Artist description The band appeals to the masses. Playing classic Indie Brit rock with their own particular take on it, Perez have been compared to the likes of Coldplay, Placebo and The Pixies. The band has a unique sound of its own influenced by a variety of bands. Muse being the bands biggest inspiration. And the result. A combination of angst-filled vocals, addictive lyrics, energetic drum rolls and frenzied guitar, add just the right amount of magic. Slower numbers such as Dreams And Troubles and She Moves are given the full effect in the live setting, leaving crowds sitting in complete silence. Other faster, energising gems such as Wasted Out and Smells Likes Music jolt you awake like a bolt of lightening.

Music Style Indie Rock

Similar Artists Pixies, Placebo, Cold Play, Muse

Artist History The melodic rock band had been performing all over South Africa during 2001 and ended the year with a blast as they embarked on one of the biggest summer tours in South Africa, The 5FM Summer Tour. The band gave the sun tanning coastal crowds something to curl their toes into the sand for as they sip on their ice-cold beers. But aside from the tour, they have been clocking up a few miles on the charts as they finally reached No 1 one on the Ericsson High 5 At Five, being the fourth SA band in History to do so. The single ended up spending 5 weeks in the top 5 and 3 of those at no1, and No 9 on the 5FM Top 40. The bands second single Picture Perfect also reached No 1 on the High 5 at 5 on 5FM and stayed there for 3 weeks. So what got the band to where they are now? And what is it that is getting the crowds so excited at a mere mention of the band? Our story begins at a debut gig at Splashy Fen 2001and travels into the not so distant future where 1 year later to the day at Splashy Fen 2002 where the band is returning to the stage where they debuted, but this time to headline the festival. Perez and their now familiar anthem of a song Wasted Out literally rocked the festival and sent tongues wagging as to who this new band was. They had brought a new formula to the stage. Originally hailing from Durban, the bands fresh new vibe, along with their laid back act and attitudes, can be heard in their song lyrics. They seemed to be giants on the stage. Their performance had the big show feel to it and is oh so cool. In fact these guys literally ooze rock n roll, it all seems to come naturally for each band member. What came out of the band was a completely different new range of tunes. The songs and sound as well as the 4-staping lads on stages sent a message that no one had expected. Something in the lines of We have arrived and all that! Their new formula worked. After four months in the rehearsal room they had successfully played their first gig at Splashy Fen to an absolutely spellbound audience. The next time Perez were seen, was at the RT Rocking for the youth charity event held at the Showcase on Youth Day. The show was strongly supported by 5FM and their first single Wasted out received wide spread airplay during the weeks leading up to the event. Interviews with Sami Sabiti, to discuss their single "Wasted out" (added to Playlist 10/6), and Ian F, to discuss Youth Day followed. They also went along with 5FM late night DJ, Barney Simon, to Cotlands Baby Sanctuary for a tour in support of the charity event. Shortly afterwards, Perez appeared back in their home town Durban, to perform alongside Tree 63 at the Mr. Price Pro free concert in front of thousands of supporters and then went on to the Grahamstown festival to perform alongside Crous and Carstens (Springbok Nude Girls) and Semisane. Perez then went on to perform at Oppikoppi on the Saturday evening, the most sought after day and time slot. After finishing a small coastal tour as well as the Western Cape, Perez completed recording a demo with David Birch and their first single Wasted Out has since been receiving A list airplay on 5FM, causing the crowd at their final festival gig of 2001, Woodstock, to chant along familiarly to the song. To top off their busy year they were added to the 5fm Birthday Bash along with Just Jinger, International band Feeder and Saron Gas. Not bad for a band that is barley a year old. The hype continues to grow as more and more people get to see and hear the band. Now that radio has caught on to the magic of the band, Perez has also has been receiving feverish and idol like reception during their gigs, attracting fans to ask for an autograph or two. A tight outfit with a lot of charm, their stage performance is phenomenal. An interesting fact to add is that Nic and Adam are both trained in classical music. The band appeals to the masses. Playing classic Indie Brit rock with their own particular take on it, Perez have been compared to the likes of Coldplay’, Placebo and The Pixies’. The band has a unique sound of its own influenced by a variety of bands. Musebeing the bands biggest inspiration. And the result. A combination of angst-filled vocals, addictive lyrics, energetic drum rolls and frenzied guitar, add just the right amount of magic. Slower numbers such as Dreams And Troubles and She Moves are given the full effect in the live setting, leaving crowds sitting in complete silence. Other faster, energising gems such as Wasted Out and Smells Likes Music jolt you awake like a bolt of lightening. The bands much anticipated full length debut album Picture Perfecthas just been released through Sovereign Records and will be distributed by Universal Music, it is going to be a goodie! Already major online and local CD stores have requested the album due to demand from the public. Listening to their new album I suspect we have not seen the last of this band. The songs on the album are destined to become mainstream chart favorites given time.

