/ 24 April 1998

The new sound of Sugar

Dave Chislett

Sugardrive, leaders of the pack in the FNBSama Awards rock category, have been around for well over four years now. Probably best remembered as grunge masters who sounded uncomfortably like Pearl Jam, that is a phase that they would now rather forget.

So far, they have released two albums, one EP and a collectors’-item demo EP. The release of their new album – Sand Man Sky – last year, marked a turning point in their careers which will hopefully see them rising to the top of the pile in South African music.

Because Sand Man Sky is so different from what went before, it has new fans turning to their sound almost as fast as the old are turning away. Influenced more now by bands like Massive Attack and Portishead, Sugardrive have turned the corner away from derivative rock, and headed down the road of uncharted music that is their current genre.

For the album sounds like nothing else: some heavy rock moments, some pure trip hop, some trance, some dub, but all made their own. Taking their roots in rock and pop, Sugardrive have added sequencers, drum loops, and technical wizardry to come up with a new formula for their convictions.

Almost impossible to categorise, the album hangs together as cohesively as a concept record, which it certainly isn’t. It is an album by a band grown mature with their sound, and confident in their ability to start a new direction.

The album is rounded off by superlative packaging and design that complements the new look and feel perfectly. It has already gained significant critical acclaim, and Sugardrive can claim to have have made an indelible mark on the face of popular music in this country.

Yet, predictably enough, this acclaim has not been echoed by massive sales. In an apathetic record-buying market, a lot has been said about the gaps in the promotion and publicity surrounding the release of the record.

Whatever can be said about that, it is important to remember that what remains is a slow burner that will be racking up the sales long after the band has moved on to greater things. The band, however, concerned as they may be about the situation, remain their unflappable selves. With plans already well under way for new album, and a recent video shoot under their belts, they are already looking to the future.

Sugardrive have a reputation for professionalism. The band was out touring the live circuit before there was much of a circuit to play, and it cut a swathe through the small towns of South Africa. It is this path that all the others have followed. Their can-do attitude saw them earning the respect of club owners and audiences alike, which resulted in the dedicated following they have today.

Never late, never grumpy, Sugardrive deliver. It is almost a motto for the band. One can rest assured that, whatever develops around their recordings and their dealings with the formal sector of the industry, some things will never change: their unflagging dedication, their humility, and their commitment to playing their music wherever they get the opportunity.