHaze12	6 566
29	Louise Carver	@louisecarver	5 257
30	Jamali	@jamaligroup	4 951
31	ChianoSky	@ChianoSky	4 562
32	Pixie Bennett	@pixiebennett	4 409
33	Yoav	@yoavmusic	4 346
34	Freddie Van'Dango	@F_Van_Dango	4 300
35	Desmond & The Tutus	@DesmondandTutus	4 003
36	The Dirty Skirts	@TheDirtySkirts	3 984
37	Wrestlerish	@wrestlerish	3 901
38	Flash Republic	@flashrepublic	3 773
39	CrashCarBurn	@CrashCarBurn	3 740
40	Taxi Violence	@Taxi_Violence_	3 687
41	Just Jinjer	@justjinjer	3 408
42	Shadowclub	@shadowclub	3 230
43	Frankie Fire	@FrankieFire	3 107
44	Ashtray Electric	@AshtrayElectric	2 922
45	Lonehill Estate	@lonehillestate	2 764
46	Farryl Purkiss	@farrylpurkiss	2 515
47	BLK JKS	@BLKJKS	2 356
48	The Brothers Streep	@brothersstreep	2 300
49	Zoey'z Fallacy	@ZoeyzFallacy	2 096
50	Boo!	@BooBand	2 060

White Mountain Festival 2012

The White Mountain festival will be taking place this long weekend.  Here we have the lineup for the Marquee:

21st September

17:00 Justin Sievwright
17:30 Krystle T
18:00 Brett Newski
19:00 The Sir Walrus Band
20:15 The Nomadic Orchestra
22:45 Daniel My Brother

22nd September
13:30 The Winner of the Acoustic Accent
14:00 Matt Vend and the Tender Ten
15:00 Kaiti Faul
16:00 Zephyr
17:45 Lucy Kruger
18:30 Janie & The Beard
19:45 Marcato
21:00 Jeremy Loops
22:15 Soul Cadillac

23rd September
14:00 Nick Pitman and the Roadhoggs
15:00 Matt Vend & Brett Newski
16:00 Shomon
17:15 John Ellis
18:30 Paige Mac
19:45 Andrew James
21:00 Lilly Million
22:15 Chris Chameleon

OLD MUTUAL MUSIC AT THE LAKE SERIES presents JAZZ AT THE LAKE.

Event: OLD MUTUAL MUSIC AT THE LAKE SERIES presents JAZZ AT THE LAKE with the legendary HUGH MASEKELA and SWAZI DLAMINI

Venue: The Durban Botanic Gardens, 9A Zikhale (Sydenham) Road, Durban

Date: Sunday, 30 September

Gates open: 13:00 for pre-sold tickets, 13:30 for on the day tickets. First act starts at 14:30.

Tickets are available online at www.webtickets.co.za
Tickets prices:  R100 online, or at the gate for R150 on the day
Kids between 8-12 pay R50, kids under 8 are free.

Facilities Available:
All children are welcome at the KidZone for some extra fun and games.
Drinks, cooler boxes and picnic baskets are welcome
Everyone is welcome to bring picnic baskets and blankets.

Hugh will be previewing material from his new album, as well as playing all the classics and crowd favourites.

Secure parking is available on the Juventus ground.  Entrance to all parking is off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road, adjacent to the Botanic Gardens and the Munies Hockey Field also off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road.

HUGH MASEKELA BRINGS JAZZ TO THE LAKESIDE

Old Mutual’s Concert series has delivered something quite spectacular this year, with SA’s hottest, most talked-about artists performing to captivated crowds in gardens across the country.

How do they top that? By bringing the biggest name in South African jazz, Hugh Masekela, to the Lake in Durban on Sunday 30 September.

Bra Hugh needs no introduction. His successes as a musician speak for themselves. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, and perfomed in some of the most prestigious venues across the globe.

Hugh Masekela

Decades after he first burst onto the jazz scene, Hugh Masekela continues to explore new musical adventures, keeping him a creative icon and an inexhaustible talent. His career has been one that South African musicians dream of, and he was recently the artist of choice to grace the first cover of Rolling Stone South Africa.

Part of this songwriter, lyricist, trumpeter, producer and arranger’s drive is a deep responsibility towards how the continent he loves is seen.

“My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are,” Masekela confides. It’s this commitment to his homeland that makes him one of the continent’s most beloved sons.

Opening act and multi award-winner Swazi Dlamini is all set to thrill fans with the soulful, soothing sounds from her latest album. One of the leading ladies of South African music, Swazi promises her legion of fans an engaging performance of spiritual and inspirational music.

Outdoor jazz venues are incredibly popular in South Africa, and the introduction of a full jazz day at the Botanic Gardens that will appeal to young and old is undoubtedly a step in the right direction and is sure to play a major role in the growth of the Old Mutual Music at the Lake series.

The Botanic Gardens have already presented live concerts of some of the most talented and accomplished musicians in South Africa. Old Mutual’s continued association with the Botanic Gardens allows them to ensure that funds are raised to maintain and improve biodiversity at this important public space.

Proceeds from the performances go towards an innovative people and plant development programme, the Garden Window Project, within the Durban Botanic Gardens and the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Trees for Life initiative which sees community members growing trees to support their livelihoods.

For more information about this and other events at the Durban Botanic Gardens, visit the website – www.durbanbotanicgardens.org.za or call the Info Centre 031 322 4021.

Tickets are available online at www.webtickets.co.za
Tickets prices:  R100 online, or at the gate for R150 on the day
Kids between 8-12 pay R50, kids under eight are free.  All children are welcome at the KidZone for some extra fun and games.
Drinks, cooler boxes and picnic baskets are welcome

Gates open at 13:00 for pre-sold tickets, 13:30 for on the day tickets. First act starts at 14:30.

