The Plastics channel their inner ghosts
Cape Town based retro-indie band, The Plastics, are showing no signs of slowing down after almost five years in the local music scene. Their two EPs (The Plastics in 2008 and Kiss The Plastics in 2009), two full length albums (Shark in 2010 and Pyramid in 2012), have certainly solidified their place in SA indie-rock but it is their regular tour schedule and gigs that have really given them longevity.
Their latest endeavour is releasing a short tour documentary titled The Friendly Ghosties Tour directed by Duran Levinson. The short follows the band while travelling and playing at different venues and festivals in and around South Africa.
It highlights their live gigs between 25-29 October 2013 at The Venue in Durban, Rumours in Johannesburg and at Park Acoustics in Pretoria. Here’s what the SAMA nominated band had to say about the tour and documentary:
Why did you decide to make a mini documentary?
We had the idea to let people out there get a little peak into our lives as a band on tour and show them what we see and experience (travelling, performing and partying!).
How did you put together the team?
The idea was conceived in conjunction with a good friend of ours, Duran Levinson, who is an up and coming film maker with a great eye and sense of style. We get along with him well so it was great to have him on tour with us and he captured some great natural moments as a result. He’d previously directed and edited our Occasional Lies video so we knew what he was capable of. Ben Rausch added the flourishes of animation from that video as well as the documentary so there’s a familiar feel.
What and Why were you guys attracted to using the idea of Ghosts?
The mystery and the name in equal measure.
And was the mini tour performing at Park Acoustics, Rumours and Live The Venue?
All three had their different flavours, coming from being in three different cities. Park Acoustics is some of the most fun you can have on a Sunday afternoon, Rumours was the kind of intimate, packed club gig we love playing. We love playing Live the Venue due to the amazing sound there and the support we get from Durban.
Were there any glitches during the performance?
I recall a couple of string breakages.
What was the craziest thing that happened on stage during the tour?
We wore skeleton costumes at the Rumours and Live shows… crazy!
What were the coolest moments on tour?
Hearing our fans singing our songs along with us is always a great sensation.
Were there any challenges?
Rumours was definitely the hottest I’ve ever felt during a show. It must have been 45 degrees and super humid in there. It was tough at first in there but, once you get used to it, you feel like you want to play on and on to push yourself!
How do you keep things fresh for yourself as live musicians?
We jam a lot together, even if it isn’t for the purpose of writing a song. The pure act of playing music together should be motivation enough to be in a band otherwise you shouldn’t be doing it.
You’re no longer newcomers, how do you guys maintain your signature vibe in this industry?
There’s no secret. Besides having the guts to follow through with your ideas and making sure you work with the right people. We’re the music guys but the video, design, etc needs to be done right by other people and luckily we know people with crazy skills.
How do you guys resolve internal band conflict or differing opinions?
We’re quite a democratic band so we like to talk things through. There’s some compromise involved with being in a tightly-linked group of four people and we’re mostly able to do that.
Are you working on some new material for 2014?
We’re busy with preproduction on some new songs at the moment. Where it will lead…we’ll see.
What can you reveal about the album so far?
It’s too early to say definitively but it’s likely to be a little bit different since Emile has joined our band on guitar so he’ll lend his unique style and feeling to it. It’s certainly not going to be unrecognisable from previous Plastics releases.
Other than the album, what is up your sleeves for the rest of the year?
New songs and a potential album is the focus at the moment. We’ll no doubt do a lot of touring the country as well as release some new videos along the way.
Check out the short documentary The Friendly Ghosties Tour below:
