South Africa’s original guitar innovators, Nibs van der Spuy and Guy Buttery, team up for one of their legendary performances of compositions and improvisations.
Renowned for the astonishing range of the sonic tapestry they weave, the duo display tight, technical prowess and produce swirling, surreal miasmas of experimental sound. Each has released an impressive collection of award-winning albums and each artist undertakes rigorous international touring schedules. But the two have just released a recording of collaborative compositions produced at the Peace of Eden Recording Studio in Knysna. Audiences can get a taste of this and the usual dose of their deliriously unpredictable psychedelic folk.
The Theatre, St Anne’s College, Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Friday January 20 at 7pm. Tickets available for R60 and R80 and advance booking is recommended. Tel: 033 343 6100.
? The Eighties has to rank among the most divisive decades in terms of the music that emerged from it. To those who were in their single digits in the years when the annual Pop Shop and Now That’s What I Call Music volumes were broadcast, it remains an era to be either vilified or venerated.
Early booking is advised for the Kings Park Stadium edition of Rewind in February which assembles 10 of the top hitmakers from back in the day for one rick-rolling night only. Mr Astley himself is joined by ABC, Howard Jones, Village People, Imagination, Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet, Go West, Nik Kershaw and Marc Almond and Ultravox’s Midge Ure who, between them, have sold an astonishing 300-million albums. Do you want to hear Wouldn’t It Be Good, Never Gonna Give You Up, YMCA, Tainted Love, Vienna and many more by the OGs? Be there or be square.
Kings Park Stadium on February 25 from 4pm. Tickets range from R250 to R700 from Computicket. Website: rewindfestival.com.
? Although the summer season of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2012 World Symphony Series gets underway only next month, season tickets for the six world-class orchestral events that take place on consecutive Thursdays in the Durban City Hall are already in short supply. Between February 16 and March 29, the orchestra will perform works by Lalo, Berlioz, Bach, Mahler, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Prokofiev among others.
Durban City Hall. Tickets range from R43 to R1?100 and are available through Computicket. Email: [email protected].
? Since the first staging of Crazy Diamond: A Tribute to Pink Floyd at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in 2008, it has become a cult phenomenon and has been restaged more than 75 times. Now, in its most sophisticated incarnation yet, the production makes its way to Durban for a limited run. Taking centre stage in the production is Mel Botes, the guitarist whose smouldering style lends itself perfectly to the Floyd format. The show follows the Pink Floyd story from Syd Barrett’s madcap influence to the Roger Waters and David Gilmour aesthetic most fans are familiar with.
The Barnyard Theatre, Palm Boulevard, Gateway, from January 24. Tel: 031 566 3045. Website: barnyardtheatres.co.za.
? Don’t Burst My Bublé is the witty moniker of a new show at the Heritage Theatre. The play pays homage to the Canadian crooner for a week in January. Seasoned Durban singer Jonothan Didlick returns to his home stage after a year of touring to present a selection of songs by the winsome warbler, who has won a slew of Grammy Awards and sold more than 30-million albums worldwide. Didlick is joined onstage by three leggy ladies to add glitz and glamour to the laid-back atmosphere that characterises Michael Bublé’s Vegas-styled stage appearances.
Heritage Theatre, Westville, from January 24 until January 29. Tickets are R190 for Wednesdays to Saturdays and R165 for Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoon. All prices include a gourmet two-course meal. Show only tickets are available for R100. There is a special buy-one, get-one-free offer for the January 25 show. Booking is recommended. Tel: 031?765?4197. Website: heritagetheatre.co.za.