Metro Villa turn a challenging ask into a beautiful piece of art on their EP “Live at the Two Oceans Aquarium” – Texx and the City

When I conceptualised After Dark at the Two Oceans Aquarium, I hoped that the bands we’d book would see the performance area in front of the I&J Ocean Exhibit as a blank canvas of sorts. That they’d envision it as a space for them to step outside of their comfort zone and experiment with sonic tones and textures that they perhaps never thought of. 

When I conceptualised After Dark, I did it with bands like Metro Villa in mind. 

The four piece rock band, who’ve made a name for themselves on the Cape Town scene courtesy of their high energy live shows, saw After Dark as their opportunity to reimagine their songs acoustically and by doing so, delivered a thoughtfully-crafted, stripped down performance. They also filmed it and turned it into an EP because why wouldn’t you?

Opening with the alternative version of perhaps their best-known track, “Michelle” set the tone for a set that would explore themes of heartbreak, loss, depression and young love, and tap into the spirit of some classic MTV Unplugged vibrations.

Coinciding with bassist Damon Bendel’s 27th birthday, the evening was always going to be a memorable one, mimicked by the air in the room that was calm and concentrated. And when Bendel broke mid-set to talk about how much he wished his mom was alive to witness and celebrate this unique moment, before launching into a poignant rendition of “Passing Through”, there were some very clear sobs from the audience.  

Bringing Lost Youth’s Alanna Joy on for their last two songs added a fresh vocal dynamic, as she matched lead singer Cameron Jenkins’ energy perfectly for “Holy Place”, a tender ballad underpinned by a gentle, rolling drum line and “Dark Horse”, one of the more upbeat tracks of the night.

The music aside, when the turtles make an appearance during these shows they always get a rapturous reception. This night was was no different as “Bokkie” was super enthusiastic. You’d never say she had a stump for one of her front fins. Bokkie made a full recovery at TOA, after arriving with extensive injuries, and was released back into the ocean in October last year, and so to pay tribute to her feature in their live video, Metro Villa added her into the EP’s artwork. 

All-in-all, a real stand out body of work over the four yeas that we’ve hosted this series that’s more than worth your time.