BEAST (South African band)

BEAST
Background information
Origin Cape Town, South Africa
Genres Alternative rock
Hard rock
Years active 2012–present
Labels Sheer Music
Associated acts Lark (band), Taxi Violence, The Plastics
Website http://www.facebook.com/BEASTBAND
Members Inge Beckmann
Rian Zietsman
Louis Nel
Sasha Righini

BEAST is an alternative rock supergroup formed in Cape Town, South Africa, by Louis Nel and Rian Zietsman of Taxi Violence, Inge Beckmann of Lark and Sasha Righini of The Plastics.

Started initially as a side project by Nel and Zietsman in an attempt to fulfill a mutual ambition to create and play in a band with two bass guitars, they later brought on vocalist Inge Beckmann and drummer Sasha Righini to complete the lineup. Their debut album, Smoke Swig Swear, released in February 2013, was met with local critical acclaim.

Background

Rian Zietsman and Louis Nel (guitarist and drummer respectively of alternative rock band Taxi Violence) decided to form a side project that employed the use of two bass guitars instead of the standard rhythm/lead and bass guitar formula.[1][2] The twin-bass setup being fairly unique in the South African music scene,[3] Zietsman plays a lower, rhythm-led role akin to a normal bassist and Nel employs a higher, chord-based approach. Playing one through a bass amp and the other through a normal guitar amp they set out to create a rawer, harder, more low-fi sound.[4]

In early jam sessions they were joined by drummer Sasha Righini of The Plastics, renowned for his brutal and infectious drumming, who became a full-time member of the band.[5] Nel and Zietsman set out to find a female vocalist and approached Inge Beckmann of the avant-garde electronica act Lark, known for her tones of dark yet airy and shrill vocals.[6][7] Early names included Kombass and Bow Beast, with the band settling on BEAST.[4]

BEAST has self-described its genre as "psychological rock and roll"[4] and are known for their energy charged stage presence.[6]

I want to listen to bands that sound like BEAST. I think we're definitely filling a hole in the market. We're sick of fucking indie and electro and soft cock rock. We're making music that we want to listen to and that we want to watch live.
—Inge Beckmann, 2013 interview with Kelly Fulton[4]

Smoke Swig Swear
"Fill The Hole"
Audio sample of "Fill The Hole"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

BEAST recorded its debut album, Smoke Swig Swear, in September 2012 at Sound and Motion Studios in Cape Town and self-released it as a free download to widespread local critical acclaim.[8] The album had its official Cape Town launch at The Assembly on 23 February 2013.[9]

Rolling Stone Magazine said about Beckmann's delivery

Sure, she invokes some of Patti Smith’s animal instinct on The Grape. Or P.J. Harvey’s post-feminist autism on Man In Between. But if anything, she mainlines Joan Jett. It’s Jett’s Fuck me? Fuck you! unavailability that fuels the apocalyptic detachment of grunge blues revelation Hand of God and the arrhythmic thrust of punky pub rocker Walls".[10]

The band has stated they intend to release a follow-up early in 2014.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Q&A: George van der Spuy". rollingstone.co.za. 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  2. ↑ "The Jack Daniel’s Music Reporter: Featuring Cape Town Band, Beast". 2oceansvibe.com. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  3. ↑ "Primally South African". theeaglesnestza.com. 2013-08-24. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "New Music : Premiere: Watch BEAST’s video for "Smoke Swig Swear". vice.com. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  5. ↑ "BEAST: Smoke Swig Swear". news100.co.za. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "BEAST: A Band Apart". onesmallseed.com. 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  7. ↑ "Smoke Swig Swear: rock ‘n’ roll Beast unleashed". perdeby.co.za. 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  8. ↑ "Album Review: Beast – Smoke, Swig, Swear". slicktiger.co.za. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  9. ↑ "SMOKE SWIG SWEAR Album Launch". allevents.in. 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  10. ↑ "Beast: Smoke Swig Swear". rollingstone.co.za. 2013-03-26. Retrieved 2013-10-19.

External links