“…almal wat ek ken wat die Gewere al sien rook het, reken dit is spiekeries.” – litnet

The Pretty Blue Guns have been grinding grit and bone together and spent a decent amount of years cutting their milk teeth on the grime of their own hard labour – and it has paid off. In the last year or so, this self-made quartet of friends and musicians has excelled at a number of festivals and venues around South Africa, garnering reverence and applause wherever they perform.

    “What the Pretty Blue Guns do well, is introduce this genre of music to an audience that would not normally be familiar with it, back to a time when music was still considered an art. Not only do they introduce it, but they set the standard for others to follow.” -morethanmusic.co.za

Their style has been described as “gritty blues rock”, with influences ranging from early Robert Johnson era blues and Tom Waits to modern rock giants such as The White Stripes or Kings Of Leon.

They recently released an album entitled “Cutting Heads”, the name of which is a reference to blues buskers in the 1920’s that would battle for tips from passers-by, playing the same traditional blues songs as other buskers, except finding ways to make the songs more interesting and more entertaining in order to capture the attention and respect of the crowds. The album has been received with critical acclaim:

    “I can honestly say these guys, with the help of a brilliant producer and sound engineer have made an album that’s difficult to switch off once you started listening.” -samusicblog.co.za

    “…it’s a great album, I can almost describe the album as modern vintage, uniting the old and new into a complete package that is “Cutting Heads”. –morethanmusic.co.za

Their highly energetic set has taken them to the big open-air stages and enthusiastic crowds of The Kirstenbosch Summer Series, Oppikoppi Easter, Up The Creek Festival, Volume Festival, ABSA KKNK Festival, MK Avontoer and RAMfest, while smaller gig venues such as The Assembly, Klein Libertas Teater and The Waiting Room have all played host to both electric and impeccable acoustic sets. The music has found its way onto high-rotation playlists from radio stations such as MFM 92.6 and TuksFM to media-released compilations by the likes of One Small Seed, Rhythm Records, Blunt Magazine, MK Bruce Lee and SL Magazine.