Secure parking is available on the Juventus ground.  Entrance to all parking is off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road, adjacent to the Botanic Gardens and the Munies Hockey Field also off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road.

Follow @OM_Concerts and @dbnbotgardens on Twitter for all the action on the day, and ‘Like’ the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens page on Facebook for all the updates and info.

EXAMPLE AND DJ WIRE LIVE HEADLINE THE 5FM BIRTHDAY BASH

Get ready to party around the country in October at Hunters presents Example and DJ WIRE Live Summer Tour powered by 5FM in celebration of 5FM’s birthday.

Example (photo by Rankin)

The festivities start in Cape Town on October 4; Durban on October 5 and wrap in Johannesburg on October 6. Also featured are a host of 5FM’s favourite artists including Funky G, Goodluck, Euphonic, Poppy, DJ Fix, DJ Fresh, Roger Goode and C Live.

British superstar Example has notched up two UK No 1 singles (Changed The Way You Kiss Me and Stay Awake) and No 1 album (Playing in the Shadows). Chart success has translated into live success, and this year he sold-out a 14-date UK arena tour, played slots at Creamfields, T in the Park and V and became one of the most exciting live acts currently touring.

Live shows are key for Example. “My mission is to get everyone going mental. I base the success of my gigs on how bouncy the crowd is. I watched Faithless for years and have watched Nirvana headline Reading. They get crowds moshing. I want to recapture that energy.”

DJ Wire started his career playing on pirate radio station Freak FM. He is credited with playing an instrumental part in the formation of the “Grime” scene with the release of his seminal track Believe Me. In 2008 he teamed up with Chase and Status to set-up and run MTA Records. It was through Chase and Status he met Example. Wire produced several tracks for Example’s Won’t Go Quietly gold selling album and began touring and performing with him. In 2010 he presented his first multi genre mix CD The Playlist for Ministry of Sound with Example.

Hunters presents Example and DJ WIRE Live Summer Tour powered by 5FM itinerary and acts are as follows:

Cape Town:
Thursday October 4 Grand West Arena:  Nick Supply 6.30 to 7.30pm; PH Fat 7.30 to 8.30pm; Euphonik 8.30 to 9.30pm; Goodluck 9.30 to 10.30pm and Example and DJ Wire 10.30 to 11.30pm. Tickets cost between R215 and R375.

Durban
Friday October 5 Wavehouse: Funky G 6 to 7pm; Poppy 7 to 8pm; C Live 8 to 9pm; Euphonik 9 to 10pm; Goodluck 10 to 11pm and Example and DJ Wire 11 to midnight. Tickets cost between R215 and R375.

Johannesburg
Saturday October 6 Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown: Fix 7 to 8pm; C Live 8 to 9pm; DJ Fresh 9 to 10pm; Funky G 10 to 10.30pm; Example and DJ Wire 11 to midnight; Roger Goode 1 to 2am; Ryan Dent 2 to 3am and Funky G 3am to close. Tickets cost between R245 and R395.

Tickets are available at Shoprite Checkers as well as Computicket. Not for sale to persons under the age of 18.

Durban band, GANGS OF BALLET sign to EMI

As if out of nowhere, Gangs of Ballet have gone from Durban’s best-kept secret to Top 10 modern-rock hit makers and opening act for Switchfoot’s SA tour.

South Africa clearly loves the band’s first single “Breaking the Silence”, ever since 5FM’s drive-show tastemaker, Catherine, spotted and championed the talented four-piece.
From there, airplay and demand for Gangs of Ballet’s fresh and inviting anthem secured their ride straight to the top of the charts.

Made up of brothers Brad and Josh Klynsmith, Jonathan Rich and Hardus de Beer, the band with a name no-one’s likely to forget in a hurry, have a 5-track EP prepped for digital release and work is also afoot for a full-length major-label debut album in early 2013. “The EP is our first draft, a calling card if you will?” lead vocalist and guitarist Brad says of their digital first delivery.

The quartet has been playing together for years as friends, but over the past 12 months the chemistry heard on the single, and across the EP, has morphed into a sound that’s malleable, inviting and entirely their own. “We create music out of understanding,” Brad says. “People get that.” Their songs also have an uncanny ability of easily attaching themselves to realities beyond their own, not dissimilarly to the kind of refrains Switchfoot have been writing, recording, and successfully performing for more than a decade.”

Thanks to massive airplay, and a Cell C ‘Be’ campaign musical inclusion, what started out as a side-project has turned these four Durbanites into hot property. “When “Breaking The Silence” climbed to Number Seven on the 5fm chart our phones didn’t stop ringing,” Josh recalls. “When EMI called it was clear they shared our passion and vision so it made logical sense to commit.”

With a record contract in place and a single enjoying airtime (pretty much everywhere), Gangs of Ballet’s distinctive energy is charged and set to explode. “The rules are breaking down around us,” Brad says of how their music, and hit trajectory is writing its own rulebook. “People are drawn to our dynamism. Everything we do has an element of that. ”At times ethereal, at others urgent and intense, the music of Gang’s of Ballet gives unselfishly to everyone open to sharing in their fledgling verve.


Comfortably familiar and undeniably original, Gangs of Ballet write music intended to best be enjoyed on big stages – and this month another of the band’s dreams come true when they get to unleash “Breaking The Silence”, “Hello Sweet World”, “Hurricane”, “This Love” and “Warm Skies” before San Diego’s Switchfoot foster and fuel the flames ignited by a young Durban band about to set the world on fire.