Studio7

Last night I fell in love. I fell in love with the musical geniuses that eliminated my Sunday Sadness in one fell swoop. Who cares, right? I can’t tell you who cares, but I can tell you who doesn’t. Haters. And, according to Neil’s t-shirt, “Haters gonna hate.” The haters are the ones who suffered from FOMO, the ones who weren’t there, the ones who should save themselves the pain and stop reading now.

In celebration of Studio 7’s 90th session, Patrick arranged for Prime Circle to delight his audience in the infamous home of muso-aphrodisiacs. But before the group took to the stage, a duo known as Evelyn Hart set the scene for a magical evening. The combination of a Lana del Rey-sounding lead singer and her percussionist fiancé (he is not a drummer) created a cacophony of sounds that prompted a memory of Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina. The vocals sung with tangible passion and the building crescendo of the percussion created a feeling similar to that edge-of-your-seat feeling that the Jaws score is famous for.

Waking the audience from their awe-struck reverie, Patrick introduced South African music legends, Prime Circle, and finally got the hugs he’d been hoping for. Ross, Dale and Neil, while touring to promote their 5th album, Evidence, came along to use the intimacy of Studio 7 to stage a “listening session” of sorts. The informality of the evening was complete with forgotten lyrics, fits of laughter, and PG13 language.

Performing both new and old tracks, all sung with such emotion, Prime Circle had the audience in a state of transcendental bliss. I, personally, felt nothing short of honoured to be sitting in front of such raw talent and couldn’t help but feel like it was just me they were singing for. Performing “She Always Gets What She Wants” gave everyone in the audience the opportunity to connect with their inner shower-performer and sing along, while “As Long As I Am Here” quite literally had everyone immobilized. There is also something to be said for their unplanned performance of “Turn Me to Stone”, requested by a fan. Demanding blondes.

So for the multitude of reasons mentioned above, I think I feel in love last night – with the musicians, with the space, with the audience, with the feelings, with the Bushmills. There are few ways to justly convey the gratitude I feel for those performers who were a part of the beauty that was my weekend. Thank you.

Written by: Jemima-Faye Goodall

“Live for the moments you can’t put into words”. The hardest part of my job is attempting to put into words the indescribable. Freshlyground, Zolani and the rest of the crew, the Take Me to the Dance album, all contributed to an entire evening of moments that cannot be “put into words”.

Once again pulling a rabbit from a hat, Patrick had made a plan to get this very big band into the very small space in front of the red brick wall for what has been dubbed a “Tweetup”. Or as Zolani described it, “crazy fans in a house in Sea Point to tell us what they think of the album”. Freshlyground’s unique sounds and powerful lead vocalist have become known the world over, since their inception in 2002, for hits like Waka Waka and Doo Bee Doo. Now here they were, in a small living room, launching their latest album “Take Me to the Dance.”

Having never personally met Zolani, I was instantly taken by her before she had even opened her mouth to sing. While everyone was milling about the kitchen, drinking their Bushmills, our eyes met through the masses (we share a below-average eye level) and without faltering, she came straight up to me and introduced herself. Immediately, I knew I was going to like this girl. What then blew me away further was the simultaneously powerful and “lullaby-like” voice that came from this tiny person sitting before me once they kicked off.

Performing tracks from their 5th studio album, and sharing stories of how each track originated, the band’s close and casual dynamic set the scene for a wonderfully intimate and familiar environment – Zo was up mid-song distributing wine to guests, songs were stopped mid-way through to try them played differently, and star-struck fans were asked for feedback throughout. The bands interaction both amongst themselves and with the audience was humbling to watch.

In the end, their infectious attitude had 70 people up, dancing and clapping along with the music. The cherry on top was the signed copy of the album each guest got to go home with. If you missed the gig, do yourself a favour and buy the album – it is an “afro-electric” aural treat, indicative of camaraderie and patriotism that mere words themselves cannot begin to describe.

