SOUTH CENTRAL #2

A few months ago, I wrote a post about South Central, an electro-rock band and two DJs from Brighton (UK), who began winning popularity through their fancy remixes and by supporting the drum-and-bass electro band, Pendulum, and then later this year, the electronic sensation, The Prodigy.

When I wrote this article, the band was barely known—well at least in France. Since then things have changed and their career has seemed to propel bit-by-bit as they are now currently supporting big-name electronic bands or DJing in clubs and many major European festivals.

As South Central is still unsigned, they have lots of expenses to deal with in order to support themselves. So DJing instead of performing as a live five-piece band is a better bet for them. It allows them to get their name out and become known, to widen their audience, and to try to catch the attention of professionals.

At the same time, South Central is actually recording their first LP, and is looking forward to going on tour with all the band members, performing together.

Thanks to my internship with a concert promoter company, I had the unique opportunity to spend a couple of days with the DJs of South Central (Rob & Keith), while they performed at Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats (Evreux) after their show at Solidays (Paris). During this time, I experienced the role of a “baby” tour manager; WOW, I felt like I was important!

It was a nice experience, both professionally and personally, in several ways.

First, as I am currently co-managing an indie rock band, which has just started to become quite famous in Paris, but still unknown outside of France’s capital, I am actually experiencing the hard part of trying to promote the band and get people to discover them, creating all the promotional and communication tools, PR, booking, developing, and so on. Everything has to be done on your own. And even if you strongly believe in them, support them, you don’t necessarily know that if one day the band will make it, allowing them to have a successful career, living off of their music!

South Central is in a more advanced stage in their career. Yet they still are not big stars, hard to reach living in the higher realms of the rock “statusphere”! They are quite well-respected by their peers and professionals. Their fan base is no longer limited to hometown fans and friends, but is now actually extended worldwide!

But the band is still looking to increase their fame and launch their young career for good, in order to finally perform as proper headliners. Even if they are not signed to a label yet, they have gotten far by way of auto-promotion via Facebook, MySpace and recently Twitter (not lots of tweets though!). They are surrounded by several professionals who believe in them, helping to spread their electro-rock music abroad.

Second, it was also really interesting and informative to be with them – even if it was quite short – to accompany them, meet their needs… I was quite surprised to see how independant and skilled they are. They do not need an entire crew of more or less important people around them. They have no roadies with them; they do everything on their own. They managed their sound-check in less than ten minutes (I think – it seemed really short compared to others!) This allowed them a few minutes to relax and have a cold beer before going on stage. No fuss, no muss!

This was quite a unique sight I was witnessing. I have actually met numerous well-known and big-named artists, but these guys are nothing like them. Most of the DJs that I have met are mostly shy and strange geeks that barely speak or look at you, profoundly stuck in their artistic world, trying to concentrate on their set performance and avoid stress (or any human forms of contact that could distract them). You know when you are around these kinds of artists that you should better run away from and not interrupt them. And if they are a little famous, gosh, it is almost impossible to have a nice conversation with them!

Nothing like that with Keith and Rob. No tense faces, no relaxing-breathing sessions, no high-strung traditions before the set. For them DJing seems easy as pie! And when they go on stage, it is like no big deal for them. They are already prepared to get the crowd jumping up and down. And it works!
Even the technicians backstage were going crazy by the band’s clever electro-rock remixes. Maybe that is because of their “easy going” attitude that allows them to meet the audience’s needs and make the difference.

You can clearly see that they enjoy it, that they have fun. Even more the chemistry between Keith & Rob is impressive!

While they left an exhausted crowd after a wild fifty minute set, the following artist, DATA, had the difficult task to keep the crowd going. However, I do not know if he finally succeeded as we left right after to close the night out by drinking and partying with guys from A Place To Bury Strangers, whom Keith and Rob were looking forward to attend the minute they arrived at the festival site, as they wanted to ask Oliver Ackerman (the guitarist) if he would accept to play in their new album. A nice way to make business around a nice and alcoholic-filled night!

Rob & Keith w/ guys from A Place To Bury Strangers

Third, this weekend was a complete success to me: it strengthened my desire to go on the road with a band as a tour manager, which is the most thrilling and exciting part of working in the music industry. Being close to the artist(s) you work with is exactly the way I imagined my work would be and furthered my desire to be and to do what I have dreamt of. So I am actually looking forward to complete my current internship with a tour manager training in order to go on tour with a band later this year before trying my luck in music industry in the UK.

And last but not least, this weekend was a pure blast thanks to Rob and Keith who are just two adorable, sweet, entertaining and funny… regular guys!

I had a great time with them and even if we are all normally shy, we tried our best to by-pass the awkward silences that occurred between complete strangers who had just met, to just enjoy the short time we were spending together. It was a really lovely meeting them and I will be glad to meet and work with them again. These guys are wicked!

I also would like to thank Antoine, Guillaume & Baptiste who managed everything to allow me to meet South Central!

 

In the meantime, you can still go and see South Central DJs on stage:

- July 28th, Ibiza Rocks - San Antonio
- Sept 11th, Razzmatazz - Barcelona
- Sept 12th, Grand Mix - Turcoing
- Sept 26th, Marsatac - Marseille
- Oct 30th, Social Club - Paris
- Dec 5th, Transmusicales - Rennes

And keep an eye out for these guys because they are definitely going to be huge soon!

More info about the band
www.myspace.com/southcentralmusic

 

Until they launched their new album, you can still listen to their previous tracks here:

Nothing Can Go Wrong - South Central

Golden Dawn - South Central


Ergot Il Dente Del Lupo - South Central