If you are looking for an intimate live music venue that
showcases some of South Africa’s best artists, look no further than Café Roux
on Shortmarket Street (the flagship venue is in Noordhoek). The venue is trendy without being
pretentious, intimate yet comfortable.
The co-owners and operators of the Shortmarket Street venue, Vanessa and
Michael, are exceptionally attentive to their guests and go out of their way to
make them feel at home. Indeed, their objective
is for guests to feel as though they are enjoying the music in their own living
rooms. As such, they ask that guests
respect the artist on stage by keeping their conversations at a low-key volume
during the performance, something which I really appreciated.
The décor is dominated by leather and wood and muted tones
with accent pieces, the most eye-catching being the David Bowie mural – Bowie holding
a finger to his lips with “ssshhh listen to the music” spray-painted alongside
him, echoing the idea that there is an expectation of respect for the music and
the artist. There are also cool wood sculptures
on the walls that are suggestive of an audio spectrogram – at least, that’s how
I interpreted them.
The restaurant offers a simple menu with something for
everyone, ranging from gourmet pizzas and pasta to salad and meat options. Scoops of Creamery ice cream are also
available should you feel like something sweet after your meal. The service is excellent. I ordered a classic margarita pizza and I
think it was served within 10 minutes of the order.
Then it was time for the main attraction, Richard Stirton,
winner of the first The Voice SA. I have
a confession to make, I did not watch the show but I was moved by his rendition
of The Sound of Silence which prompted me to investigate his other work. He performed some covers, including The Sound
of Silence (which gave me chills), I See Fire by Ed Sheeran and the
emotionally-charged Skinny Love by Birdy, which was his audition song for The
Voice.
He also did a unique version of Billy Jean (sans dance moves) which was a firm
favourite with the audience (and not just because he flashed a little of his
stomach during the song). The set
included a fantastic mash-up of his first two hits, What Tears Me The Most and
Break The Silence. The audience was also
privileged to get a sneak peek of a new song, inspired by the lyrics and style
of Ed Sheeran whom he admires. Whether
he was solo on his guitar or performing with his band, his voice was enthralling
and his down-to-earth rapport with the audience made him feel like a good
friend rather than the star of a national television show. He also graciously signed albums and took photographs with fans after the show – and I would certainly classify myself as one of those now.
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