Written by: Jemima-Faye Goodall

If 50 Shades of Grey Had a Theme Tune

by: Jemima-Faye Goodall

… Dan Patlansky would sing it. This was the greatest description I heard on Tuesday evening, by another blonde seated in front of me. Always the blondes.

The 11th of September (yes, a somber day of remembrance for most) – in my opinion, a day that South Africa’s music industry obtained a key-player. I don’t doubt that those who know Patrick Craig will agree with me. To celebrate the founding father’s day of birth in true Studio 7-style, two local artists were invited to perform in the infamous lounge for a small group of Patrick’s nearest-and-dearest.

The night kicked-off with a slight reversal of roles as guests serenaded Mr. Craig with an inharmonious version of Happy Birthday. This act of sacrilege was instantly forgotten when award-winning pianist and vocalist, Shannon Hope, silenced a very excitable crowd. With her emotive melody, Shannon graced the space in front of the red brick wall and did the impossible – gave Adele a run for her money. Whether owed to the relatable lyrical content of her music, the heart wrenching sincerity with which she sings the deeply moving lyrics, the life lessons she shared that inspired her songs, or her dexterous ownership of the keyboard, Shannon had the audience enraptured; silenced to the point of being stunned.

This silence was broken, forgivably, by Mr Dan Voice-dripping-with-sex-appeal Patlanksy. This world-class blues musician, once described as ‘capable of whisking his audience into a netherworld of sonic orgasms’, appeared in front of us looking slight and unassuming. What he then proceeded to do with a guitar and his unforeseen ‘big’ voice was nothing short of musical genius, and could not be further removed from slight and unassuming. The plethora of sounds produced while Dan performed acoustic, old school blues had everyone tapping their feet and made the girls in the audience weak at the knees. I hate to be the one to break the hearts of the ladies that don’t already know but he’s taken, girls

Throughout this evening of raw emotion and ‘muso cat-nip’, I felt something in Studio 7 I have never felt before; a sort of familial closeness. Yes, it’s always cosy. Yes, there is always the familiar sound of ice clinking in Bushmills. Yes, there are always the same friendly faces. But this night in Patrick’s lounge felt more personal, like everyone there experienced the same soulful serenity. Perhaps it was the fact that Patrick created a communion by inviting all the guests personally, perhaps it was the combination of two resonant artists, perhaps I am delusional and no one else experienced anything special. Whatever the reason, it was a beautiful evening at Studio 7, for me anyway (not that my opinion matters all that much), and I mourn for those that were not able to be there – you’re experiencing a loss.

Till next time x

So I read this great quote yesterday which went something like – “Too much Monday, not enough coffee”. Well yesterday, for a change, too much Monday was a good thing. In fact, there wasn’t enough Monday. Now we’re not weird, creepy Monday-lovers or anything but when you have Ard Matthews serenading 100 people in your lounge you develop a fondness for this reproached day of the week. #Justsaying.

Last night was special in my opinion. A Studio 7 revolution of sorts. And not just because we had Mr National Anthem perform for our guests – there were a number of contributing factors that made last night feel new and different. Manny Walters for one. That kid blew everyone away! Manny is a finalist selected by our esteemed panel of judges, Ard amongst them, in our #BushmillsBandSearch competition. After sending 40 or so submissions to Ard to listen to, he chose one of them to open for him at Studio 7. So before Ard took to the stage, Manny got up there, with his melodic tone and breathtaking voice, and stunned a room of over 100 people.

Which brings me to my next ‘contributing factor’. Over 100 people. For those of you have never been to Studio 7 (shame on you) what you won’t know is that our lounge can only seat 60 pax. We had to make some serious provisions and furniture rearrangements in an attempt to get 100 people in comfortably. Our stress levels were high in the days leading up but we did it and it worked. 100 people standing, sipping on their Bushmills, listening to SA’s greatest musical talent – Ard Matthews.

