A SHINING example of Amanzimtoti’s burgeoning music scene, You First, an alternative band, has been making waves throughout Durban. During Warnadoone Ski Boat Club’s recent monthly open mic, the full band took to the stage.

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Siblings, Jorden and Milo Matthew, decided they were ready to start recording songs in 2020 and opted to use Chad Porter’s studio, where they met a new addition to the band, his son Cayden Porter.

“Towards the end of 2021, we started a three-piece, and by the end of 2022 we started playing gigs with my dad as our temporary drummer. We found Jarryd Fisher two years ago, who despite only recently taking up drums was absolutely a natural and we started playing bigger gigs after many hours of practise last year,” said Cayden.

He added that luck was on the band’s side, as all of them come from musical families, and in many ways, make up one big family.

When asked about where inspiration for the band’s name came from, Cayden said that at first, it was more of a joke.

“It comes from when someone eggs you on to do something and you would say ‘You first.’ We like to think of it as our audience being the ‘you’ in You First.  As for our sound, we try include a bit of everything so everyone can enjoy us, but our identity lies somewhere along the lines of indie and punk rock,” said Cayden.

He explained that their original songs often start as an outlet to express emotion and make listeners feel understood in their situations. “Life is tough when you’re a bit different and it’s a beautiful thing to feel known and seen,” concluded Cayden.

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