Thursday, July 17, 2014

Band Review: Satanic Dagga Orgy

 The weekly column on South African bands and live shows.
 by Omri Ismail Cassiem
This week: Satanic Dagga Orgy




In a world where political correctness is the name of the game, where certain words and terms are taboo, I present you with a band that really stands out like a massive middle finger to societal norms, stepping on toes with every step and making you laugh the entire time: The Satanic Dagga Orgy. My first impression was… They don’t have a drummer? Then I realized that all of their instruments were acoustic. Not what the name implies I guess. 

These guys are a music collective with a massive amount of eclectic sounds including a xylophone, tambourine, harmonica and kazoo. They completely surprised me as I was expecting a solid death metal band with an entire string of animal rights violations behind their name. Instead, what I got was a folk band who had incredibly astute social commentary hidden in a web of hilarious lyrics. When they present such gems as “Better pray while you can because God will fuck you up” and (while singing about their love of Johannesburg) “Can’t see my neighbors because they live in forts,” they are spot on. 

The first thing I noticed, (taking you back to the top here), was no drummer. But they had a box that makes different percussive sounds when hit at different places. And when that isn’t out of the ordinary enough the entire stage becomes an instrument for percussion. They really do have a very full sound with their complement of instruments and vocal harmonies. They will also make you laugh so hard you will cry a little; I know that because I have some tears on my notepad. 

I smoked a joint with them after the show… Uh, excuse me, I mean drugs are bad and you should not use them, especially when you are doing your jobs! During the “interview” I found out that their main driving force was to not take themselves too seriously. I love that motivation, and it really seems to be working for them. The music that they make is incredibly well constructed folk music, although during the first few listens this fact is very much overwhelmed by the provocative lyrics. 



My final recommendation to you is, if you like your bands funny, these guys are a good bet. Their shows play more like stand-up sets rather than folk gigs, so fun will definitely be a part of the night. 

If you have any band you would like me to review, please feel free to email me at omri@culturecrit.com with details of the band. Also feel free to email me about just about anything except Nigerian Princesses who need R250 000 to be rescued. 

Oh and as always follow me on twitter for more information about the music scene. @Omri_Cassiem