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BY AURELIA MOUTON

Inspired by the streets of Stellenbosch and a vet jol, comes the band The Glitter Tits in all their heartfelt, folksy glory. The five-piece group was born in COVID-19 lockdown and is, essentially, a bunch of friends bound by a love of music and Bohemia hangouts. 

The Glitter Tits consist of frontman Arend Stapelberg on vocals and rhythm guitar; lyricist, guitarist and harmonica slinger, Charl Eksteen; Francois van Zyl on guitar and lead vocals; Walter Travers on percussion; and Nathan Garrett, a barman at Bohemia, as their groovy bassist. 

“The band started when Arend and I decided to have a few jam sessions in my flat in the height of the COVID lockdown. We realised we had good synergy on guitar and, soon enough, we were able to write original pieces on a regular basis. Arend came forth with the idea of actually recording our tunes after having success with his solo project ‘Oupa Uil’,” said Eksteen. 

Fresh to the Stellenbosch alt and folk rock scene, The Glitter Tits are intent on saying what they want how they want. Stapelberg cites in-house production as a key factor in shaping their sound and ensuring they stay original and true to themselves. 

“We’re new to the scene and it’s all new (for everyone), but that won’t stop us from making the music we want to make—and that’s what makes Stellies so special,” says Van Zyl. 

“We have a bunch of songs on the shelf at the moment that we’re working hard on to be released soon. That being said, we don’t want to rush any part of the process. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve gotten for “Kruip” [a single], so we’re enjoying that for a while before we go full-steam ahead on finishing our other tracks. We might release an EP or a bunch of singles, but there’s still a pandemic going on, so we’ll do our best to operate within the rough timeline we’ve set for ourselves as a band,” continued Stapelberg.

Drawing influence from anything rock, whether it be blues, folk or a bit of the heavier alternative stuff, the band members each bring their own music style and experiment with mixing genres and different instruments. 

“In terms of lyrics, my biggest inspiration is Valiant Swart at the moment. It’s hard to say where my words come from, but it’s very much centered around my own life and what I see when I walk down the street. As a band, a large part of our sound is influenced by the bands in and around Cape Town and Stellenbosch,” says Eksteen. 

Eksteen continued, “There’s a lot to be said around local music and the pandemic, but I think as a group we’re just thankful that people are listening to our debut single and that they’re still willing to support local musicians! Thanks for being part of the rodeo.” 

“I don’t think we have a profound message that’ll change the world, but there’s something to say for the beauty of making music with other people, something that we definitely took for granted before [the pandemic] hit our shores. So get your vaccines and get jamming!” says Van Zyl. 

The Glitter Tits’ single, “Kruip”, is available on Apple Music and Spotify, and fans can follow the band on their official Instagram page: @glittertitsband.

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