Slovenian ska band Red Five Point Star is on tour in South Africa and played in Grahamstown at SlipStream Sports Bar last Wednesday night. SlipStream was full of ska fans that were either supporters of the band, or were just interested to watch the band that came all the way from Slovenia.
Slovenian ska band Red Five Point Star is on tour in South Africa and played in Grahamstown at SlipStream Sports Bar last Wednesday night. SlipStream was full of ska fans that were either supporters of the band, or were just interested to watch the band that came all the way from Slovenia.
“‘Red Five Point Star’ represents the red star of Communism,” said Uroš Grahek, lead singer and guitarist of the ska band from Eastern Europe.
“Slovenia used to be called Yugoslavia, and was a Communist country. The star is a reminder for us. We grew up under Communism so we didn’t have the same opportunities as other kids in Europe.” Grahek describes the band’s music as a combination of swing, rockabilly and punk.
“Ska can get a bit dull and boring, so we mixed it with other types of music,” he said. “We wanted a unique sound.” Ska music is typically associated with reggae and was popularised in Britain in the 60s and 70s. Coming from Eastern Europe, Red Five Point Star therefore does have a unique sound.
During their South African tour in 2009, Red Five Point Star played with The New Academics, a Johannesburg-based band. “There are interesting bands here,” said Grahek, “but many of them try to do what the American and British bands are doing. You have to be creative and unique.”
Speaking of South Africa, Grahek described it as a bubble. “People here don’t get much of a chance to see foreign bands, but it does have an interesting market,” he said.
Red Five Point Star started in 1998 in Slovenia, with Grahek singing lead vocals. “We were only about 16 or 17 years old at the time, and started playing a type of Swedish skate punk,” said Grahek. The music was an act of defiance against the constraints of living in a Communist country.
“We sometimes had to go to Italy just to buy jeans, because we couldn’t get them at home. Then we would have to sneak them back into the country somehow.”
Since then the band members have been changed, resulting in a six-man ska band. Grahek is the only original member.
“We have to work with the needs of the band. We need to be working with the right people, especially when we go on tour.”
The band has been on tour since 11 February and will be playing at venues around Jeffrey’s Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban until 20 March. They will be playing at SlipStream Sports Bar again on 10 March.