Group Members Perez are Nic Olsen guitar and vocals, Matt Wilkinson guitar and vocals, Adam Connor bass and vocals, Mike Goddard drums and vocals.

Instruments Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Piano, Violin

Albums Picture Perfect

Press Reviews To most music fans across the country, Perez are a band who, quite simply, need no introduction. Their blend of melodic hard rock has been holding audiences across the country spellbound, and their single “Wasted Out”, which has received extensive daytime airplay, has had people from all walks of life humming along. ( “and the music makes you scream a little”) Perez are Nic Olsen on vocals and guitar, Matt Wilkinson vocals and guitar, Adam Connor on vocals and bass, and Mike Goddard on vocals and drums. Having all been in very successful bands previously, the members were already well-acquainted by the time of their conception in early 2001. Says Wilkinson “we knew each other from the Durban scene and the South African scene. We had done a few gigs together with our previous bands, and we were mates, and it was just a natural progression. We hooked up, cause we weren’t doing anything else at the moment.” One unfortunate outcome of this is that Perez has too often been compared to the members’ previous bands, and seen as little more than an amalgamation of the 3 (Wilkinson and Goddard-Pistolfish, Olsen-Jimmy 12 inch, Connor-Ichabod). However, they have from very early on proved that Perez are something very different, and that in this way the proverbial whole definitely exceeds the sum of the parts. As a result, they are all currently working on the band full-time, with recording, gigging and practicing and taking up most of their days. Says Wilkinson: “It’s still cool, I mean we are having a great time. We’ve spent 5 months gigging and playing and recording, and things are going well. I mean, we don’t have to have day jobs, and this project is working in our favour, so we’re all just really stoked.” But has this affected their performances? “When you are working solidly all week…6-8 hours a day, it takes a bit of energy away. But then when the gigs come they are really cool”. When asked what they attribute their almost immediate success to, the reply is simple: “a bit of luck, plus the background of the band is quite formidable…the music is good, there are 4 strong personalities in the band, so it just sort of worked.” Perez recently played a gig alongside PMB locals Phatlip, as well as Gautengers the Dieselwhores at Millers (PMB). Unfortunately, the event was plagued with sound problems (2 blown tweeters, thereby giving the PA the clarity of Roy Orbison singing from the inside of a coffee tin), resulting in the performance being halted 3 times in order for things to be sorted out. Still, the crowds (one of the biggest and most enthusiastic the venue has seen in a long time) were kept on their feet, and the band had to politely decline a second encore. Wilkinson comments:“Unfortunately, we need the vocal impact. A lot of our songs are driven by melody, and if they aren’t coming through clearly, it loses a lot of the impact and effect…it’s also not cool because people pay good money to come and watch us, and when the sounds atrocious, it’s not fair on them, not too mention us.” Goddard continues: “It’s a bit unfortunate, but it’s no ones fault really…just a bad day at work.” With the unfortunate break up of Sugardrive earlier this year, and more recently that of the ‘Nude Girls, as well as the eminent departure of Saron Gas for greener pastures overseas, there is definitely going to be something of a vacuum in the local music scene. Perhaps the right time for a fresh young band to really make their mark? Perez are currently busy in the studio along with David Birch, and the release of a full length CD is planned for December this year. (Their demo EP is available at most of their live performances. ) Author: LEON BEYLEVELD

Location Durban, Kwazulu Natal - South Africa

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).