This St Patrick’s Day is sure to be a memorable one with The Plastics, Dope Folks and Kontras taking over the stage at Aandklas on 18 March.
Earlier this year The Plastics blessed us with the magic that is the Bright Blue Orchids – the album which led us all to indulge in the memories of the mesmeric music that the 60s brought.
The album was greatly influenced by the music that was produced during this golden era. This is not only evident in the sound that the group explored but even in the album cover which resembles the famous Beatles album, Help!
“The sound of the 60s is so iconic and comes with such good vibes – it’s hard not to love. The whole point is love and that’s what influenced the album more than anything. It’s a celebration of the power of love and magic,” said the band while explaining the allure of the period’s music.
In the album they explore “the sound of magic and melodramatic love mixed with psych rock. The music is nostalgic and modern at the same time”. What better name is there to reflect this magic than the Bright Blue Orchids?
When asked about the idea behind this name, they replied by saying: “We decided to name the album the Bright Blue Orchids because a blue orchid is a magical flower that does not exist – it’s a product of wonder and imagination like all things from nature it is both beautiful and mystical. The “bright” came in later because we also wanted the name to reflect the energy and intention of the flower power age of the 1960s. The album is all about full decisive ideas that are bold and confident, we thought the name portrayed that feeling well.
“We also used the name as a concept for a new band called The Bright Blue Orchids who were performing this material as the original The Plastics had gone through numerous line-up changes and also added two additional members for this project. The Bright Blue Orchids is a new direction for the band and Sasha, the drummer, wrote most of the songs in a two-week burst of inspiration so we came up with the concept of us transforming into another band for this album,” said The Plastics.
So, it seems that their performance at Aandklas is bound to be a mystical experience for all who will be there.
“We love playing in Stellenbosch because there are so many cool places to play and people to meet! The audience can expect a full and energetic sound made for dancing and having fun,” said The Plastics.
Joining them on stage are Stellenbosch favourites – Dope Folks and Kontras. Both bands are also launching new singles for the crowd to jam along to.
“Our upcoming release is called ‘Perfect Hits’ scheduled to launch on all streaming platforms on Friday the 20th of March 2020. It’s a hopeful pop rock hit that attempts to simultaneously comply with and defy radio censorship ‒ by coating an infectious bop in sexy subversive phrasing. It is hilariously self-aware in referencing the sacrifice artists often make to sell out in pursuit of fame. The new single is a collaboration with the Stellies local musician Duke Duke and is a folk-rock bop that’ll get stuck in your head and have you humming along,” said Marius van Coller, lead singer of Dope Folks.
Van Coller also explained how excited they are to share the stage with The Plastics. “OMG its flippen rad. We’ve been fanboys since our teens so it was an amazing experience when they approached us! Can’t wait to warm up the stage for SA indie royalty,” said Van Coller.
He continued by explaining that this event is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: “People should definitely come through to the event for an epic St Paddy’s experience. We’ve got some sweet competitions and even a beer pong tournament lined up.”
So, be sure to jam out to these bands while enjoying a pint of Gat at Aandklas. Sláinte!
