Rock is a full-time passion for Komatipoort band
Komatipoort-based rock band BackStage already has around 30 gigs under their belt since the start of the year and are looking forward to showing locals what they can do.
KOMATIPOORT – With a burning passion for music, an astounding versatility and great camaraderie among the members, local rock band BackStage is making its mark in the music scene.
“When people hear you’re from Komatipoort, they expect a boereorkes,” bassist John O’Reilly explained.
And although they might fit the bill at first glance, once they get behind their instruments, you will be blown away by their prowess.
BackStage was founded in 2014 after a slot for a local band opened up at the popular annual Komatipoort Prawn Festival. John and his son, Cashel, decided to get a few local musos together to fill it, and they have not stopped jamming since.
Members have come and gone, with the roster currently at Cashel on lead guitar, John on bass, Henri Jansen van Vuuren on drums and his son Marinus on rhythm guitar. Hannes Eloff provides the vocals and Sarel Botha is on the rhythm guitar.
BackStage made it to the top 10 in last year’s Innibos RockRumoer competition, which was a great boost for them and gave them exposure in the Lowveld. “It also helped us see what we can do, and what is out there. We believe in the band and that we can make our mark on the music scene,” the members agreed.
READ:BackStage about to be centre stage at Innibos
They have played at events in the Onderberg and Lowveld including Save the Strat as well as a festival in Sodwana, and garnered a few passionate fans.
The five musos seem to never run out of energy on stage as they tend to do four-hour shows. “We pride ourselves on our versatility and try to present a variety of songs from rock to country and ballads,” Cashel said.
BackStage is also involved in charity events including a rhino-charity biker run hosted in White River over the weekend.
The members smile when they speak about the invaluable support they have received from artists such as Wonderboom, Ghapi and Clint.
Like most bands, they started out with covers but put their own spin on hits like “Lightning Crashes” and “Smoke on the Water”. “Whatever we do, we try to make our own and give our own vibe,” Cashel said.
Watch their rendition of “Lightning Crashes”:
They recorded a CD with covers for RockRumoer and are currently working on their second album, this time with original songs.
They started writing the lyrics last year and have already recorded a few. Corridor Gazette had a sneak peak of two of the songs during a practice session last week, and if the tracks are any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like, it’s sure to be a hit.
The band members say they are their own worst critics, want to make great music together and will never play a song on stage that they are not 100 per cent happy with.
Since they work full time and practice twice a week, gigs also act as great practice. So far this year they have had around 30 gigs.
The band said they receive a lot of support from their families and the local community.
“It’s been a fast journey, if you consider how long we’ve been playing together and it’s mostly through word of mouth,” Hannes explained.
All the members believe strongly in the band’s appeal and are looking forward to growing and improving even more.
“We want to keep focusing on playing at festivals because we get to interact with the crowd more and rub shoulders with well-known artists. Our local supporters will be able to see us in action at the Komatipoort Prawn Festival again this year and we’re looking forward to showing them what we can do.”
