Whether you’re staying home or heading to the festival, there’s a full spectrum of musical entertainment on offer.
■ P.H.Fat’s Mike, Narch and Disco surf through psychedelic bass raps from their album Dinosaur Blood in the Cape Town leg of their Worldwide $ucce$$ Tour this weekend. It promises to be an epic evening with the erstwhile ‘Dark Prince” of South African electro, Felix Laband, performing live in Cape Town for the first time in many years. Jazz star Shane Cooper trades in his bass for some beats when he slips into his electro alter ego, Card on Spokes, in the warm-up slot alongside O’ltak and Narch.
The Assembly, Harrington Street, East City, June 25, 9pm. Entrance is R40 (presale) or R60 (door). Website: www.theassembly.co.za. Book at: www.webtickets.co.za.
■ What can you expect from a pair jazz femmes frustrated by the music scene’s gender politics? Simple, if you’re award-winning saxophonist Shannon Mowday and sultry songstress Amanda Tiffin, you pool your prodigious talents. ‘We were lamenting the difficulties and complexities of finding the right combination of musical abilities and personalities in one band when Shannon suggested we try collaborating, using our favourite musicians,” says Tiffin. They include Norwegian drummer Erik Nylander and Swedish bassist Putte Johander.
The Fugard Theatre, Harrington and Caledon Streets, District Six, June 26, 7.30pm. Entrance is R110. Tel: 021 461 4554.
■ Dave Ledbetter’s egoless approach to creating music has allowed the guitarist and composer to sidestep generic jazz pigeonholes. Moving seamlessly between jazz, African, country, funk, groove and world music, he marshals a cooking cast of Cape Town jazz cats, including Buddy Wells (sax), Lee Thomson (trumpet), Andrew Lilley (piano), Shane Cooper (bass) and Kesivan Naidoo (drums), in his band, the Clearing.
Standard Bank Jazz Festival, DSG Hall and Auditorium, Worcester Street, Grahamstown, June 30, 7pm. Entrance is R100, R98 (Friends) or R95 (students). Book at Computicket. Website: www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.