Out of the shadows

The Shadow Club move quickly. Within days of deciding to start a band, they were holed up in their new egg-box-covered practice space. Two rehearsals later and they were booking their first show at the Bohemian in Richmond, Johannesburg. Less than a year later the band already has a debut album recorded in just 10 hours.

Their songs are short, sharp, blues-driven stompers that have a lot in common with the energetic Southern American-influenced garage rock of The Black Keys, The White Stripes and Kings of Leon.

But it is the voice of lead singer Jacques Moolman, who used to front indie-rockers Airship Orange and a number of jazz bands, that distinguishes the band from others that are just jumping on a popular music trend.

Moolman is a born showman and has the kind of on-stage charisma that will have groupies swooning and record-label execs hot under the collar.

But don’t get me wrong this is not a one-man show. The killer rhythm section of Isaac Klawanksy (on drums) and Alex Hing (on bass) are the perfect foil to Moolman’s swinging hips and vocal gymnastics.

‘I love performing and I find that this medium of blues and rock is perfect,” says Moolman. ‘It is a major relief for me, getting this creative energy out, because it was kind of being held in and getting stagnant.

‘I think the underground scene is getting a lot more professional. We are laying a foundation to throw something out at the international markets. You see bands from overseas and they already have that foundation and firm footing. We are still moulding it here, which is really exciting.”

Moolman says the energy in the underground scene is awesome and there is a real attitude of raising your middle finger to the established music industry.

‘It’s a tiny little industry that thinks it is so massive,” says Moolman.

‘In South Africa there is a lot of DIY spirit,” says Hing. ‘Bands are getting themselves out there and there are a handful of guys who are doing that well.”

When I ask about which bands they are talking about they mention Pretoria’s post-rockers Kidofdoom and prog-rockers Isochronous.

‘I just wish that a lot more of the local stuff was exposed to audiences overseas,” says Moolman. ‘I want people to say ‘wow, have you seen the scene in South Africa’.”

The Shadow Club are intent on getting themselves out there, grabbing every opportunity to play gigs and giving their fans free copies of their new album. ‘No one is going to buy our album, no one even knows who we are,” says Klawanksy. ‘If we get it out there it will spread. I give it to people and say just share it.”

‘We didn’t really have too many overheads to cover, like paying for a studio and even printing the discs is pretty easy,” says Hing. ‘As a music enthusiast I get a lot of music from people giving me MP3s, so I know this is just about getting our music out there. You just have to dish it out.”

So, if you want to get your hands on this great rough-and-ready slab of rock ‘n’ roll that the The Shadow Club have laid down, you’ve got to get off your couch and head to a gig at a live music venue near you.

Catch The Shadow Club in Johannesburg at 88 Lounge, Norwood on June 20 and the Bohemian in Auckland Park on June 28 or in Durban on July 4 at the Boogie’s Rock Diner, in Umhlanga