V&A gets into the groove with the sounds of summer

Waterfront’s free music Summer Sessions line up

[Cape Town: 3 October 2014] It’s summer time and the living is easy down at the Waterfront with the start of the V&A Amphitheatre’s free music concerts every weekend during October.

The V&A Summer Sessions, presented by Mercedes Benz kick off on Saturday 4 October with Mario Ogle performing between 4.30pm and 5.15pm. Popular artist Ogle has already achieved gold sales. His Waterfront concert marks the release of his acclaimed new single ‘How I Got My Groove Back’ which is currently being play listed on most radio stations. In addition to new material, he will also perform previous hits such as ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’, ‘Superman’, ‘All I Do’ and ‘Techno Fancy’.

Also on Saturday, 4 October, Lana Crowster will take to the stage between 6.15 and 7 pm. The talented singer, composer and arranger began her musical career at the tender age of six. Now at 26 with a degree in music and a postgraduate diploma in jazz performance, this young Capetonian is fast making a name for herself. Crowster’s musical genre is a unique marriage between jazz, neo-soul, R&B, house and hip-hop. She has shared the stage with the likes of Josh Groban, music legend George Benson, Laura Burhenn from the Mynabirds, Toya Delazy, Arno Carstens and GoodLuck. She is currently recording her debut album.

Chill out on Sunday, 5 October with Top Dog between 6 and 7 pm before the band heads off on a tour of India. The four accomplished musicians have performed with many well-known international and local artists from Camillo Lombard to Donveno Prins, Charlton Daniels and Mornay Hoffmeester. They have also provided backing for Peaches and Herb, Tevin Campbell, Robin S, Cece Penistan, Sybil, Lloyd Cele, Loyiso Bala and many more.

Enjoy a twilight performance on Friday, 10 October as the UCT Choir presents a dynamic performance of works ranging from the traditional to contemporary music between 6 and 7 pm. The audience can expect to hear Bruckner, Coldplay, Mendelssohn and Poulenc amongst others.

Get into the red-hot rhythm of Latin dance on Saturday, 11 October with the return of the Cape Town Salsa Festival between 2 and 3 pm.  Local and international salsa dancers will show the audience how it’s done the Latino way.

On Saturday, 11 October between 5.30 and 6 pm young Cape Town band Early Hours will entertain the crowd with their fresh blend of Britpop and Afro rock. This year, the band won the Converse Get Out of the Garage competition and will fly to New York and Paris at the end of the year, as part of their prize. Early Hour’s debut album has been released on Soundcloud and their single Back to Front is gaining critical attention for them. To date, the band has performed with Barely Legal, Zebra & Giraffe, GoodLuck, Prime Circle, Freshly Ground, Jeremy Loops, the Rudimentals and December Streets.

Get into the weekend spirit with indie-psych-pop band The Plastics between 6.15pm and 7pm. The band, which regularly performs at all major music festivals, is currently recording their third EP, and aim to release a new album in 2015. The Plastics have received several music nominations and have enjoyed success with three top 10 national radio hits.

The Waterfront will rock on Sunday, 12 October with Gareth James when he performs between 4 and 5 pm. James has performed with the likes of Prime Circle, Dirty Skirts, Mark Haze, Jesse Jordon, the Parlotones and many more. He has also appeared at the Blue Rock Gospel Festival where he shared a stage with Heinz Winckler. More recently, Gareth has pursued a solo career introducing South Africans to modern country music.

Ending the line-up on Sunday, 12 October between 6 and 7 pm is four-piece band Pebble Man. The band plans to get the audience rocking as they perform original rock songs written by guitarist Richard Pryor. Together with band mates Jesse Jordon, Rob Stemmett and Kevin Gibson Pebble Man will deliver pure 70s hard rock with a modern progressive twist, a high dose of musical instrumentation and a good smattering of smokey blues to round off their highly original rock recipe.

Don’t miss the first of the semi-finals for the 2014 Gift of the Voice on Friday, 17 October between 6.30 and 8 pm. A total of 10 choirs have been entered into the contest. In this, the first of two semi-finals, choirs from Gene Louw Primary, Rustenburg Girls Primary and Panorama Primary will compete alongside senior choirs from Gene Louw and Monte Visa schools. The first-placed choir will be announced on Friday, 31 October, and the winners will walk away with high-tech voice projection equipment worth R10 000 for their schools. The finals will take place on Friday, 31 October.

Soak up the ambiance of the Waterfront on a warm summers evening on Saturday, 18 October with the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (CPYO), the Masadlale Quartet and Hugo Lambrecht’s Saxophone Quartet.  The musicians will perform between 4 and 7 pm. The Masadlale musicians, who hail from Gugulethu and Langa, have received string instrument training from the CPYO. The Hugo Lambrechts Saxophone Quartet consists of learners from The Settlers High and DF Malan High schools.

On Friday, 24 October between 6.30 and 8 pm the competition for the 2014 Gift of the Voice hots up as the next set of semi-finalists perform. Junior choirs from Mikro, SACS and Rondebosch Boys junior schools and senior choirs from Goodwood and Kenridge Primary will compete.

Show your support for the talented finalists of the 2014 Gift of the Voice competition on Friday, 31 October between 6.30 and 8.30pm. Four finalist junior choirs and two finalist senior choirs will battle it out for the coveted crown.