Ard took the stage, after Patrick had finally stopped speaking (“Patrick, you talk a lot of s**t” were the exact words that came out of Ard’s mouth), donning his signature harem pants and silenced the crowds (with the exception of the blonde in front of me whose comment about “being able to hear a pin drop” was overheard) with what can only be described as lyrical soul food. He performed some tracks from his days with Just Jinjer and some new material off his solo album, First Offerings. After every song the (very large) crowd went wild and by the end of it, if people had been seated, the standing ovation would have been a sight to behold. The “I like you madly” encore he threw in was the perfect note to end on.

TBH (to be honest), there was not enough Ard at the end of my Monday. And who needs more coffee when you have Bushmills to get you through a long day.

Till next time kids…

Post written by: @JemimaFaye –

So on top of our exciting #BushmillsBandSearch competition, we have a super fun gig planned for you on Monday night. On Monday 23rd July we will announce the finalists chosen from submissions and selected by Patrick Craig, Tecla and Ard Matthews. With this in mind, we thought it fitting to have the man himself perform in our whimsical establishment.

Ard Matthews has recently released his latest solo album, First Offerings, which he himself has referred to as a “diary of my life”. The Just Jinjer lead singer was born in Johannesburg but considers himself a Durban boy after being raised in the Bluff (we have been trying to convince him to do an ‘Ardy from the Bluff’ rendition of ‘Jenny from the Block’ and we’re not giving up). Growing up with the likes of Nat “King” Cole, Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley as inspiration, Ard made his musical debut when he entered and won a talent contest when he was 12 years old. He went on to study with The Groove Class in Johannesburg, South Africa’s only affiliate of the Los Angeles Musicians Institute. While with Just Jinjer, Ard traveled the world and spent 8 years living in LA, where the band signed a record deal with Curb Records. Ard returned to SA in 2009 and begun work on his solo career.

Not only are we huge fans of his music but the man himself has a very special place in our hearts. His energy, his vibrant persona, the way he interacts on such a personal level with his fans are all attributes that make him charismatic and an absolute pleasure to be around. In short, we feel honoured and blessed to have him coming into our space on Monday and look forward to hearing tracks off his new album and some of everyone’s old-favourites.

Book your tickets now through Webtickets or contact us directly for more information.

Proudly brought to you by Bushmills Irish Whiskey

On Monday 2nd July, we added the second gig to our “double-header” week by welcoming Zebra & Giraffe into our midst to perform for our loyal supporters and some new faces. Greg, Alan and Mike blew everyone away with their stellar performance, while simultaneously keeping the crowd in stitches with their witty banter and incorrigible senses of humour.

Hearing them perform a few of their old favourites and some tracks off their eagerly anticipated upcoming album in such a personal environment was invigorating. And their covers of “The Final Countdown” and “Wicked Game” (goose-bump inducing) had the crowd going wild. I think it is safe to say that everyone there is keenly waiting for the release of their new album, The Wisest Ones, due to be release on the 23rd July.

To read more about the evening (if you were unlucky enough to miss it), have a look at the article written by What’s on in Cape Town – we couldn’t have said it better. For more information on upcoming gig’s keep an eye on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or join our mailing list.

Until next time…

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On Saturday 30th June the South African song-bird, Louise Carver, lyrically graced us with her presence and shone her ever-bright light on the intimate space in front of our infamous red brick wall. Performing hits such as “Gotta get home”, “Didn’t mean to call’, “It don’t matter” and her majestic rendition of Justin Bieber’s “Baby ” – rights to this song should be handed to her on a silver platter in our opinion.

The honour of having her latest single, “ How you gonna do it” performed live before a small group of friends and like-minded music enthusiasts was just that – an honour. We are certainly going to be rushing out to buy her new album and we highly recommend that you do the same. To download previous albums and tracks from this uber-talented songstress, check out her website.

