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9 March 20206 | Entertainment PDBY’s Artists to Watch “Candlelight” Check out his single on Apple Music and Spotify and keep an eye out for his new song “London Town”, which will be out later in March. IG: @martinlukegill FB: Martin Luke Gill

Roman Figga Martin Gill Check out his album titled “I’m That Figga” on all major streaming platforms and look out for his new single “Dahlia”. IG: @romanfigga Twitter: @romanfiggaoffi1 “I don’t know” Marné Swanepoel B efore heading into another busy week at university, it’s great to take a day to relax. Sundays are perfect for unwinding at The Grind Bar & Eatery while listening to some live music. Bar Acoustics is a live music event that takes place at The Grind Bar & Eatery every Sunday, with the exception of Sundays that fall on the same day as Park Acoustics.

The intimate setting creates a calm atmosphere, TRY @UP Bar Acoustics making it the ideal space to spend the afternoon with a bunch of friends before the week picks up again. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy quality music and great food. The Grind Bar’s menu has a variety of options to choose from. Their R150 burger special includes two burgers, chips and a bucket of six black labels.

Other options you might want to try out are their tacos, wings or their recently launched crunchy hash brown vegan burger. The line-up boasts established as well as upcoming South African talent. This offers you the chance to see some of your favourite musicians perform live and discover some new talent.

Artists like Martin Gill, Ruiter Piet, Nicola McLeod, and Jeandré Pistorius perform here regularly. Bar Acoustics has also hosted names like December Streets and

Jethro Tait in the past. There is no entry

fee and doors open at 10:00. The first performance starts at 14:00, which gives you ample time to invite all your friends over for a good time. Be sure to follow @thegrindbar and @baracoustics on Instagram to stay updated on upcoming performances. Illustration: Marchall Potgieter Dani van der Horst S tefan Vermaak is a South African actor, who plays the role of Oscar Fourie in the upcoming drama, Moffie, which will be out in Cinemas on 13 March. PDBY caught up with him and chatted about the upcoming film.

This film is an exceptionally important piece of work for the LGBTQ+ community, how did it feel being a part of something that was so much bigger than just a film?

It’s just so much more satisfying. A lot of time you are part of a film/series/tv show etc that is mostly just entertainment and that’s also great but being part of Moffie, you get to do way more than just entertain. You get to educate an audience or even more, you get to educate a society. This is such a powerful way to change the way people think. I really hope that this film will be talked about for year to come, because I think It has the content to do so.

You play the character, Oscar Fourie, could you tell us a little bit about him?

He is a conscript going to war, with all the same emotions as all the other conscripts, except Stefan Vermaak on his upcoming role in the film “Moffie” he is easy going and up for any challenge. He is physical and stands out from the group. And of course, [he is] a lady’s man. His biggest challenge during his time at the border is, is not the border itself, but being without a girl. To him, being a conscript will probably give him more girls.

The story is full of heart-breaking moments, which moment did you find exceptionally tough to portray?

In that time, being homophobic was a general thing. So, to portray a character that is homophobic was extremely difficult. I am lucky to say that my best friend is gay and to say homophobic things and to do homophobic things (although it was my character) almost made me feel like I was betraying him. It broke my heart to see how gay people and all outsiders for that matter [were] handled, and I hope this film will change the way people think about homosexuality- that it’s not a choice and being gay doesn’t make you a moffie but being homophobic makes you an a**hole.

Recently strides have been made in South African television with regard to the representation of the LGBTQ+ community, for example the first gay “boer” on “Boer Soek ‘n Vrou” stirred a lot of discussion on the topic of LGBTQ+ representation on television. This was based on a real-life experience, but fictional experiences are equally important in creating a space that is inclusive. How do you think the film industry in South Africa could work towards creating a more inclusive space?

Again, we have to educate a society; and to educate is to understand,and I think something like “Boer Soek n Vrou”, made a lot of people realise that the idea that homosexuality is wrong, is out-dated. I hope that in the future we will not talk about a film about 2 gay men, but rather a film about love. How would you describe your experience working on this film? This was definitely the highlight of my career. The script is amazing. The director is world class. The process that the director used, is every actors dream. You get to rehearse, you get to really become that character, because of the director that gives you the tools do so. It was also a young and very talented cast, that all just fell in love with process and each other- and I believe you will see that on screen.

