Jo’burg offers everything from international superstars to lo-fi locals this week.
? International pop sensation Kylie Minogue has added one more performance to the South African leg of her 2011 world tour. In Aphrodite Live, which spans 76 days, Minogue will visit 30 countries and 55 cities. With one?million diamanté crystals, 200 costumes (including a few designed by Dolce & Gabbana), 1?000 feathers, six high-flying acrobats and a cast of 23 on stage with her, Kylie’s performance will be an extravaganza of note.
Sun City Superbowl, Sun City Resort, Pilanesberg, on July 8, 9 and 10, starting at 9pm. Ticket prices range from R466 to R1?770. To book, visit Computicket.
? After the Hellphones’ departure from the South African music scene in 2010, the former Jo’burg rock ‘n rollers are launching Crystal Parks, a country outfit whose music roams the deep, dark, dangerous world of Benoni, divulging its secrets, echoing its myths and singing its praises. At the band’s launch party this weekend, which is being held at the Town Hall Club in Newtown, a Crystal Parks exhibition will also be held in which all budding artists, painters, videographers and photographers are invited to exhibit their own Benoni tales.
Town Hall, 66 Carr Street, Newtown, Jo’burg, on Friday, July 8. There is a R50 cover charge. For more information, phone 082 332 5772 or visit Town Hall’s website at www.thetownhall.co.za.
? Three girls, one donkey and an ambulance — a trip from London to Mongolia, all for charity. The project, 1 000 Traveling Names and a Donkey, is raising money for several causes along a trip spanning more than a third of the world, with the ultimate goal of donating the fully equipped ambulance to a Mongolian hospital at the end of the journey. This weekend, several bands and DJs will be rocking at Fine Mongolian Ass, a party and exhibition being held in aid of this adventure. The proceeds will go to the Pink Drive and the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
Alex Theatre, 36 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, on Friday, July 8, at 8pm. R60 gets you in and an additional R40 gets your name on the travelling ambulance. Visit www.1000travelingnames.com to get the full scoop.
? South African band Zebra & Giraffe will be part of the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens line-up this Sunday at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. South African Music and MTV Africa Music award-winners Zebra & Giraffe are known for their eclectic sound and electrifying live performances.
Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Olifants Road, Emmarentia. Presold tickets are available for R80 from www.ticketbreak.co.za or R90 at the gardens. Tickets sold on the day, Sunday July 10, will be R100. Children under 13 get in free. The gates open at 12pm. Bring your own picnic baskets and blankets but leave glass, tin cans and cutlery at home.
? In the late 1990s, the Springbok Nude Girls burst on to the South African music scene. They were an inimitably local and incredibly diverse group who sent shockwaves through South African music. Their music was smooth reggae beats, snatches of punk, metal, funk, jazz and even a touch of psychedelia — all played with a distinctly African groove. After playing with U2 on their South African tour and rocking audiences at the Isle of Wight Festival, the Nudies will be playing at a two-day music festival at the new Zula Bar in Cape Town, which ends on Friday July 8, and at Hatfield Square, Pretoria, on Saturday.
Zula Bar, 98 Long Street, Cape Town, on Friday July 8. Tickets are R80 and the gates open at 6pm. Tickets are selling for R50 at the door at Hatfield Square, Pretoria, on Saturday July 9, at 4pm. For more information, go to www.nudegirls.co.za.