Thanks to taking a huge chance, South African rock band Ruff Majik has got to share their sounds all over the world, with their latest tour lighting up Europe. Here’s how they risked it for the biscuit:
Global (23 November, 2023)—South African rock band, Ruff Majik, embarked on yet another European tour recently where, for a month, they performed across stages from Germany to Portugal.
Their music, especially their latest album which earned raving reviews for being “so beautifully crazy that you can’t help but fall in love with its quirkiness” (per Distorted Sound Magazine), has captured international fans like a blazing wildfire.
While this is a good news story in and of itself (and another addition to the many musical achievements South Africans have earned this year), it also has a back story based on a local adage: risking it for the biscuit.
For Johni Holiday, Jimmy Glass, Cowboy Bez and Steven Bosman (all of whom are originally from the East Rand apart from Steven), a big risk paid off.
Before the band began playing in Europe roughly five years ago, they decided they needed to do something bold to get their 70’s rock with a modern edge, out there.
“We got our first European tour by taking a big fat chance and lying to EVERYONE,” the band confess.
Here’s how they did it:
“Basically, we emailed a bunch of festivals, telling them a promoter booked us for a club tour during festival season, and they might as well book us to play at the festivals too as we’d be moving through their towns. This was a complete lie.
“Then, we messaged the promoter and told him we’ve already been booked for all the best festivals, and he might as well book extra dates to fill our other slots (also a lie).
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“Luckily, nobody fact checked and everyone agreed to book us, and so we had our first Euro tour. After that, the booker thought it was quite a ballsy move to pull a stint like that, decided they liked our moxy, and they’ve been booking us in Europe ever since. It also helps that ‘blow the roof’ off every venue we play with a very energetic live show.”
Thanks to the gumption, they now have quite a tour repertoire under their belt, and a rock star story to tell.
You can keep up with Ruff Majik here.
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