On 25 January Aandklas celebrated 17 years of good music, good drinks and good friends. The beloved grungy bar was packed with music lovers who rocked up to see ThreeOhFive rocktronica legends, The Govt., shake the stage.
ThreeOhFive had the audience dancing to crowd favourite “Deathstar” and a brand spanking new song called “Call Service”.
When asked about his time at Aandklas, Victor Perkins, ThreeOhFive’s frontman, shared a glowingly positive experience. “Aandklas is just one of the coolest places. It’s a beautiful little dodgy hole where you all can come and have fun,” he says humorously, adding, “Everyone can be [themselves] here. It’s so cool. It gives people in the music industry such an opportunity. Tim [Moolman] and Arnold [van der Walt, Aandklas management] are so on the ball with bringing acts in, giving a stage to people who need and want it. From a musician’s standpoint it’s one of the most welcoming places – Aandklas is the best, man. It’s the best part about Stellies!”
The Govt. followed ThreeOhFive and showed what “going out to Stellies” really means. Life pulsed through Aandklas with the crowd shouting in unison, “I hope it never ends!” during the performance of The Govt.’s hit “Snake”. Both bands reminded the crowd just why they were crowned Battle of the Bands champions – ThreeOhFive last year and The Govt. in 2023. It was a beautifully special moment when Perkins joined The Govt. on stage for a duet with Matt Carstens, The Govt. frontman.
“The energy is palpable!” Carstens announced, shouting over the transportive dancefloor music from DJ GabbyLane. “We had an amazing time. Everybody came out. We are seeing a whole new wave of alt kids coming in to support good music. We got last year’s flagship band ThreeOhFive, fresh winners of Battle of the Bands playing, and of course, the Govt, and we’re just […] thankful to be here.”
It was a celebration held in true Aandklas style – a party worthy of this pillar of the Stellies music community where different people can get together to rejoice and connect through sound.
By Emma Olivier
