Written by Ian Gourley
“She comes around like a wildfire
And like a moth drawn to a flame
I’m on my way to being burned up, once again
And I’ve been through this before
Oh, a hundred times or more
And she keeps me coming back
What am I waiting for?”
You’re probably humming the tune in your head right now, right? You are, aren’t you?
That’s because you’ve heard it so many times on the radio, at parties, hell, you may have even watched Ross Learmonth perform this live with Prime Circle and belted the lyrics out at the top of your voice… a lot of us have.
Do you know Ross? I mean more than “yeah…the guy from Prime Circle right?”.
Do you know why he wrote that song? How did it come about? Was it a bolt of inspiration or was it a 5-year slog that he laboured with while living abroad? (It was neither).
Beneath the Chords is a new format that blends a dinner, live music, stunning venues and most importantly, the storytelling aspect of what lies behind the music, into a unique experience that delivers on so many levels.
Artists such as Ross Learmonth (Prime Circle), Ard Mathews (Just Jinjer), Zolani (Freshly Ground), Francois Van Coke (Fokofpolisiekar), Arno Carstens (Springbok Nude Girls) and more have already participated in events at various venues around Durban and the line up keeps growing.
The response has been fantastic from both the artists and the audience alike.
The evenings are unscripted and based on one question…” What are the stories beneath the chords?”
How artists respond is entirely up to them and the limited audience size (+_80) makes for some intimate moments that bond artist and audience in a way that big shows can never do.
We’ve heard multiple audience members leave saying I arrived feeling like an audience member and left feeling like a friend of the artist.
We’ve had multiple artists say they feel more anxious performing to such a small audience.
”It’s been years since I’ve been so close to an audience that I can see the whites of their eyes”.
It really is that close, like they are at your table.
In one instance, an artist got quite tearful on stage when sharing a personal aspect of their life that they had never shared before, ever. If you were there, lucky you… it was a special moment, and the shows are full of them.
The format is still relatively new and the BTC team is constantly exploring new ways to make the total experience even more unique, engaging and memorable.
There are plans on the table to add an element of music industry support where these giants of the SA music industry use the BTC format to bring in new talent and help them share their stories at the early stages of their careers.
Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Quite simply, we are a bunch of people who love music and have created something that allows us to connect in a much deeper way.
Come with us as we meet the artist, hear their stories and go beneath the chords.
Tickets available on Quicket
- Ross Learmonth @ The Pencil – 13th October
- Ross Learmonth @ Bona Terra Cafe – 15th October