Gangs of Ballet in the mix for The Festival

The Durban-based band, comprising three musicians and friends, will be one of several groups to entertain fans at St Dunstan’s College on May 7.

Each an accomplished musician in their own right, the band’s members have combined their various individual tastes and styles to create a sound that is captivatingly fresh.

Their music has been said to defy placement into specific genres, rather being a mix of alternative, melodic, electronic and dance.

With their combined wealth of talent, experience and creativity, these three Durbanites hope to make a quality contribution to South Africa’s growing music scene and it would appear that they are already well on their way to doing just that.

• Their debut single, Breaking the Silence, was released in September 2011 and, by early November, it had entered the 5FM Top 40 Chart. By that New Year it peaked at seventh place and secured a spot on 5FM’s list of the Top 100 Hottest Hits of 2011.
• Gangs of Ballet won an MK Award in 2013 for Best Newcomer.
• In August 2013, the band released their much anticipated debut album, yes/no/grey, through Universal Music South Africa. Within 12 hours of its release, the album went straight to number one on the iTunes Top 10 SA Album Charts.
• In June 2014, Gangs of Ballet won the Mama for Best Alternative for yes/no/grey.
• Their most recent release was the extended play (EP) entitled Form and Function — Part One.

The band includes Brad Klynsmith (vocals and electric guitar), Jonathan Rich (keyboard), Josh Klynsmith (drums and vocals).

Bassist Hardus de Beer departed from the band in February, last year, to focus on his career as a chiropractor.

Although fans are certain to line up for Gangs of Ballet, these musicians are only the tip of the iceberg, as all the final details of The Festival are yet to be announced.

Event promoter Paul Smith said the day would give organisations the opportunity to be involved in the delivery of the “East Rand’s premium social event”.

He added that the occasion will include entertainment aimed at the entire family, making it different from similar events.

The strong musical acts, market, kids entertainment and the Fun Run, organised by the City Times, will mark the day.

The day’s fun will take place on the main cricket oval at St Dunstan’s College, in Rynfield.

Tickets will go on sale at the end of February, initially from St Dunstan’s directly, but several other sponsors will also start selling closer to May.

The general entry tickets will be R100 each (children under six years enter for free) and there will be Golden Circle and backstage VIP options as well.

St Dunstan’s will have four rugby pitches available for parking on the day.

Look out for next week’s follow-up article, covering the second confirmed act of The Festival, the DJ duo Voltrex, along with the announcement of the next big band.

You may also be interested in:

Venue set to host new supergroup