S05E21 – Gary Rathbone Live @ Tune Me What?

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Gary Rathbone joins Brett in Tune Me What?’s London studio for a special 100 minute episode. Fans of SA pop music will remember Gary from his chart-topping band The Spectres, while others may remember his alternative bands What Colours! and The Aeroplanes. The show features a live acoustic performance by Gary and some lively chat about the South African music scene in the 80s and 90s and – as usual – we pause to play a pile of records spanning Gary’s career and some of his favourite South African rock and pop artists.

This episode features:

  • Gary Rathbone
  • The Spectres
  • What Colours!
  • The Aeroplanes
  • Asylum Kids
  • Corporal Punishment
  • Phoning Jenny
  • Jim Neversink

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E20 – Africa Is Not A Genre

In this episode Leon and Brett talk about one of their pet peeves – that all South African music is lumped together as “world music” when in fact South African artists span a great many genres, including pop, rock, reggae, hip-hop, jazz, folk, country, fusion, punk… you name it. So here’s to South Africa’s amazing musical diversity!

In this episode, we feature:

  • Prime Circle
  • Tailor
  • Toya Delazy
  • Buddy Masango
  • Wild Youth
  • Blk Jks
  • Tumi & The Volume
  • Jimmy Dduldlu
  • Lucky Dube
  • Marcus Wyatt
  • Bev McGreggor

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E19 – A Mixed Bag

A mixed bag of a show – or to coin a phrase, a ‘checkers packet of a show – with new music by Gary Herselman’s new band Spook, news of a Syd Kitchen tribute show, while Max Hoba tune’s us something new, and much more featuring great South African music.

In this episode we feature:

  • Kongos
  • Spook
  • Zahara
  • Max Hoba
  • Swing City
  • The Genuines
  • Tshedi Mholo
  • Syd Kitchen
  • Tim Parr
  • Steve Newman

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E18 – Hellos & Goodbyes

In the first half of this episode, we reintroduce the “Tune Me Something New” spot which puts the spotlight on unsigned and independent bands new to Tune Me What? This week we feature The Plastics and Pravda. In the second half, we pay tribute to the late Errol Dyers, well-loved Cape Town jazz and goema guitarist who died earlier this month.

In this episode we feature:

  • Miriam Makeba
  • The Elite Swingsters
  • Ard Matthews
  • Just Jinger
  • Pravda
  • The Plastics
  • Errol Dyers
  • Robbie Jansen
  • Abdullah Ibrahim

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E17 – Tim Hopwood Live @ Tune Me What?


Brett meets the man some call ‘The Leonard Cohen of the Karoo’ – veteran photojournalist-turned-musician Tim Hopwood. Tim has just released his moody debut album – Songs of Love and Death – after singing his song on the Eastern Cape fold circuit for many years, but we twist his arm and get him to sing some of is “funny songs” in an exclusive Live @ Tune Me What performance. Tim has also brought his box of records – including some rare gems – and he and Brett dip in to his collection and  chat about his favourite South African music in this 100 minute special extended episode.

Check out Tim Hopwood’s website which features some rare photos of the Voelvry tour.

In this episode we feature:

  • Tim Hopwood
  • David Kramer
  • Anton Calitz
  • Dave Goldblum
  • Vusi Mahlasela
  • Strange Little Man
  • Van der Want / Letcher
  • Bernoldus Niemand
  • Koos Kombuis
  • Megan du Toit
  • Fetish
  • Juluka 

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E16 – Remembering Ray Phiri


A special extended episode celebrating the life and work of the the late legendary South African guitarist Ray Phiri, featuring our special guest, his friend and fellow guitarists Alistair Coakley.

This episode features:

  • Ray Phiri
  • The Cannibals
  • Street Kids
  • Stimela
  • Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse
  • Roger Lucey
  • Coyote
  • Harari 
  • Joan Baez
  • Laurie Anderson
  • Willie Nelson
  • Manu Dibango 
  • Mory Kante
  • Phil Manzanera

Photo of Ray Phiri by Bobbyshabangu

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E15 – Tune Me What Goes Clubbing

Brett and Leon blow the dust of their turntables and do the DJ thing with a big D and a capital J, and proudly present an hour-long dance music set featuring some of the best South African music to get down to on the dance floor. We know its not summer in the South, but this set will get you hot and sweaty – and that’s no animal nitrate! Rave on!!

In this episode, we feature

  • The Mothers
  • Goldfish
  • Felix Laband
  • Abdullah Ibrahim
  • The Sighs of Monsters
  • Zakes Bantwini
  • DJ Cleo
  • Black Coffee
  • 7ft Soundsystem
  • Hello Beautiful

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S05E14 – The Comic Show

When Leon and Brett were growing up, there were no South African superheroes and they looked to American characters, like Superman, Spiderman and, er, Archie, to capture their imaginations. Today, ‘Gold City’ has its own local superheroes like Kwezi, who reflect South African culture. In today’s show, we chat about comics and play some cracking tunes inspired by Superheroes or give us something to talk about as we nerd out in another episode of Tune Me What?!

In todays show we feature

  • Radio Rats
  • Sons of Trout
  • Springbok Nude Girls
  • The Bats
  • Lancaster Band
  • Q Zoo
  • Matthew vd Want
  • King Ink
  • Crimson House
  • Steve Newman & Tony Cox
  • Louis Mhlanga
  • Scabie Annie

Check out the first edition of Kwezi for free online here.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.