What is a Band?
A group of people who come together to play music.
Top Bands In South Africa
1. Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord is one of the most recognized South African bands globally, among lovers of hip hop.
The band came into existence in 2008 in Cape Town and was formed by the duo of Watkin Tudor Jones, better known as Ninja, and Yolandi Visser, both of whose image revolves around the Zef movement. Other members are HITEK5000 (formerly known as DJ Hi-Tek and God) and Lil2Hood
2. Mafikizolo
Mafikizolo is one of the most interesting musical bands in South Africa. Known for its kwaito genre, the group was started in the 1990s by Tebogo Madingoane, Theo Kgosinkwe, and Nhlanhla Nciza, all of whom knew each other since childhood.
Unfortunately, the group was visited by tragedy in 2004 following the death of Tebogo Madingoane, who was killed in a road rage shooting.
3. Freshly Ground
Freshly Ground is an Afro-fusion band that gained fame in both the country and other parts of the world, for many songs, including the official 2010 FIFA World Cup theme song, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), in which it was featured by Shakira.
The band was first formed in Cape Town in 2002 by musicians from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. It has Zolani Mahola as the lead vocalist while other members are Julio “Gugs” Sigauque, the lead guitarist, Josh Hawks (bassist), Peter Cohen (drummer), and Simon Attwell, who also doubles as the manager of the band.
4. The Narrow
In 2002, South African musicians, Emile, Sid, Jow Feldtmann, and Nelius de Lange came together to form the hard rock band, The Narrow. Hanu de Jong later joined, and then in 2003, Deon Kruger came to replace Sid after he left the group.
Since it was formed, the band has released a total of 6 albums, including Dream of Perelandra in 2017, 3 LPs, and 2 compilation albums.
5. Ladysmith Black Mambazo
In the international scene, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is one of the most popular and successful South African bands. The male choral group was formed in 1960 and has continued to evolve through the years, while also remaining relevant in the Isicathamiya and Mbube music scenes.
The band was formed by Joseph Shabalala after he claimed to have had a series of dreams where he heard some isicathamiya harmonies. The band first started performing at local ceremonies, including marriages and other events.
6. aKING
Only formed in 2007, this is yet one of the South African bands that have set the mark in the music community. The melodic rock band was formed in Cape Town by Hunter Kennedy and Jaco ‘Snakehead’ Venter, who were also members of yet another rock band, Fokofpolisiekar.
The other members of the band are Laudo Liebenberg (vocals), Andrew Davenport (2010), and Hennie van Halen (bass guitar), although Hunter has since left. The band has four albums thus far, and an LP.
7. Goldfish
This electronic band was formed in 2004 by the duo of Dominic Peters and David Poole in Cape Town. The duo, who are best known by their fans as The Fishes, first met while they were studying at the University of Cape Town, and since then, they have continued working on their music together, first as Jazz musicians.
They later experimented with electronic music and got a good response from close friends and family members, making them stick to the genre even more.
8. Mango Groove
Among most other popular South African bands, the Mango Groove has been there for quite a while. It was first formed in 1984 in Johannesburg by John Leyden, Andy Craggs, and Bertrand Mouton all of whom first met at the University of the Witwatersrand and “Big Voice” Jack Lerole.
As the group continued to evolve, it was only Leyden that remained a member among the founders. Many more people joined along the way and then left with only 11 members now remaining.
9. Prime Circle
You cannot boast of being a fan of rock in South Africa without knowing Prime Circle, a band that has received so much praise through the years, both in the country and in other parts of the world. What makes the band a must-have on any list of the best and most popular South African bands is how fast it rose from its formation to gaining recognition and acceptance.
The band was formed in 2001, and in the next year, this band, which is today referred to as rock royalty in the country, released its debut album, Hello Crazy World, in 2002.
10. Four Jacks and a Jill
Among other South African bands, Four Jacks and a Jill may be one of the oldest, but it is still respected to date. The band was first formed in 1964 first as The Nevdas and then The Zombies before settling with its current name.
It was originally founded by Clive Harding, Glenys Lynne Mynott/Harding, Tony Hughes/Rouse, Bruce Bark, and Keith Andrews. Since then, more members have joined and left before it formally disbanded in the 1980s.