The Narrow is one of South Africa’s most successful hard rock/metal acts with their pulsating rhythms, melodic transitions, memorable choruses and beautiful yet potent lyrics from Hanu de Jong. De Jong is one of SA’s most loved frontmen, with his characteristic voice and boundless energy that he brings to every performance. His brother, Emile, is also the heartbeat of the band with his lead guitar work and lyrics setting the tone for the band. Lias de Lange (Drums), Jow Feldtman (Bass) and Deon Kruger (Guitar) complete the five piece with each member adding their own unique element and skill to this fantastic home grown act.
Honourable mentions:
The Banded, Six Million Dollar Man

5. Shoot the DJ
A catchy whistle opens this track before “Bring the party back” introduces the opening barrage of hard hitting riffs combined with catchy lyrics that this band is known for. The first 20 seconds will give the listener a great idea of what to expect with a riff, pounding drums and fills that gives the song great momentum. The hard hitting bridge is also one of the great aspects of the song with some fantastic guitar playing complementing the crunchy riffs. The chorus “It wasn’t me, I tell no lie I didn’t shoot the DJ,” is one of the highlights of this song.

4. Push Up The Level
Killer riffs are something that this band is known for and this song is no exception with its recognisable main riff that hits your eardrums right from the outset. De Lange’s drumming must be applauded on this song as he keeps a perfect balance between rhythm and groove throughout the song. Hanu De Jong’s verses are almost spoken which adds to the fast paced nature of the song, before the pre-chrous and chorus kicks in with De Jong adding an extra gear with some aggressive vocals. The distinct difference between the different sections of the song helps to keep things fresh as well. The bridge also showcases Feldtmann’s bass skills with slower and softer parts before the final chorus hits the nail on the head.

3. You Don’t Get To Quit
This song from The Narrow’s same titled 2010 album, is one of the band’s more positive songs that focuses on taking opportunities and “finding old at the end of the rainbow.” One of the great aspects of this song is the fantastic dual guitar work from Kruger and De Jong, while the vocal range of De Jong is brilliantly displayed throughout the song. “You don’t get to quit my baby. This time its got to be different,” is a catchy chorus that has become an integral part of the band’s live set list and gets fans jumping up and down on every occasion.

2. Travellers
Travellers is one of the best The Narrow songs mainly because of the fantastic chorus, that gets crowds jumping and blood pumping with its ferocious and catchy nature. The song opens up with a bass intro before De Jong shout the chorus at the top of his voice like an explosion of musical aggression and passionate expression. The guitar riffs and constant barrage of energetic sing along moments is also brilliantly juxtaposed with the “I’ve been meaning to play with you” bridge that brings its own fresh element to the song. Overall a top notch song.

1. Lonely Lonely
If you don’t get goose bumps from this song, then you have not appreciated music at its absolute best. This is the song that put The Narrow on the map and from first listen and countless live renditions one can understand why. The crowd is absolutely immersed in this live staple from the band, and simply cannot get enough of this track. The song opens up with a guitar lead followed by De Jong singing the chorus “Lonely, Lonely Sunday morning, such a pity your asleep, young girl get up alright, alright now,” before that lyrics is repeated with the addition of a volcanic eruption of instrumentation. The difference between, softer verses and harder choruses works perfectly in this song. A true masterpiece that must be on anybody’s live music bucket list.