If you are doing nothing on 9 May, then you had better get tickets to the Now Now Festival quickly. If you already have plans, change them. The line-up is the kind that doesn’t come around often, bringing together 1980s heavyweights The Human League and Blancmange with a lineup of South African artists guaranteed to rock the stage.
The debut event will take place at Marks Park in Johannesburg.
Human League
At the top of the bill are The Human League, one of the most commercially successful electronic groups to emerge from the 80s. Formed in Sheffield in the United Kingdom, the band achieved global recognition with their 1981 album Dare, which produced hits such as Don’t You Want Me, Love Action and Open Your Heart. Don’t You Want Me in particular remains one of the best-selling singles of its time, having reached number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
The group has continued to perform internationally, maintaining a presence on major stages decades after their initial success.
Blancmange
Joining them are Blancmange, who developed out of the same post-punk era but followed a more experimental route in their early work. Originally working with tape loops and unconventional sound sources, the band later moved into a more structured electronic sound that produced tracks including Living on the Ceiling, Blind Vision and Don’t Tell Me.
After a break of more than 25 years, the project was revived by band member Neil Arthur in 2011. Since then, Blancmange has released a steady run of albums, including Private View in 2022, reflecting continued studio work rather than a reliance on earlier material.
Prime Circle and Carstens will be on stage
The local line-up brings in artists with long-standing careers across the South African music industry.
Prime Circle, who recently celebrated a quarter of a century in the business, remain one of the country’s most recognised rock acts, with songs like She Always Gets What She Wants, Hello and Live This Life that everyone can sing along to.
Arno Carstens, known for his role as frontman of the Springbok Nude Girls and for his solo work, also features on the programme. His career has spanned several decades, with multiple album releases and kick-ass live performances that have established him as a regular presence on the South African festival circuit.
Absinthè, a collaborative project between Cito of Wonderboom and Paul E. Flynn of Sugardrive, rounds out the rock and roll. The duo perform reinterpretations of songs drawn from a wide range of international artists, including Joy Division, Depeche Mode and The Verve.
Their performances are typically more stripped down, focusing on arrangement and delivery rather than large-scale production. They are simply spectacular.
Outside of the Now Now Festival, The Human League and Blancmange are also scheduled to perform in Cape Town on 12 May at the Grand Arena at GrandWest.