As South Africans, many of our fathers were a part of the army during these

times, did working on this film change your perspective on that at all?

Yes, because it was very close to home for all of us. We all listened to army stories from family members. It wasn’t just a story. It was real. It really happened. And not a million years ago. It happened to our parents. How would you describe Nicholas van der Swart? And why do you think his story is so important?

I’m not sure if this scene made the cut, but I remember reading the script and there is a line where Nicholas asked his father: “Why am I gay?” and his father just did not reply at all. And that is why his story is important. So that if we are all grown up and our kids ask us: “Why am I gay” that we can answer them with love.

Do you have any comments on the South African arts industry and where it’s heading? After you see this film, you will see that we have the directors, we have the crew, we have the actors, but most importantly we have the stories so that we do have to stand back for any country when it comes to making beautiful films. Therefore, I have a lot of hope and dreams for our industry. Image provided

PDBY Featured Artist: Bennett Terblanche

Cassidy Bessa

Bennett Terblanche, known on stage as Soul Strings, is a third year BCom Marketing student. Armed with his powerful voice and guitar, he is taking on the Pretoria music scene with full force. PDBY spoke to him and about his music.

What made you want to pursue music? I wouldn’t say that I woke up one day and said to myself, “I want to be a musician.” My parents raised me to have an immense appreciation for music. Since I can remember my dad would quiz me on any track that ever played on the radio. Shazam didn’t always exist right?

How long have you been a musician? I’ve been playing guitar since 2009, when I was in grade 8. Started off with bass guitar, and realised that I needed an instrument to compliment my voice at an improved level in terms of my original sound. So, I made the switch to guitar and picked up a little bit of piano as well. I always knew I had some musical talent though.

What are your biggest trials and tribulations as an artist?

Good question, singing a diverse kind of music in Pretoria. Sometimes the crowd you play for is hard to read but I try stay true to what I know. I stick to what I’m comfortable playing so that I can give a quality performance to the ears that are listening. We live in such a diverse country so I would love to be able to play a little something for everyone. I would definitely say that’s something I struggle with.

What is your favourite memory of being a musician so far?

Well I could talk about some of the gigs I’ve played at. To be honest though the best feeling a musician can experience is having someone come up to you after your performance and compliment you. It’s the best feeling for me. It’s where you, as someone that spends time and puts in huge amounts of effort to be able to play the way you play, get something back. So, yeah man I play for the audience and I love getting that positive feedback.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Well hopefully I’ll be done with university and stick to my music for sure. I still haven’t given any competitions like Idols or The Voice a shot so I’m really keen to give that a solid effort. I also just want to keep playing for as long as I can. I always say, “If you’re good enough, someone will take the time to mould you.”

In five words, how would you describe yourself and your music?

Powerful, soulful, deep, flexible, and raw.

Where did you get your stage name “Soul Strings” from and what does it mean to you? Honestly, I came up with it driving back to Pretoria from Nelspruit this year. I just need a stage name because Bennett Terblanche is a little bit lengthy, don’t you think?

Do you have any ideas for future music that we should look out for?

In terms of my music? At the end of this year I would like to have a decent social media presence and have some form of an EP or album at the end of the year. Another aspect to look out for is on the streets. I love busking, always have, and I don’t see why I would stop doing it.

How do you find ideas for music that you currently play?

Oh! Love that question. If it’s a cover? I literally go through phases. All the way from the 1950’s through to Justin Bieber’s latest album Changes. I do everything and love playing as many genres as possible. My own music involves some effort. I get ideas from past experiences, people I see in my day to day life, know or don’t know. Music is a timeless phenomenon and I wouldn’t want my music to be any different. I can write a song in 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 months. All depends on the message I’m trying to send to people. I always write lyrics and melody at the same time Powerful, soulful, deep, flexible and raw.

”Image provided What advice would you give someone who is too shy to start playing gigs?

Anyone that is too shy or thinks that they aren’t good enough. Get playing. The only way you improve is by playing as much as you can for as many people as you can. I found my love for music by playing around bushfires and latenight chats after everyone has gone to bed. So just go for it. Someone will hear what they like. Keep an eye out for Bennett at Aandklas open mic nights. ”