Gig Report: Uncle Mothers heats up mid-winter Joburg with Ruff Majik and Yndian Mynah

Yndian Mynah at the Uncle Mothers Human Music show at The Irish in Linden on 01/07/2022. Photo by Arnold Manda.

Having taken a brief hiatus during the lockdown period, Uncle Mothers is currently running their Human Music series of shows at The Irish in Linden.

By Natalie Murfin. Photos by Arnold Manda.

Listen. It’s cold here in Joburg. If any of you Durban people try to disagree, we will have to ban you. Everyone else is on the struggle bus. 

And that’s why, on Friday night, it was going to take a lot to peel me out of the warm embrace of my dressing gown, put on something resembling a human suit, and head out into the blistering northern Johannesburg tundra. Thankfully, Uncle Mothers, featuring Yndian Mynah from Cape Town and Ruff Majik from space (probably, via Pretoria), was a lot. 

If you’re familiar with alternative music in Gauteng, you’ve likely been to an Uncle Mothers show. The event organisers, headed up by Klaas van der Walt, have some of the same members from Bobejaan back in the day and they maintain a solid commitment to high-quality, DIY shows in the central Joburg area. 

“Starting off the night were the guys from Ruff Majik. They emerged back in their home province after a month on the road, slap-bang in the middle of a monstrous two-month cross-country tour still trundling along on sheer force of heavy metal and jol power alone.”

Their gigs are always well attended, incredibly mixed, and accompanied by consistently good flyers. If you’d like to bump into half the people you know and a solid contingent of those you’d like to, your monthly trip to The Irish in Linden should scratch that itch. 

Having taken a brief hiatus during the lockdown period, Uncle Mothers is currently running their Human Music series of shows. The season kicked off in May with appearances from Jacques Moolman and Painted Flowers and will be running monthly until September. Expect tight two-band sets and a lot more people pulling off much nicer outfits than you can, effortlessly. 

Starting off the night were the guys from Ruff Majik. They emerged back in their home province after a month on the road, slap-bang in the middle of a monstrous two-month cross-country tour still trundling along on sheer force of heavy metal and jol power alone. They’re stopping off in large cities and small towns alike, be sure to give them a follow on @ruffmajik to see if they’re bringing their unique brand of neon chaos through your space anytime soon. 

“There’s plenty of crowd diving and long hair, and if you concentrate REALLY hard, Ruff Majik shows can make you feel like you’re back at a dive bar boogie before we all got to see what people are like on the internet.”

The four-piece sludge rock outfit plays a fuzzy, psychedelic blend of pure fun and heavy riffs that gets crowds heaving and beers spilled, but they’re also adept at grooving into more delicate melodies in between the madness. There’s plenty of crowd diving and long hair, and if you concentrate REALLY hard, Ruff Majik shows can make you feel like you’re back at a dive bar boogie before we all got to see what people are like on the internet. I left the pit sweating, and not entirely because I erroneously chose to wear leather pants to a party again. 

Yndian Mynah. Photo by Arnold Manda.

Next up on the bill were Yndian Mynah, a four-piece instrumental post-rock band from where people hike on first dates – Cape Town. Having released their newest single, Follow The Dots, that day (which you can and should stream here), their expansive sound filled the venue more than I’ve seen a Lions vs. Stormers game do. 

And, when not filled with bristling young things, the Irish is solidly a Linden local, so that’s not a feat to scoff at. Their prog sensibility is nicely balanced with psychedelic and cinematic elements that make it not only possible but enjoyable for The Whitest Person Alive (me) to squeak takkie in 5/7. 

“Yndian Mynah had a markedly different energy to the preceding band, but a very welcomed one, this band’s sound isn’t easy to succinctly describe unless you truly understand what guitar pedals do. I’d suggest you give their newest single a stream to experience what they’re playing. Seriously.”

This is not frequently the case. A markedly different energy to the preceding band, but a very welcomed one, this band’s sound isn’t easy to succinctly describe unless you truly understand what guitar pedals do. I’d suggest you give their newest single a stream to experience what they’re playing. Seriously. The link is right there. Click on it. Dude. 

In short – we came, we saw, we wore an ostentatious jacket to watch some lekker rock and roll in a well-thought-out format, and we went home full of endorphins and a not negligible amount of gin. Uncle Mothers curates shows that span diverse genres, but with artists whose work complements one another in tone and motif. 

Go to The Irish Club on the first (sometimes second) Friday of every month until September. You’re going to meet some interesting people, get down to some local talent, and find a pretty accurate cross-section of where relevant South African alternative music is going. You might also not be so cold in a room packed with people as stoked as you are. 

Here are the upcoming Uncle Mothers Human Music dates: 

12 August: 

Retro Dizzy

Double Sun

2 September: 

Dangerfields

The Klubs

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