TONIGHT NIBS!! - Nibs van der Spuy featuring Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby at The Olympia Thursday September 7th
Thu Sep 7, 20:00 - Thu Sep 7, 21:30
Olympia Bakery Kalk Bay
ABOUT
Afro/Euro Folk Legend Nibs van der Spuy returns to Cape Town accompanied by Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby.
Nibs van der Spuy & Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby
Nibs & Ant first started working together in early 1995, with acclaimed acoustic instrumental band Landscape Prayers, originally formed by Nibs in 1993.
This saw the beginning of a magical musical partnership that was to last for nearly a decade. Together with Logan Byrne on bass and Bruce Baker on drums, their journey together encompassed thousands of kilometres of travel and touring, 4 critically acclaimed albums, 3 of which were SAMA nominees, 2 trips to Europe, many festival appearances, and a collaboration with Modena City Ramblers from Italy, in addition to other artistic collaborations.
After Landscape Prayers parted ways, both artists had successful careers in their own right, with Ant heading in more of a Celtic direction with neo-Celtic outfit Celtis, and various other collaborative projects along the way. He has worked and shared stages with artists such as Robin Auld, Steve Fataar, Brian Finch, Greg Georgiades, and Madala Kunene, to mention a few, as well as doing session work on many other recording projects.
Of Nibs -
"Excellent! A voice full of wonder and humility of the songs it sings.” (ROLLING STONE) ****
"Acoustic simplicity rules supreme, while emotive lyricism spins stories with narrative finesse."
"Nibs van der Spuy is a gift to the folk genre - his music is as melancholy as it is moving and amid the simplicity of his chosen genre, he delivers beautifully considered prose in sound." (Texx and the City - 2022)
“If you ever see a promotional ad for one of Nibs' concerts, you should not miss out on the opportunity to experience a great guitarist and singer/songwriter”. SHAWN PHILLIPS (Legendary Texan Songwriter)
"A discovery! Classical touches, Zulu melodies and his thrilling airy voice" (LE MONDE, FRANCE)
"Beautifully weighted and filigreed acoustic playing" (UNCUT)
"The most sensitive and breathy songs on the continent with classy, gently sturdy guitar work" (GUARDIAN UK)
"Nibs is a foremost proponent of the fine weave of cultural sounds that are this country" (SUNDAY TIMES)
Nibs has travelled all over the globe since then, releasing a number of internationally acclaimed solo albums, among them ‘Beautiful Feet’, ‘A Bird in the Hand’, ‘Natalia’ and his latest release, ‘Maiden of the river’. In addition, he has released 2 collaborative albums, one with Gito Baloi, ‘Sweet-thorn’, and ‘In the Shade of the Wild Fig’, with longtime friend, Guy Buttery. Nibs continues to travel around the world as a successful solo artist and has been living half his time in Portugal for the last eight years. He has appeared with the likes of Ben Harper, Bonnie Rait, Taj Mahal, Gito Baloi, Piers Facini, and Shawn Phillips.
Nibs released his first solo album in seven years, ‘Maiden of the river’ in May 2022. The new material was written along the Lisbon Coast during the global lockdowns and conveys a deep message of hope, deliverance and healing in a world off balance.
Reviews from 2022
'Excellent, loved Nibs sharing his personal space with us!'
‘He is so talented, I really enjoyed it thanks'
'Nibs is incredible, what an amazing show'
'Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant'
'Nibs shared songs from the soul, incredible guitar technique on his various stringed instruments.
Stories from lockdown and life. Nothing beats his 'Live' performance, what a priviledge.'
https://nibsvanderspuy.bandcamp.com/
YOUTUBE Links;
Nibs van der Spuy - Anna Rosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e13FEIXDfmw
Nibs van der Spuy - 'Live in France'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ze5u-RC498
Nibs van der Spuy & Yasamin Shahhosseini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01bNnXzWMe4
Official Video for BEAUTIFUL FEET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHLHwu1-X0s
Nibs on Les Inrockuptibles playing Nick Drake's Road http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3t98l_nibs-van-der-spuy-roads-inrocks-ses_music
Nibs and Piers Faccini, 'Live in KwaZulu - Natal, South Africa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik8puohos1s
Nibs at FNAC Strasbourg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDcUaRriTH8
Nibs with Guy Buttery - Trambicosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj6BRXxJZ9g
Nibs with slide virtuoso Phillip Henry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgiv2KnK32Y