Be cool. Stay ‘Old school'

1 Oct 2009

By ‘Old school', I am referring not to a style of music, but rather to an era when musicians were held in high regard for the immense quality of music which they produced. Have you noticed that many bands out there are sticking to the same key, same song structure, and same worn-out lyrics, blasted over the airwaves to near distortion. Sure there are some killer bands out there that are constantly changing the face of the music and I can certainly name quite a few. But there comes a time in a man's life when his soul craves for something different, yet vaguely familiar from an era thought to have long gone. You have to ask yourself ‘Whatcha gonna do?'

Enter the stage Macgyver Knife (or MK), an Indie-Rock band based in Cape Town. We caught our first MK gig a year ago in July. Ever since that fateful night the band has proven to be a Biz favourite. Which is why we were terribly disappointed when they went into hibernation this year and all gigging came to an abrupt halt. But MK have been busy since, recording their first album and some equally sensational music videos. You can access this content from their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/macgyverknife and Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4878782909.

Last Friday, Macgyver Knife decided to breakout from their season's hiatus by boldly entering the Texas Spur Carnival Battle of the Bands at Goodwood Park Primary. My colleague (and fellow MK fan) Dave and I headed out to Goodwood to report on the action.

Hmm, Friday 3pm, opening act at a primary school! This hardly seemed like an appropriate time slot or venue for our much loved band. Nevertheless we bought our tickets and made our way through the carnival fanfare filled school grounds, and all the way through to the Beer Tent, where we found much happiness. Just outside the school grounds lay a magnificent face brick house. Medieval-Goodwood-style architecture at its finest. We pondered about this weird monument for a second, and then we drank some more beer. Meanwhile on stage an old crooner dressed to the nines busted out the Nat King Cole classic Unforgettable. I must admit. Things were beginning to look quite dismal. That is, until MK stormed up on stage and helped ‘Save my Day'.

Soon enough, we were singing along to our favourite MK tunes. Rock-rolling riffs, rhythmic drum and bass, and heart-stopping vocals flooded the arena. MK pulled of another top notch act with their sound honed to perfection. The band's latest offering ‘Stumble' can be heard on their MySpace page.

With their impending album launch we can be sure to look forward to more MK gigs. So don't just take my word for it. Go see em live! If you find yourself smiling from ear to ear, then you've clearly got an MK tune stuck in your cranium and have been a victim of the Knife. While the Battle rages on the war has clearly been won in the hearts of MK fans.

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