Their debut album was straight out of the black swan theory, but with their new offering, Gangs of Ballet cement their effect on audiences, writes Helen Herimbi
Gangs of Ballet enjoyed huge success following the release of their first album, yes/no/grey, in 2013. The rock band was nominated for several awards and took home the Best Alternative title at last year’s MTV Africa Music Awards. This was only two years after they had embarked on a professional career in music.
“You go through a whole bunch of emotions,” says keyboardist, Jonathan “Jono” Rich. “There are high fives, you can’t believe it and you’re smiling from ear-to-ear. But along the line it’s like, did we deserve that? We’re really honoured that the guys acknowledged us.”
Comprising Rich, Brad Klynsmith (lead singer and electric guitar), Hardus de Beer (bass guitar) and Josh Klynsmith (drums), Gangs of Ballet’s hype was well-deserved.
But when I meet up with them just outside the Universal Music studio where they recorded their new EP, Form and Function Part 1, the quartet is now a trio that wasn’t too sure about their success.
With De Beer having left the band to pursue other business interests, Brad admits they had to quickly figure out the next phase of their career.
He tells me: “yes/no/grey dropped nearly two years ago. Before that, the plan was to drop an album, tour and earn new fans.
“Then we got to the end of that and thought, ‘we need to start thinking about the next step’. And then H (De Beer) left.”
He looks at Rich and continues: “Without a bassist, we were forced to try and reinvent ourselves. With Jono now playing bass and keys, we have also had to reimagine our new stations. We had to dig deep. This EP only has six songs, but we wrote 40 to get to this point. But at least that means we have songs that can go into the next EP.”
That EP as well as the currently available one will form a second album that the band is releasing as a trio of EPs. The project, which was produced by Denholm Harding was, as Brad explains, inspired by the Bauhaus art movement “where I understood that form follows function, which resonated with us as we were reinventing ourselves”.
Their anthemic lead single, Always, has been climbing up radio charts and is but one of the styles the band explores as part of their brand DNA. “Josh was like: ‘I have this tune,’” remembers Brad, “and he’d written this groove under it. I’d had this Always hook in mind and it all came together quite quickly. Which is weird because we usually have to fight for songs.
“But it’s romantic and idealistic because I got married last year and Josh got married in May so the eternal commitment theme was abounding. Everyone is looking for that special connection and you don’t realise that you, too, get chosen,” muses Brad.
Another strand is neo-soul which is found in the beautiful Nylon, which sees Brad’s voice brilliantly rest on the precipice between triumphant and torn.
Named so because it was written on a nylon-string guitar, this was one of the songs that the band didn’t think would be single-worthy. With lyrics like I’ve been waiting for the world to stop playing games with me and I’m not scared of monsters, I’m just scared of myself, there’s a definite dark poetry about it.
“We didn’t have to tick any boxes with Nylon,” says Brad. “It was the most honest song and the most stripped away.
“I enjoyed recording it because it allowed us to flex a different muscle as a band and me as a singer.”
Just then, his brother, Josh, who is the most quiet of the trio, speaks up.
“We were referencing D’Angelo,” he grins. “It was difficult for us, but we tried to not sound too white.”
Gangs of Ballet’s “whiteness” hasn’t been a handicap so far. In fact, as if a nod to their debut album, this band tends to stray into the greys. They leave lyrics open for interpretation and aren’t afraid to appear vulnerable and therefore, human.
Let’s hope part 2 of the trilogy of EPs will continue in this vein.
Gangs of Ballet’s Form and Function Part 1 is available on iTunes. Follow @gangsofballet to keep up with them.