Half Price is a great South African
drunkpunk band with an accomplished track record of amusing live sets. Twelve
years down the line, their fifth studio album Programmed to Party still
carry the sarcastic leitmotif of music made for people that love to party. The
5 track EP presents a quarter hour of cheerful tunes.
The band consists of
uber-friendly dudes that always seem to have fun without succumbing to the
sausage-machine music-industry’s norms and values. The DFG (Dirty
Fucking German) plays bass with a sex offender’s passion, hailing from
the sheep-herding town of Mariental. In 2008, Mawk were added
on guitar (I might have been at his debut gig). Kyle, the drummer adds a solid
backbone to the music, a poster boy for what a serious and talented drummer
should be. I truly admire his technical capacity to play for a metal band
as well, Bulletscript – flawlessly being able to
differentiate between two rather different playing styles. Homo
Pete is an enigmatic front-man that plays with conviction,
together they are a well-rehearsed unit that each has a mind for music.
They
started in 2001 and have released three full-length albums, and their first EP,
the 2003 Bush, Bin Laden & My Mom’s Nought. My favorite album
is their 2004, Taking Life Seriously.
They then released Banned, apt for their
situation at the time. The Monotony of
Monogamy was released in 2010 and it is truly an amazing album for me
– Oh My God...
Programmed to Party is the opening track to the EP. Fast street punk
beat, with a different, yet awesome feel to the vocals. To the end, there is a
sample of people partying, escalating to an anthem, where the coherency between
the vocals, guitars and bass are a joy to listen to. Familiar type harmonies on
the vocals and interesting bass slides make for a very good opening song.
Still Playing Punk is
a fast song, with the opening verse "Well, it’s been 10 long years and
we’re still having fun." The second verse progress further with impressive
bass that flows between persistent harmonies on the vocals, qualifying this as
an anthem. The song reminds me of Conspiracy of One (The
Offspring). The song ends with an aggressive vocal surge and a nice clean
finish.
Mighty Black Lung is a lyrical
acknowledgement of the addictive joy that is nicotine. The bass carries a
cynical tune that makes for a good punk song. A long sample of the harmful
effects of smoking, wedged between 3 different vocals make for a very
interesting structures between the bass and vocals.
Iron Lion Zion is a very
good Bob Marley Cover. Doubling the song in
pace and adding punk elements to it, makes it an awesome circle-pit song. It is
nice to have this cover on record, adding to Half Price’s impressive
music repertoire. It’s “Rastafari, fucking reggae music Mon!”
Roddy & Zecois exposes the
difference in vocals on the EP. It is a good party song with a colorful story
behind the song. After only a couple of listens, I find myself singing “Roddy,
Roddy, did you fuck her?” Laughing spontaneously at “At least my dick is bigger
than Kyle’s”
I have been
fortunate enough to witness Half Price live a number of times,
afterwards blissfully reminiscing at their tendency to play live naked. Ever
since I witnessed a show in 2005 in my hometown in Namibia, I was astounded at
how flawless they are at executing interesting music, while having immense fun.
In 2008 I had the sincere pleasure of chilling with Pete post a gig
in Stellenbosch, sharing perspectives on music. They are a fun-loving band
that has mutual respect for good music as well as always being ready for a
party. For a while now I've been hooked by their personas and I will always
remain a fan of the band.
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Homo Pete and your honorable Cesspiel
With
5 songs, including a Bob Marley cover and numerous samples, it
is very much an EP. Yet, definitely a significant release in South African
punk. Embarking on a tour around Germany in August and having toured Europe twice before
makes Half Price the archetype of a good Western Cape DIY punk
band.
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