Sludge Underground Podcast

This year Marcel was back at Ramfest, now rebranded as The Halloween Party 2026.

Why the rebrand? Could it be hinting to a return of a fully realized Ramfest in the future?

This year the team brought through emo legends Silverstein through to South Africa supported by one of the most competitive local lineups we've ever seen. 

A feast of Punk, Rock, Metalcore, Deathcore, and Ska, there was a little bit of evertything no matter your taste in alternative music. Featuring bands like:
Worms
Daisy Arson
Man As Machine 
Middle Grounds
Fuzigish
Your Cynical Sanity
The Tazers
Walk These Skies
Ruff Majik
Human Nebula
PHfat
Doomtrigger

lastly international headliners: Silverstein

What was your favourite experience at Halloween Party PTA? Who was your favourite band? let us know in the comments!

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The South African underground has been crazy busy this month, between bands, organizers, and foundations, we're covering a big chunk of it in this months GroundUp! 

Looking at upcoming events we have Reverberate hosting a great alternative to RAM Halloween in Durban featuring Some of the old legends of The Winston including Mouse, Taekwando Sleepover, and Heat Deth, as well as some of Durbans new up and comers like Pink Slip, Nine Refrain, And Ava

The Halloween event of the year is upon us in PTA featuring the legends Silverstein making their first ever appearance in South Africa along with a stacked lineup of local bands including, Your Cynical Sanity, Walk These Skies, Worms, Daisy Arson, Ruff Majik, Middle Grounds, and so many more!

Marcel got to catch Whitecollar's second ever gig at Rumours Lounge checking out the latest Nu-metal Offering in the alt scene. He also got to experience the Drunk Wizard Album launch, a Psych punk band he's been watching very closely. 

Nas and Marcel touch on some important aspects surrounding awareness in the music industry including a conference hosted by the Black Coffee Foundation that is set to cover some of the most important parts of working within the South African Music Industry.

Unfortunately we do also cover two tragic losses within the alternative community this month. Denton who was the videographer for Half Price has tragically passed away and the band has put out a call for aid in the form of a Back-a-Buddy to assit in helping his family with any costs involved. 

The scene also mourns the loss of Liam Lynch, whose impact across the wider industry was profound and who was clearly beloved by all who interacted with him. 

The boys cover releases from Your Cynical Sanity, Hundred Arrows, Bcom, Drunk Wizard, Surdus, Internet Girl, as well as Southern Wild.

In other news we finally got the Lineup drops for ALT Fest happening next year with the organizers announcing HEAVY hitters from both the metal and DNB sides. Metal band Filth are set to make their first ever appearance in South Africa Alongside Drum and bass artist Delta Heavy. 

Support Denton's Backabuddy:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/denton-carstens?fbclid=IwY2xjawVOlNZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMVNMZGJJZWZIQUNLUDdOdDZzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeOwIR6cw3yn-MXcHEFUDYSES5QiWY22OsMYo5Twf6YviZmv2gJwY5ce2zlVg_aem_WgOCqkYUA8YVH1UCcy5Sqw

Check out the ARCRA demo
https://arcra.app/demo-1?fbclid=IwY2xjawVOnshleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5MKd-y21bpQZucDe22v11F8VaUe4OCwf3ExmW_j_dvZnU471ACG3BY_AZ1Tw_aem_D-5Un9eFdqjxFugF_77Cqg

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In this episode of Sludge Underground, we sit down with Ernest (Ernie) Pretorius, a lifelong supporter of South African live music who attends shows across the country and isn't afraid to step into the mosh pit.

We discuss how the South African music scene has changed over the decades, the advantages and challenges of both the old and modern eras, some of his favourite bands throughout the years, and what keeps him travelling across South Africa to support live music.

Ernie also shares his experiences living in Pietermaritzburg for over 40 years, how he stays fit enough to keep up with the energy of live shows, and what it's like watching the next generation carry the torch, including his son, who happens to be in a band in Johannesburg.

Whether you're a longtime supporter of the scene or a newcomer discovering South African alternative music, this conversation offers a unique perspective from someone who has witnessed five decades of live music culture firsthand.

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On this episode we look back on State of the Nation, Hilliker's trip to Mozambique with Your Cynical Sanity, and Walk These Skies, the Marilyn Manson tribute controversy, and ATFN's tour. 