Of course, big thank you to Bushmills Irish Whiskey for making it all possible & to our guests & members for your on-going support. For news on upcoming gigs keep an eye on our Facebook page or join our mailing list.

Yes, you heard right. Much-loved alternative rock band, Zebra & Giraffe, will be performing live at Studio 7 on Monday 2nd July. What a double-header of a week!

Zebra & Giraffe will be touring from July promoting the release of their forthcoming album, The Wisest Ones. So of course, we made a plan to get them to you first…

Founder of the band, Greg Carlin, born & bred in Midrand, had a passion for music from an early age. Together with Darryl Torr, Greg released his debut album, Collected Memories, in 2008. After the success of the debut single, The Knife, Greg decided to recruit more band member to allow for live performances. In total, Collected Memories produced 7 Top 10 singles and achieved numerous number 1’s on various national stations around South Africa.

Since then, the band has worked with acclaimed international producer, Cenzo Townshend, who is famous for his work with artists such as Florence & the Machine, Snow Patrol & U2. In 2010, they released their 2nd album, The Inside. And their eagerly anticipated third album, The Wisest Ones, will be released in South Africa this month.

We are looking forward to hearing a sneak-peek of what this album has to offer, as well as having this enigmatic band in our quaint, intimate lounge on Monday evening. We definitely think you should be there…

Visit our Facebook page for more information.

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When we heard that Louise Carver was going to be touring around South Africa (Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town & Bloemfontein) promoting the recent release of her latest single, How You Gonna Do It, we got super excited. When we heard Louise herself had requested all her performances be at intimate venues well set-up for live music we got even more excited – what better intimate venue is there in Cape Town than our very own Studio 7?!

The Cape Town born song-bird signed her first record deal at the tender age of 15, released her infamous debut single “It Don’t Matter” at 17 and in 2011, garnered 4 SAMA nominations. In 2009 Louise was asked to be a Youth Ambassador for the Independent Electoral Committee along with Natalie du Toit and she is now also a 46664 Youth Ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Trust. (We love having South African flag-wavers in our midst.)

The national tour that Louise is now embarking on is to promote ‘How You Gonna Do It’, the first single off her forthcoming album. ‘How You Gonna Do It’ is about a girl who left her fiancé six years ago and has been on the run ever since. He has made it clear to her that he will never let the idea of them go and she is convinced he is going to kill her. She has now come to the point in her life where she is tired of running and is ready to face him and she asks the question, ‘How you gonna do it, coz I know you gonna do it?’. Definitely our new favourite track! Watch the music video here.

This phenomenal local songstress will be performing at Studio 7 on Saturday 30th June. Tickets are on sale now on Webtickets or you can check out our Facebook page for more information. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Proudly brought to you by Bushmills Irish Whiskey

Serenading Ghosts album launch. In one word… magical. The album is magical, the story behind the album is magical, and the video montage from the making of the album is… You guessed it. Magical.

Listening to the symphonic sounds created by the collaboration of four insanely talented musicians was such a delight for us and for all of our guests. Not only were we treated to a little piece of acoustic heaven but the video’s and photographs screened throughout their performance are extraordinary. Having recorded during, and pulled inspiration for the album, from a night spent in the ghost towns of the Namib desert, we all particularly enjoyed Dan Shout’s story-telling of the background behind each song.

As usual, it was a vibey evening at Studio 7 with some great people, great conversation and, of course, great whisky (thank you Bushmills).

In order to spice things up a little, we introduced a new virtual element to the evening by running a competition via Twitter. By offering a bottle of Bushmills to the person with the best Tweet describing the evening we allowed our fans that weren’t able to be there the chance to feel a part of it. @Barefoot_Binary, don’t drink it all in one go!

If you want to be a part of the Studio 7 Twitter community follow us now – @Studio_7SA. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates on the next gigs. There are some pretty cool evenings in the pipeline and we want you all there!

Proudly brought to you by Bushmills Irish Whisky