High School bands are invited to rock their way to fame. According to one of the organisers Deon van Zyl the Band Battle is a brilliant chance to turn up the volume of your truth.
“Maybe get a gig going, put some hard cash in your pocket and just jam your heart out with your buddies! This prestigious competition will be presented by Curro Durbanville High School on Friday 27 June, and all high schools in the Western Cape are invited to enter.
“Our school has a cultural heart and would like to draw on The Band Battle to help setting up bands everywhere, in towns and cities, and giving them a platform to make music. We hope this competition – which is a first for us – becomes an annual institution that stimulates creativity and camaraderie.” He said one of the many attractions of this competition is that there are no guidelines, and each band has room to showcase its own skills, make music in its own style and with its own choice of instruments. “We have already received an entry from a band that even uses a cello!” Van Zyl said.
Entries – which include an audition video of one song – close on 24 April. Entries are available online at the school’s website or send an email to Hanchen le Roux at hanchen.l1@curro.co.za for more details. The top 10 bands will be invited to an audition, after which the three bests will go through to the final to shake things up on stage during The Band Battle concert on June 27. The three bands will take care of the pre-show. Rock legend Francois van Coke is not only the main judge; he and his full band are also the evening’s guest artists who will perform after the school bands. The band that wins goes home with R10 000 in cash and gets the opportunity to perform for an hour at Die Boer Theatre in Durbanville. Tickets for this festive gig are on sale at Quicket.
Kultura Festival
The Band Battle is part of Curro Durbanville High School’s new Kultura Festival, which will take place from 20 to 27 June on the school’s campus. In addition to productions from beloved artists such as Sandra Prinsloo, Marion Holm, Barry Hilton and Early B, the country’s leading public-speaking teams will face one another in the brand-new Nou praat jy! speech contest. And, because all these things unfold in Durbanville, Cape Town, as part of a Wine Festival held to showcase local wine farms’ finest creations, offering the community a chance to come together and enjoy this cultural celebration. Tickets for all the shows are available at Quicket.co.za. High schools across the country are invited to enter their most seasoned team for the Kultura Festival’s Nou praat jy!, this brand-new prestigious competition-with-a-twist; two learners must team-up and present the speech in unison. The theme is “Afrikaans – ‘n taal van kleure en klank”, and it’s quite fitting because Afrikaans has been an official language for 100 years this year. The speech contest can be presented in a persuasive, entertaining or motivational manner and is open to Afrikaans Home Language Speakers and Afrikaans First Additional Language Speakers in a category for Juniors (Grade 8 and/or 9) and Seniors (Grade 10 to 12). Each team has five to seven minutes to put their best foot forward, and the judges will be waiting with bated breath for a spontaneous interaction between speakers.
The best among the competitors can look forward to solid cash prizes: the winning schools and winners get R10 000 each, runners-up get R6 000 each and third place winners get R4 000 each.
The competition will take place on 25 and 26 June 2025 at Curro Durbanville High School. The closing date for entries is 24 April. Entry forms are available online on the school’s website or send an email to Joline de Klerk at joline.d@curro.co.za for more details.
