Photo: coda

South African music is as eclectic and colourful as its people. That’s a bold statement, given that we live in the Rainbow Nation, but it’s one that’s easy to back up.

You just have to look at the wide range of South African music being produced these days – the infectious beats of kwaito, the smooth sounds of Cape Jazz, the rhyming rhythms of rap and hip hop, the melodious strains of classical, and the not-so-easy-to-define popular rock and pop tunes being produced by some of the country’s favourite bands (Freshlyground, the Parlotones, the Dirty Skirts, to name a few) to know that this is one country whose musical soul is alive and well.

Almost as varied as the kinds of music South Africans are producing is the many places you can go to watch live music – from bars and clubs to botanical gardens, aquariums, floating stages and ostrich farms. If there’s a venue large enough to hold a crowd, it can be turned into a South African concert.

Be sure to catch some form of live music concert while you’re in SA for the World Cup… If nothing else, the catchy tunes will provide a musical accompaniment for all that soccer!