August 2003 marked the debut of Cape Town-based rock band Six of Nine. With their accessible brand of melodic, heavy alternative rock, this group of Durbanville locals and Cape music scene stalwarts are set to be the next Capetonian band to take their place in the national music consciousness. Six of Nine have exploded onto the Cape Town music scene with an undeniable presence. Most surprised of all would be the band who, all veterans of the Cape Town band scene, landed up being one of the most talked about local bands within weeks of their first performance. Approaching every gig with a vengeance, they have never failed to impress, but it was their explosive performance on the band’s second night opening the Solarpop X-Tour that stunned the audience, winning them both public and critical acclaim, and starting a word-of-mouth buzz that has yet to lose momentum. This reaction to Six of Nine was summed up perfectly when, while successfully navigating the first leg of a local band competition, one of the competing bands openly labelled them ‘world class’, reflecting the respect they’ve earned from their peers in the time they’ve been performing together. Energetic and accessible, heavy and melodic, their songs continue to win the hearts of audiences and listeners wherever they perform. In a few short months they have performed at every reputable live venue in Cape Town, often by invitation, and opened for top SA act One80. They finished off 2003 with a raucous and scintillating main-stage performance at the Rock the Bay Festival in Gordon’s bay on Boxing Day, where they were hailed by industry personalities and audience members alike as one of the acts of the day quite a show of confidence considering they were playing alongside many of South Africa’s A-list rock acts, including Wonderboom, Cutting Jade & Jo Day. The band formed when Geoff, Celéste, David and Wesley from Cape Town rock regulars Dayspring, who enjoyed their own measure of local success, became friends with and later recruited ex-Southpaw vocalist Eugene Vermeulen, another veteran of the Cape music scene. What was supposed to be an evolution of the band became a revolution that far surpasses the sum of their collection experience. So became Six of Nine. Familiar, yet with a unique flavour, this band will find favour with fans of all genres of rock music. Starting 2004 on a positive note, the Six of Nine responded to demand and booked in at Paris Studios to record their debut single. Such has been the response to their performances that the band were guaranteed airplay by two radio stations before a single track had even been recorded, which only speaks good things about the impression their performances leave even critical listeners with. Working closely with Paris Lucas on their recording, they successfully knit the energy & emotion of their songs with top-class production values, producing two tracks that continue in the high standards Six of Nine has set from its inception. Their first single, ‘Close to Me’, is being released to radio and on MP3 in February, and this band will undoubtedly enjoy more success and exposure as they light up stages around the country with the intimate intensity of their soaring melodies, aggressive compositions and high-energy performances.