I had heard a lot about Die Antwoord but nothing ever substantial enough to even have a clue of what they were all about. So in the name of new things, I decided to go check them out at the Alexander Theatre in Braamfie last Saturday night. TJO! What a culture shock! (And no pun intended!) The place was packed to capacity mostly with tipsy 20-somethings wearing their “white trash” regalia with words like “rich bitch” “love hate” “666” mascara’d onto various parts of their bodies. 

The excitement was so tangible it reminded me of when we were waiting for Jay Z to come onto stage. It was pretty much like the return of the messiah but this time around everybody had learned his teachings. When the 3 man band finally got on stage, the crowd went BERSERK!!! They started chanting “my ma se kind”, “awee”, “hos” and other such phrases I’ve only ever heard at the “Coloured Party” at Roxies. The chorus “Jou ma se poes in a fish paste jar” made the crowd go buck wild! I am personally very attached to “Enter The Ninja”

In a country that is so racially segregated still, it was quite a sight to see. That said, I am not even sure if many in the crowd knew the origins of these phrases (we’d have to do a survey and see about that…) 

That said, Die Antwoord, as one would expect with anything that comes from Waddy Jones (who now goes by the name “Ninja”!), make good music and are excellent performers. I could not make out most of the lyrics and had to rely on a friend to translate, but despite being completely unfamiliar with the music, I was rocked to the core. The mix of crunk like rap and those famous South African rave like sounds make for an awesome performance. The diminutive Yolandi, and her feisty shrieks, is delightful.

I think the point of art is to turn forms on their head, change meaning, challenge social norms, make people think, take the piss, MAKE THEM CRINGE (or just make them chant to your lyrics in a drunken stupor). Either way, Die Antwoord do just that. It seems to be just the next subculture in a line of the dude’s many re-inventions – nothing more, nothing less. 

Like my wise friend said: “Make the circle beeeega!” And the circle, it seems, is becoming beeega and beega…

In other totally related news, the Alexander Theatre is an awesome venue for a party, 206 Productions really know how to throw it down well and DJ Romz Deluxe kicked ass!!