About this episode
The episode reflects on the experience of performing in a grunge band in the 1990s, comparing it to the current music scene.
Life in a ‘90s Grunge Band. Comparing the music world of 1996 to 2026. It’s 9pm. Friday night. December 20th, 1996. Cape Town, South Africa. I walk out on stage. The air is thick with smoke from the fog machine and cigarettes, and probably something else too. A bright spotlight is in my face. The light’s hot. The weather’s hot. That middle-of-an-African-summer kinda hot. All I can see beyond the spotlight is a sea of people. The venue is sold out. In fact, it’s probably over capacity. We’re opening for South Africa’s biggest rock band, Springbok Nude Girls, who’d just signed a major label deal with Sony. But my band ROYD wasn’t far behind them, all thanks to the support of legendary DJ Barney Simon, who hosted the only rock show on national radio. His heavy rotation of our debut single led to it climbing up the national rock chart until it reached No. 1 just a few weeks before. To get there, we beat out Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. Recalling this makes it feel like a distant dream, but it was in fact, reality. And I was only a teenager. This was truly a dream come true. The roar of the crowd intensifies with every step I take towards the microphone. I swing my long hair to the…
People in this episode
Host: Ray Harmony
Topics covered
- 1990s music scene
- grunge music
- live performances
- South African rock
- music history
- band experiences
Keywords
- grunge band
- 1996
- live concert
- South Africa
- rock music
- Nirvana
- Smashing Pumpkins
- Barney Simon
- Impression X
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Springbok Nude Girls, Sony, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins
Books & works: Impression X
Places: Cape Town, South Africa
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