The Spindle Sect

I’ve been hearing rumours for the last three years of The Spindle Sect working on this album. Many people involved in the local music industry, be they fans, journos or other musicians, doubted whether this album would ever be produced. Well it’s finally here and well worth the wait.

So you take Korn as the main ingredient, add a little Rage Against The Machine, sprinkle on a bit of System of a Down and bake for approximately three years, and you have The Spindle Sect’s new album, Animo City. Although the style of music is very derivative, that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. In fact fans of the above mentioned bands will take great pleasure in the familiar sounds of The Spindle Sect.

As you may imagine, the style of music is pretty heavy, but very awesome. “Venom” is definitely one of my favourite tracks as it has an awesome beat that you can totally nod your head to it while doing the dishes. “Faces” and “Attack of the Quark Rebels” are conspicuous as they are two of the few songs that one can sing along to on the album. Hopefully it won’t be as long a wait for the next one.

- Zoe Davis - LEVI'S MUSIC MAGAZINE

Last Saturday night’s (12 April) bands at Mercury were the funky trio Stereo Zen, the anything but sleepy, Sleepers and hard core Spindle Sect. There was a great contrast in sounds from these three acts with a little bit of somethin’ for everyone.

Stereo Zen hit things off to a somewhat sparse crowd; it was still too early for most Capetonians. There wasn’t that much crowd appreciation but they put on a good show despite and played their usual crowd pleaser; “Keep your *** clean.” Despite being a small band of only three they really have a well layered sound with a lot of depth.

The Sleepers were up next; it was my first time seeing them and I was really impressed. Lead vocalist, Simon Tamblyn has great stage presence and quite a surprisingly deep and gravelly voice (surprising because his speaking voice is not so deep and gravelly). The Sleepers have some seriously dark and emo-ish lyrics, not so much that I heard them on Saturday but checking their website I stumbled across some, but they’re not really an emo band they are quite up-tempo and lively on stage.

Headliner Spindle Sect was up next and anyone who hadn’t quite got into the party mood before surely was now. The group of five have a unique sound, hip hop, electronic and rock are all fused to create a really intense wall of aural assault. They are pretty entertaining visually as well, with three singers all with much personality, a bassist and a drummer the group puts on an intense and super charged show. - OPPIKOPPI

The evening opened with The Spindle Sect demonstrating the power of four emcees and a very original sci-fi/wi-fi/hi-fi theme. Debut album Animo City just hit the digital shelves, and aside from a dark, poisonous undertone, The SciFientist, Cavin Chambers, Snake Pliskin and La Violencia’s aural spawn is worth sticking on repeat to get the party started. - overtone.co.za

“The power to you!”

And what of headline act The Sect? Yeah, well, if this was your first experience of the group that has cut the teeth of other established SA artists (while remaining pretty true to itself), welcome to the underground. Fresh from Ramfest, the group has now assembled a “Chapter Two” version of the industrial, experimental hip-hop outfit that was born from the ashes of worldwide mistrust of 9-11 back in 2002. Kicking off with a technically pleasing bassline jam from The SciFientist, the group plays along to self-crafted backing tracks played by an onstage laptop. Shit like that makes me happy. Seeing groups combine electronic backing beats with their live act, for me, is an experiment in progressive music. Anyone Can Play Guitar.

Skip forward a brief 45 minutes, and we’re witnessing a motley crew of MCs giving The Power To You, yeah you in the crowd, and thrashing around like spastic, virused beasts from another planet. Three MCs, a bassist and a drummer who bought one of our Overtone badges. Shot, guy. Drum n bass meets power-rock meets Brooklyn 80s rap meets electro.

The hair’s a giveaway to the group’s eclectic taste: dreads, long straight, skin, brit-rock shoulder length. We’ve got an original South African group on our hands, and here’s some advice for y’all: Get your asses on the road. You’ve got a sound that they’ll chew up in smaller Cape Town (and South Africa). MC title-holder La Violencia could probably hold the act on his own, and if nothing else, your act is worth watching for the novelty value alone. Take a few weeks off and shift some albums. - overtone.co.za