By Victoria West-Russell
Bohemia Rumble lived up to its title on the night of 30 April with the bar roaring to the sounds of rock from four local bands, Under Arrest, Cistamatic, Man Motels and Black Math, making the crowd go wild.
Arriving on the scene, one could already feel the much anticipated energy of the night with the bar filled with rock-ready individuals. Kicking the night off was one of the younger bands, Under Arrest. Each member of the band was dressed in convict jumpsuits, except for the vocalist, Christiaan Bell, who dressed as a policeman. This made an impression on the crowd, as a third-year BA (Humanities) student, Ruby Kurgan, stated that she “loved the outfits! That spoke to me.”
However, that was not the only thing that got the crowd’s attention. The music really moved the audience, so much so that they immediately formed a mosh pit and had people crowd surfing. The band had a strong stage presence and became so immersed in their music that a piece of drummer Mel Botes Junior’s drumstick broke off and flew into the crowd.
Not only did the crowd love Under Arrest, but Bell said to Die Matie, “The crowd was actually insane. It was incredible.” The band’s guitarist, Myles Matthew, jumped in to say that “Bohos is built different”. Under Arrest got the crowd pumped for the rest of the evening.
Cistamatic already had the crowd roughing it out in a mosh pit and dancing to the beat within the beginning of their opening song. They had a unique and engaging stage presence that reminded a fourth-year BEng (Chemical Engineering) student from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Vocalist and guitarist, Gabbi le Roux, was very engaging with the crowd, allowing them to release the anger they felt about the state of the world through Cistamatic’s music and the movement of the crowd.
Le Roux commented on this, saying, “It is this positive anger, like we are all collectively angry at this thing and look at all this noise we can make when we are together”. She further notes there was “a lot of feminine rage”. Cistamatic created a space for those who are often not represented in the rock scene, which was eminent when looking out into the crowd of diverse individuals relishing their music. Cistamatic left the crowd’s ears ringing and had their hearing muffled by the end of their set.
The ecstatic and wild energy that had filled the air never ceased and only increased throughout the night. That can be associated with the two bands, Man Motels and Black Math, and their riveting music, that performed next. Despite the crowd panting and dripping with sweat from their heads to their toes, they only got more enthusiastic. By this hour of the night, at around 21:30, strangers became brothers with a sense of camaraderie all throughout the crowd.
Man Motels and Black Math, with their unmistakably distinct sounds, moved the audience in unique ways in movement and flow. The mosh pit only grew in size as the night continued. During Man Motels’ performance, the audience was seen headbanging synchronously, people having lost their shoes, and another crowd surfer.
“It was an intense mosh; we were swerving one way, swerving another way. Some guy bit half of his lip open, but that is how you make memories,” exclaimed Pieter Hugo, a third-year BEng (Industrial Engineering) student.
After their performance, Man Motels’ vocalist and guitarist, Garrith Holloway, said to Die Matie, “Everybody that came out tonight looked very hungry for this kind of music,” and drummer CP van der Merwe adding, “This is why we do this, to get people out their little bubble and to just go crazy.”
Ending off the night, Black Math started their set with a bang, quite literally, leaving the audience with shocked expressions but immediately getting into the music. The mosh pit that had formed at this point in the evening was markedly the wildest. People in the crowd were being pushed over the front of the stage and speakers, and people were falling over, but immediately being recovered by others.
There were only smiles on the audiences’ faces that never faded, even after the night had wrapped up with Black Math. “What I really enjoyed was that, when I was in the crowd enjoying myself and I was looking around, and everyone else was enjoying it as well, and that is the essence of Bohos’ band night, you come here and you have a fucking good time,” remarked Kyle van der Merwe, a Maties alumnus.
After a wild night at Bohemia, sweaty, ecstatic crowds could be observed leaving the bar with smiles on their faces and a lot of stories to be told about their night at Bohemia Rumble.
This article was edited by Die Matie on 14 May to correct the name of the drummer for Bohemia Rumble.
