Cape music picks: February 4 2011

Germany’s loudest industrial heroes are in SA at last.

• A leather-clad, flamethrower-wielding ‘ubermensch’ baritones his way through ominous orations of sex, death and cannibalism over grinding alt. metal guitars skewered with industrial drum rhythms and techno electro-punk synths. His Machiavellian operatic metal growl climaxes as an enormous ejaculating dildo sprays ‘spunk’ into the audience. Welcome to the weird, wild and darkly surreal world of Rammstein. Over the past 15 years Germany’s industrial metal masters have been hell bent on transgressing any, every taboo imaginable in a satirical celebration of the showbiz spectacle. Channelling Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of the ‘Carnivalesque”, their transgressive performance challenges any politically correct assumptions an audience may have left through an unrelenting celebration of our Dionysian death drive and some outrageous high camp humour. Ah, simple shock rock pantomime? Maybe, but it’s a shockingly successful one. Since their debut album Herzelied (1995) spawned the Neue Deutsche Härte (“new German hardness”) sound, Rammstein has flogged more than 15 million albums and DVDs. So what’s the secret to their success? ‘German language suits heavy metal music”, explains bassist Oliver Riedel. ‘French might be the language of love, but German is the language of anger.”
  
  Grand West Arena, Grandwest Casino & Entertainment World, Vanguard Drive, Goodwood, February 9, 7pm. Entrance is R231 to R374. Tel: 021 505-7777. Book at Computicket.

• ‘Up the Creek is definitely not a Lifestyle Festival” declare the organisers who prefer to champion the festival as ‘a treat, an indulgence, a party, a revelry with old friends, a celebration with new ones; an imbizo of the soul, an imbibe-ation of tunes; old and new.” Translated? Since its inception back in the 90s, the ‘we are all VIPs” vibe has remained the same: expect a fantastic mix of blues, rock, rap and world music from some of SA’s biggest acts as well as some underneath the mainstream radar outsiders from February 4 to 6. Friday’s main stage menu boasts blues guitarist Dan Patlansky, Afrikaans rock goddess Karen Zoid, funky Afro-pop fusionists Hot Water, pop rock pin-ups aKing, literate indie rockers Dirty Skirts and African ska-rockers The Rudimentals. Saturday’s line-up is equally appetising with reanimated monki-punks Boo! mixing it up with zef rap poster boy Jack Parow, electro-pop combo Flash Republic and classic rockers Taxi Violence. All night party animals should make the bar stage a pit stop: catch alternative glam rockers The Wild Eyes at 2am on Saturday and award-winning blues rock guitarist Albert Frost jamming with Southern Gypsey Queens at 1am on Sunday. The final morning promises some suitably laid back blues from the Blues Broers, Dave Ferguson and Piet Botha.

  Breede River, February 4, 2pm. Entrance is R540 (pre-sold) or R590 (gate); R440 or R490 (Friday to Sunday); R375 to R425 (Saturday and Sunday); R150 to R180 (Sunday). Website:www.upthecreek.co.za

• Faithless have always been dance music’s TV evangelists. At once hedonistic and holistic, ecclesiastical and mercantile, expressionless and ecstatic Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo made a name for themselves selling E-flavoured spirituality and mirror-ball karma to a congregation of drugged up club goers back in rave’s house-happy heyday. While God may no longer be a DJ, Britain’s multiple-platinum-selling dance pioneers still have enough soul to convert the faithless. If their new album, The Dance is anything to go by then their Mother City show should be an epic party. Tune in and drop out to everything from lysergic all night stadium anthems such as ‘Never Going Home” and synth-popping Buddhist groove sermon ‘Feel Me” to celestial dance floor hymns like ‘Feeling Good” and more. Electro-jazzy house poster boys Goldfish showcase funky hip-shakers off their new album, Get Busy Living in the support slot.
  Grand West Arena, Grandwest Casino & Entertainment World, Vanguard Drive, Goodwood, February 4, 7pm. Entrance is R263 to R466. Tel: 021 505-7777. Book at Computicket.