Brochella presents I SEE STARS
October 19, 2018
Rumours Rock City
“I See Stars in South Africa this October… this can’t be real!…Can it?!”
The announcement of I See Stars coming to South Africa was one I never thought be a reality. Having been a fan of the band since 2009 when I heard “Project Wakeup” and “Jack’s Smirking Revenge”, angsty teenage me could only dream of seeing them live. Never in a million years did I think it would be on South African soil.
Mostly because, back then, South Africa was not ever a performance destination for most of the bands of this nature, and secondly, because I didn’t think enough South Africans were fans of their genre blending sound. However, it is my greatest privilege to say how wrong I was, as the walls of Rumours Rock City were pushed to the brim with excited fans who, like me, had their dreams come true on Friday night.
The night was kicked off by arguably the best fit for the I See Stars show, One Day Sky. Not only was there amazing comedic value with their (very
strange) remix of Rick Astley’s “never gonna give you up”, but they also delivered the tightest, most powerful set I have seen from them in a long time.
Truth And It’s Burden have been dominating the live circuit since their return from their hiatus a couple of years ago, and this show was no different. The
energy and enjoyment coming from the stage was mirrored in the crowd through heads banging and body’s moshing. So much so, that vocalist, Ashley, ended up performing the last two songs from the within the crowd itself.
Once Facing The Gallows hit the stage, everyone almost forgot that they weren’t the headliners. The band that has been intrenched in our local scene for the last decade absolutely destroyed their set as expected. Not only has new vocalist, Reegan, given the band a new surge of energy but they are tighter and more powerful than ever. They also happen to look like they are having the best time while performing, which is always contagious and mirrored in the crowd.
There was a slight delay from when Facing The Gallows finished to when I See Stars made their way on stage, but this was to be expected. It gave me a chance to try and stay hydrated. The bars were set up and staffed well, with a cash bar next to the stage stocked with the fast mover’s, it was super easy to get a drink without missing anything.
As I made my way into the pit with the rest of the media, I was doing my utmost to stay composed. You can’t fangirl if you’re working right? Wrong…
With the opening bars of “Break”, the inner fangirl was released. Right from the first verse, the band’s energy was explosive. I See Stars went straight into their hip-hop influenced, “All In” and I was amazed and impressed by how many people in the crowd were rapping along. After a quick “what’s up South Africa” we were plunged into “Running With Scissors”. I have to say, I was extremely impressed with the clarity and power of vocalist, Devin Oliver’s, unclean vocals. For someone who can hit such high notes, he sure as hell can growl the low ones.
It is safe to say that the crowd was loving every second of it, bouncing right through their nine-song (and two interlude) set. Eight songs in, Devin announces that “Calm Snow” would be their last song, but the crowd was having none of that. Not even a minute after the band left the stage, the crowd call began. However, this time it was not the common “we want more” or “encore” that we are used to, but rather the distinct chant of “MURDER MITTENS…MURDER MITTENS!”.
Of course, ISS made their way back on stage and performed the requested song, but not before Devin opened up about how grateful they were to have performed all the way in South Africa and personally thanked each and every fan for the support (No I didn’t cry, I just had sweat in my eye *Cough cough*)
An just like that it was over. Words honestly don’t do justice to the how incredible the experience really was. I have to say a massive congratulations to Mike Pocock, the force behind Brochella. It was one of the most fun and well organised international club shows I have ever been to. The additional sound and lighting rigs that were brought in made anything we have seen at Rumours Rock City before, look amateur.
I have to further express the importance of a show like this. In a scene that has always been extremely competitive and often critical, the collaborative efforts of Mike and Rob from Brochella and RAM respectively, give me massive hope for the future of our local scene. We are seeing far more collaboration behind the scenes which results in more internationals hitting our shores, more support and a tighter family of fans than we have had in a long time.
There are very few people who could pull of a show of this stature in such a streamlined manner, so congratulations to you and your team again Mr. Pocock.
If you missed out on this amazing show, make sure you get your tickets for HALLOWEEN 2018 before it’s too late!
Show your support for future shows by following the Brochella page on Facebook.
**LOOK OUT FOR OUR POST-SHOW INTERVIEW WITH DEVIN OLIVER COMING SOON**
REVIEWED BY: SAMMY SF
