THE BLUE Dolphin last Thursday night was a mini gold mine of raw Durban talent. A cute-as-dew-drops duo, Symmetry (pictured), were really impressive. They are Gavin Ferguson on guitar and vocals and Steffnie Perlman on vocals.
They met about four months ago at the Splashy Fen Battle of the Bands gig held at Live – The Venue. Ferguson had entered with a bassist and a bongo drummer.
“I knew I wasn’t going to win,” he laughs.
“Yeah, and I didn’t even watch him,” says the blonde, brown-eyed Perlman.
They decided to form a duo, working on mostly covers for corporates, but also on their own compositions. This was after they did an open mic session together and had such fun that they decided to take it further.
It is early days yet, but the two are determined to make it. While Ferguson’s background is soul, Perlman prefers her alternative rock.
The result of these influences, surprisingly, is a commercial country side to their original music. At the moment, they are both full-time musicians and agree that, for now, covers pay the bills. Attending another open mic session with them at Beach Bums in Mdloti, they impressed so much that they picked up another two gigs.
Their package is perfect for corporates. They don’t play to backing tapes and they reinterpret classics from Johnny Cash, (which Perlman does to female perfection) to Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and ballads like Christina Aguilera’s Say Something is unique. Perlman’s obvious beauty and Ferguson’s stage confidence and easy repartee with the audience, plus their chemistry, is a winning formula.
This is also evident in the number of gigs they have booked this month. On Friday they will be at Station Masters in Hillcrest. They’ll return to Blue Dolphin on Saturday night and then play Beach Bums again on Sunday.
On July 25 they will play what is probably their biggest concert to date, Litchi Orchard at Salt Rock. Symmetry will be at Corner Café on July 26 from noon to 2pm. They will play the Taste of Durban Festival on July 27. Find them on Facebook.