Homegrown band, Gangs of Ballet has just released a new album called Form & Function, Part 1. The Durban-based band is comprised of three talented musicians and friends. GLAMOUR got to sit down with Brad, Josh and Jonathan over a cup of coffee to talk music, German art movements and the best way to cook a chicken.
GLAMOUR: What’s the inspiration behind your new album,
Brad: I’m not sure there was a particular inspiration or theme behind the songs, but as a band we recently went through a whole bunch of changes which shaped the direction of the album. One of our band members left, which was a bit of a blow, but we needed to move on. With Hardus leaving we were forced to change our sound. I think the process was the same but suddenly you’re missing an ingredient for what you’re making, so naturally stuff changed. A lot of what you’ll hear in the album is the result of us coping and trying to do four people’s job with three people.
GLAMOUR: What’s the general sound of the album?
Brad: The sound has come from a place of us needing to survive as a three piece, producing and generating the same sound we started with. So we’ve put a lot more electronic things; we’ve split up samplers and triggering vocal loops and chords and beats… There are lots of other little thing going on that makes it really fun musically. We’ve got a lot of new gear to compensate for being a man down and we’ve been trying new things. I think all these things combined have contributed to the new sound.
GLAMOUR: The title is of the album is pretty interesting, where did it come from?
Brad: It was inspired by the Bauhaus art movement, which was basically the beginning of what we understand as modern day design. One of the principles is that form follows function, for example a table has a purpose or function, but it can also look beautiful in its form. Around the same time that Hardus left, I stumbled upon the Bauhaus movement. I was interested and decided to do a bit of research. It resonated with us because it’s sort of a reinvention and reimagining of what everyday stuff is like, and we were going through the same thing.
GLAMOUR: What makes this release special to you guys?
Jon: This our first release as a three piece which is pretty special, we’re also doing three albums under the Form & Function title, which is different for us. We’re going to try to release one every six months. We’ll be going back into studio at the end of January to put down the new stuff. We’ve left it quite open ended; so we don’t know how many songs will be on the next one or the following one. It’s quite a unique release for us.
GLAMOUR: What’s your guys’ favourite song off the new album?
Josh: My personal favourite is Seven, I think it’s pretty different for us and I like how it came out.
Jon: There’s a song called Nylon, and I really enjoyed what Brad did with his vocals. It was quite different to what we had done before. It pushed us into doing something different, which is really cool and exciting.
Brad: I really like Always, but I think Ageless is one of our biggest songs. It’s got a lot of swag in it and it’s really fun to play.
GLAMOUR: What’s been the highlight of your careers so far?
Jon: Opening for One Republic was quite a biggie. It’s been our dream for some time to open for a big international act in South Africa, and the experience was so surreal. I had a really good time, but I feel like it all went to quickly!
Josh: About a year ago we got to do a show with a 50 piece orchestra in Durban. That was quite a high! The gig was at the Botanic Gardens, and it was the first time they had ever sold out.
Brad: Yeah, that was such a bucket list show! It was on Valentine’s Day, the orchestra was amazing and a guy even proposed on stage!
GLAMOUR: What other artists inspire you?
Brad: Lately we’ve all been listening to a much wider range of music than we usually do. We grew up listening to Radiohead and that kind of vibe, and now we’re into guys like James Blake and Jack Garratt. I’ve started listening to musicians that I would never listen to before. So I think that musically we’re looking up to a lot of different musicians, the music industry is so broad at the moment. In the album, there are some tracks that definitely have their own sound and feel. And there are some where you can probably feel the influences of a wide range of musicians.
GLAMOUR: What’s currently in your playlist?
Jon: Jack Garratt, James Blake and D’Angelo is on there too.
Josh: Mine’s a bit weird. I listen to Blink 182, Jarryd James and Snarky Puppy, which is a heavy jazz band.
Brad: I listen to a band called Everything Everything. They were in South Africa a while back, and they played at Synergy in front of hardly anyone. It was such a shame because we were blown away by them. I immediately got their album and love it.
GLAMOUR: If you could collaborate with any band or artist who would it be?
Brad: Kimbra, she’s an exceptional musician and she’s got really good pipes. I think it would be a cool collab for us.
GLAMOUR: How did you guys come up with the name Gangs of Ballet?
Jon: We were chilling up in Johannesburg with some mates one night, just talking rubbish. One of the people there was a professional ballerina, and she was talking about how hectic the industry is. It’s pretty cut throat, and the things people do to get to the top are intense. It almost sounded like they were rolling around in gangs, like ballet gangs. We thought it sounded like a good band name, and then we started a band and used it.
GLAMOUR: Favourite food?
Jon: Pizza.
Brad: Lemon and herb chicken done on the Weber.
Josh: Steak. Medium rare, 300g.
GLAMOUR: Dream destination?
Josh: Japan, would be a good one.
Brad: A ‘boat-surf trip’ to an island. Or a snowboarding trip.
Jon: Disneyland for sure!
GLAMOUR: Favourite city?
Brad: Durban. Our lifestyle allows us to see so much of South Africa, but every time we get back to Durban, it feels like home. If I could sum Durban up in one word, it would be consistent. Consistent people, weather, traffic, everything.
GLAMOUR: What can we expect from you guys in the future?
Brad: Hopefully we’ll get overseas, that’s the dream you know. In the immediate future, we’re doing a summer tour with the Parlotones. It’s a huge coastal tour, at big outdoor venues, and it will run up until New Year’s basically.
Make sure you grab a copy of Gangs of Ballet’s latest album, Form & Function, Part 1 in stores. Or download the album here.
To stay up to date with everything going on in South Africa, keep your eye on our GLAM Guides.
