The rooftop of the Ikhaya Backpackers was the place to be last night as nearly a hundred-people gathered to hear local band UNCLE SPIKE debut their first studio album, I In the Sky.
With a cool breeze in the air, and the Stellenbosch mountains providing a stunning backdrop, it was hard not to be excited for what lay in store.
The evening began with an unplugged performance from the band, led by the haunting vocals of lead singer Francois Van Wyk (21), as well as the smooth flow of rapper and bassist Paul Twekye (20).
It was easy to see why the band has become so popular so quickly, as their charisma and charm were evident in their casual yet polished performance.
A unique feature of the 7-piece band is that they perform their songs in both English and Afrikaans, mixing reggae, blues and rock into a formula that is hard to pin down into a single genre.
This freedom allows the band to be as creative with their music as they want and is part of the reason they continue to grow and mature so quickly.
The unplugged performance was followed by the unveiling of their new 11-track album which was played in its entirety for the first time in public.
Part of what makes this album so special, according to the band, is that it was not only recorded in a studio setting, but rather in a variety of places, including Struisbaai, Ceres, Stellenbosch and Cape Town.
The variety of recording locations can be heard in the album, with each song sounding slightly different to the next, but this only adds to the allure.
“It’s kind of a milestone for the band seeing as we started with such humble beginnings and I think we’ve come very far,” said Chris Njapha (20), who plays the Cello in the band.
“It’s something to show for our work, as the process of putting it together was very hectic, but it’s very rewarding in the end.”
People sat spellbound on the mattresses strewn across the floor as the music resonated through them, with some of the highlights of the album being the songs “Hou net vas”, a song written by lead singer Francois Van Wyk for the Wilgenhof Ser, and “Dinner with the Killer”, a song written in honour of a friend of the band, Siraaj Arend, who survived a fall from the third floor of Wilgenhof.
“It takes long to deliver a product like this, but I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life for sure,” said P.B. Bernard, who plays rhythm guitar in the band and whose birthday happened to coincide with the album release.
The evening ended with the band unveiling their first music video for their song “ERXN” which, although slightly controversial, was surprisingly well-made and highly entertaining.
“It’s been blood, sweat, and tears, but it’s finally done and I hope everyone appreciates it,” said Paul Twekye, whose rap verses form an integral part of the music video.
As the evening drew to a close and people started to head for the exit, the lights went out, revealing all the stars in the night sky above us. One could not think of a more perfect way to end the launch party of an album titled I in the Sky.