The Bootleggers @ Kapstadt Brauhaus Steenberg

ABOUT

In a town choc-a-bloc with “blues” bands, The Bootleggers have long been an outlier.

Instead of the high-volume blues rock approach, the band mines the playful, humorous, and deeply felt material of the original electric blues artists of the 1950s and 60s: Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and the rest. In addition, they perform familiar numbers from the first generation of post-blues rock and rollers, including Chuck Berry, Elvis, the early Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.

But the cherry on top is the band’s distinctive contribution to Cape Town blues music: an exploration of the “diva” tradition of female blue singers like Etta James, Bessie Smith, and the like. Indeed, The Bootleggers are well known for their searing renditions of torch songs like “I’d Rather Go Blind” and “All I Could Do Was Cry.” The Bootleggers will host a special guest on the night to perform these outstanding and unusual numbers.

If authentic blues, R&B and early rock and roll is your thing, make sure you set aside the evening of July 6 to check out The Bootleggers—and of course, the best German food and draft beer in town!

DIRECTIONS