Desmond & the Tutus play an infectiously awesome blend of rock 'n roll and indie kwela pop. Formed in Johannesburg in 2005, the band is made up of Doug Bower on guitar, Nic Dinnie on bass and brothers Shane and Craig Durrant on vocals and drums respectively.

The Tutus strong live show quickly developed a sizeable local following from the start and the band have since played shows all over the globe including Japan, France, Sweden and the UK. Debut album, Tuckshop was released in 2008, followed by the & The EP in 2009.

The band recently released their second full-length album - MNUSIC. The single off MNUSIC, Zim Zala Bim made it to number one of the 5FM top 40.

Teejay Terblanche and Richard Onraet are the passionate musos behind Black Handed Kites and describe their music as “no hassle straight forward music to love and listen to”. Their single, Up, resulted in one of the most epic, yet humble, YouTube videos we have seen in a long time.

Cape Town rock ‘n roll band The Future Primitives, namely Johnny Tex, Heino Retief and Warren Fischer, have released a music video for their track, Try On Something That’s Really You. The Future Primitives play a blend of experimental garage rock, drawing influence from early rock n roll, rockabilly, surf, garage and first era psychedelic groups.

Headline act and indie sensation, The Drums initially caught the ear of the indie world with their Summertime! EP. It was an escapist collection of beach pop fantasies; tracks suffused with a wistful longing nostalgia that never pandered to cheap sentimentality. Their rise, particularly in the UK, was meteoric. Their self-titled debut LP, released in June, was bifurcated into a first half dedicated to more upbeat pop songs, and a second half revealing a darker, more introspective side of the band. A resounding success, the album has sold 200 000 copies globally to date (90 000 in the UK alone) and found the band touring relentlessly, playing triumphant sold out gigs worldwide throughout 2010 and 2011.

Their latest album, titled Portamento, released just 14 months after their debut, reveals a band tugging lightly at the boundaries of their sound while still retaining their recognisable sonic signatures – sweet rushes of melody, winsome lyrics, and brittle synthesiser sheens colliding with wiry Spector-esque guitar and bass lines.

Johannesburg:
Friday, 16 November;
The Drums, with support from Desmond & the Tutus and Black Handed Kites.

Cape Town:
Saturday, 17 November;
The Drums with support from Desmond & the Tutus and The Future Primitives

Tickets:
General Admission – R350
Group Purchase – Five for the Price of Four R1400
Tickets are available at Webtickets.