We also look at recent releases, with a special focus on Internet Girl, Ill System, Daisy Arson, and ATFN. We then take a detour overseas and chat about Slipknot's latest single, Arsenal. Marcel shares his throughts on Falling In Reverse's latest single featuring Corey Taylor and Serj Tankian. We close off the global focus with what what went down on Ed Sheeran's Loop tour. 

In other news, we go over Jack White's South African tour announcement, Middlegrounds being back together, the recent Alt fest Q & A, and Sean Gaisford joining yet another band!

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We sit down with Christine & Paul of All This For Nothing, South Africa's longest-running progressive punk rock band. 

We hone in on vultures in the music industry, the band's upcoming album Nothing Is Punk Anymore, what it actually takes to build a "no-skip" record, how to pick the perfect lead single, why they left Spotify and what it's cost them, and how album releases have changed since 1998. We also talk about the homogenisation of the alt scene.

#southafrica#southafricanbands #southafricanmusic #southafricanpodcast

Paul & Marcel Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJxJX0MX5g8&t=482s

ATFN

Tickets/Merch/Music/More

https://linktr.ee/allthisfornothing 

Presave the album

https://orcd.co/nothing_is_punk_anymore

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/atfn012

BackAbuddyhttps://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/atfn-new-album-fundraiser

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Ground Up is back for August! Nas and Marcel catch you up on everything that happened in the month of August as well as a bit of July to make up for what we missed talking about.

Marcel touches on his experience at that Winterfest and watching the skate community pull through to skate while bands perform, Emalyths July Jol across two stages, and finally getting to catch Man As Machine again after nearly a decade.

The lads look into upcoming shows you should be checking out like Durban Rock City's Rockfest, SoBelow's State Of The Nation and more. 

Nas and Marcel take a moment to chat about the wave of new young bands entering the scene. Bands Like Pinkslip, Die Agenda, Shorebreak, and Blackburn. 

In international news Spotify has finally decided to flag AI content, and Tyga dropped one of the worst recieved albums in recent memory. 

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On this episode we take a look at what Shinesh has been up to since his departure from Lefokolodi. He also breaks down the reason behind his departure from the band and how things stand between him and his former band mates. Shinesh gives his honest take on South African artists uploading music on Spotify, and gives us a first hand look at two of his latest projects, Violent Frogs & Oversharingmusician.

#SludgeUnderground #SouthAfricanBands #SouthAfricanPodcast 

Violent Frogs:

- Music: https://youtube.com/channel/UCrgK5gIo7P6OzCYsyGFjXnw?si=qlMQEEr4eSj4aUcM

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violentfrogs_music


Oversharingmusician:

- Music: https://youtube.com/channel/UCp4TofNQIbkIQ89TsjSjFmw?si=GnS1CfLxtes-HvQm

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oversharingmusician

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They touch on their experiences with recent European tour as well as what they think it takes for a local South African band to make an international tour a reality.

There's also new music in the works, as the boys have been hard at work in the studio working on their new album, touching on the direction the bands taking their music, will there be physical media, and the debate as to what digital ownership actually means. 

Check it all out and drop your thoughts! 

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In this episode we sit down with Vince & Sean to unpack their latest single, The Omnificent. We look at the concept behind it, how it came together, and what the band was aiming for with the song. We also look at whether music videos  still matter in 2026.

The Omnificent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyw0VImHfEM&list=RDkyw0VImHfEM&start_radio=1

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This week on Sludge Underground  @Thorns_Of_Sludge shares his experience at Misty Waters Music Festival.

This festival was nothing short of a love letter to artist, festival goers, anda most importantly music lovers. Hired along as a second shooter he was front and center for all 27 bands who played seeing familiar faces but also a ton of new ones. This was one of the most diverse lineups imaginable from artists within Indie, electronic, blues, rock, punk to almost everything inbetween.

Here's a breakdown of almost everything Marcel experienced, from meeting fans of the channel to Fokofpolisiekar's frontman conveying his thoughts on our videos, to the overall experience of a festival Sludge Underground will definitely be returning to.

A massive shoutout goes to  @DizzyKhaki for providing all the band footage used in this video and for giving Marcel this opportunity! 

Artists mentioned and music used:
Simeon kriel
Absolute Silence
Taxi Violence 
Van Pletzen
Swimmer
Maxx And Love
Indie Dog
The Black Cat Bones
Fokofpolosiekar
Crash And The Void
SA Blues Society
Tidal Waves
Zaan Sonnekus
Die Heuwels Fantasties
Man Motels
DoomFairy

Join the discord to be part of the discussion:
https://discord.gg/JUDEUeKTPK

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