Desmond and the Tutus on South Africa, live shows and a new album

They are quite optimistic about the state of the country, said indie rock band Desmond and the Tutus before their performance at Aandklas on Saturday night.

“I don’t think as a group we have ever been super pessimistic about the country,” said Craig Durrant, drummer of the band. “We’ve never thought that we wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.”

The three members of Desmond and the Tutus are (from left to right) Douglas Bower, Craig Durrant and Shane Durrant. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier

Douglas Bower, the band’s guitarist, agrees. “There are things that frustrate us and things we find appealing. It’s a beautiful country. It’s a place where I feel at home. If I were going to hate something, I hate discrimination. [I hate] when someone deserves to get a chance and they don’t,” he said.

The band also feels musically the country is “in a really good place”.

“I feel like the lines between genres and the clicks within the music industry are getting blurred. We were an indie rock band that only played to alternative white kids in Johannesburg, and now we’re playing all sorts of shows. It feels like the audiences are very loyal, they’re very open minded generally,” said Craig.

The three-man band, with third member, vocalist and Craig’s older brother Shane Durrant, lit up the popular Stellenbosch pub with one of their famously energetic performances.

The three members of the South African rock band introduced. PHOTOS & DESIGN: Grethe Bestbier

According to Shane, for a good live act “you’ve just got to lay it all out there.”

“When you go on a stage and people are staring at you, it’s not about music anymore. Not every audience is a very receptive audience. Sometimes you have to show them why they are there,” Douglas added.

Shane Durrant, lead singer of Desmond and the Tutus, having a moment with crowd at Aandklas. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier

According to concert goer Hein Joubert (24), a Mechanical Engineering Masters student at Stellenbosch University, the band certainly delivered.

“I like the funky rock and happy vibe [of the band],” he said. “What makes a good show for me is when the band enjoys themselves on stage. They (Desmond and the Tutus) are a band that places giving the fans a show above selling CDs.”

The crowd went wild for the band’s energetic performance on Saturday night the 19th of May at Aandklas. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier

Desmond and the Tutus hail from Pretoria and was formed in 2005. Three albums, one EP, many singles and a South African Music Award for Best Rock Album (2016) later, they are still playing festivals and gigs across South Africa.

When they started, said Douglas, the three of them “just really wanted to hang out with each other and needed an excuse [to do so]”.

When you go on a stage and people are staring at you, it’s not about music anymore.

Today, according to Craig, “it is like any other job” and “the most constant thing in their lives”. This is what keeps them going.

“When our job is going well then it motivates us to do our job better,” said Craig.

Craig Durrant plaeyd guitar and sang solo before the official Desmond and the Tutus show. Craig is the younger brother of Shane Durrant. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier

However, people have always told them to start thinking of something else to do. To this Douglas says, “Definitely not. This works.” It is not nearly the end of the road.

“When we were younger we said that maybe by the time we’re about 25 years old, we’ll give it (the band) up,” said Craig.

“Your age and your energy level and your efficiency as a band – I don’t think those are necessarily mutually exclusive constraints.  I think we are mature. We’re experienced,” added Douglas.

The band is currently working on a new album, which will be released “as soon as it’s good”, in six to 12 months’ time, according to Craig. – Grethe Bestbier