The #FutureMusic series is a collaboration between British Council Connect ZA and Live Magazine SA. In 2013 both Johannesburg and Cape Town have played host to unique monthly mini-tours where UK acts share the line-up with local underground bands, DJs and performers. For the final of the #FutureMusic shows of 2013, British Council Connect ZA and Live Magazine SA have teamed up with the Roundhouse (UK) for #FutureMusic Rising! For more information about the Cape Town #FutureMusic Rising event on Saturday 9 November, visit our Facebook event page.

#FutureMusic Rising Nominee: Bateleur

Bateleur, a six-piece instrumental band based in Cape Town, is one of the six acts short-listed for the #FutureMusic Rising competition. LIVE had a short chat with the dudes about how they named their band after a bird and how they have a vocalist but not a lyricist among other interesting stuff. This is how it went.

LIVE: Why did you choose to name your band after a bird?
Bateleur: We didn’t name the band after the bird. Rather, we named it after the word. We found some interesting meanings though; tight-rope walker, street musician, tarot card and, of course, the eagle – recently downgraded to a scavenger, which is much less glamorous.

LIVE: Please explain the type of music you guys do.
Bateleur: Our music is derived from a variety of subjective influences, so it’s difficult to encapsulate the sound in terms of genre. We make music for journeys, for not being sure why feeling uncomfortable can feel so right, for running in slow motion, for looking, for smiling, for anything, really. Except for twerking.

LIVE: Why don’t you guys have a vocalist in your band?
Bateleur: We have vocalists just not lyricists. It was never a conscious decision to leave vocals out of the band, it’s just that none of the songs have really called for lyrics. But we do have a fair amount of crooning, and we’re not opposed to using more vocals at a later stage.

LIVE: What has been the band’s biggest highlight thus far?
Bateleur: Realising that our guitarist’s cousin went to Herlzia with the sister of Yannis Phillipakkis from Foals, after playing with them in Malawi. Or something like that. Playing on the rooftop of the Lister building in Johannesburg. Our EP launch last year, where almost 800 people came to Zula and the walls shook. Being the first band ever to book John Wizards. Watching everyone grow. Tying a cryogenic-ally frozen bumblebee to a string, only to have it regain life so we could take it for a walk.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bateleurband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BateleurBand
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/bateleur