By clairemac93
It’s funny how when you’re abroad, you realize that once familiar things are actually of foreign origin. Case in point- the band Goldfish. I’ve been listening to Goldfish for years in the States, assuming they were some West Coast phenomenon or just someone’s weird yet awesome basement creation. Turns out, to my astonishment, that the band Goldfish hails from Cape Town. I was half shocked that this band had made an influence all the way across the world, and half disappointed that I had not discovered a diamond in the rough, but conversely a band quite established in South Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAYltftiBwk
In a way, it hardly surprises me that Goldfish would come from the Western Cape. Though kwaito music is the most popular music genre by numbers, house music or DJ-remixes are much more popular in the Western Cape and among the younger generation. Pretty much anything you can fist pump to is of preference to my fellow students at Stellenbosch as well as many in Cape Town. I like Goldfish because they’re upbeat and different from most bands that are popular these days. Additionally, perhaps inspired by the band the Gorillaz, they use self-created animations in almost all of their music videos. If you can, check out their old music- including songs like Hold Tight or Soundtracks and Comebacks which ties in a lot more jazzy-feels than their current music!
A second band which is worth a listen, also hailing from Cape Town, is Nomadic Orchestra. I was lucky enough during my recent trip to Johannesburg to be able to see them at Kitchener’s in downtown (similar to the Black Cat, for my Washington readers). They were by far the best band I've seen perform live. They’re comprised of a guitarist, tuba player, drummer, saxophonist, and trumpet player. Their music is almost entirely instrumental and has a slight middle-eastern influence. Check ‘em out!