Make-Overs

Make-Overs

Make-Overs are a South African garage rock duo from Kilnerpark, Pretoria, made up of Andreas on guitar, vocals and loops, and Martinique on drums, vocals and samples. Their sound is described as a wall of sound style that draws on garage rock, surf, punk, noise and noise rock, built around a stripped-down two-person format.

Background

The pair start making music together in June 2010 after previous work in other local underground projects. Andreas and Martinique have a history of highly regarded and influential past bands, and they also work under the independent name The KRNGY Logo. Their approach is firmly do-it-yourself, with recordings made on analogue equipment and released through their own label.

Before Make-Overs, one significant project is Sticky Antlers, a Pretoria underground band that appears in Punk Rock in Africa as the punk representative of Pretoria. Sticky Antlers is voted “bright young thing 2009” in Art SA, is mentioned in Mail and Guardian, Beeld, Sunday Times Magazine, The Weekender, and releases its debut self-titled album on One F Music, the label run by Paul Riekert. The band ends after guitarist Damon Civin receives a full scholarship to Cambridge in the UK.

Recording and releases

Make-Overs record and release music prolifically, with 30 full-length albums credited across their various projects over roughly a decade. Their own releases include MC1R on the 16th Chromosome, By Natural Selection, Centipede-sing-a-long and Too Much?, all on The KRNGY Logo. They also issue the track “Surf Bored” as a 7-inch single through HoZac Records for Hookup Klub Round 3, and “Jungle Seizure” appears on the Garage Punk Hideout compilation series.

The song “Surfbored” is picked up by HoZac Records for Hook Up Klub 3 soon after the release of MC1R on the 16th Chromosome. The group records on 16-track open reel tape, reinforcing their analogue and independent working methods.

Live activity and style

Make-Overs play in grimy clubs, rooftops, warehouses, dilapidated buildings, festivals and art exhibitions around Pretoria and Johannesburg. They also tour Cape Town, where a run of six shows expands to 25 after a strong audience response. Their live performances are described as fierce, frantic and hypnotic, with an intense stage presence and an unapologetic punk attitude.

The duo is often mistaken for siblings because of their matching red hair, and they are associated with carrying their own large amplifiers and gear through alleyways while sourcing old guitars and analogue recording equipment. They are working on a fourth album and also record a single at Open Room Studios with Jon Savage, Darryl Torr and Alan Shenton for possible future collaboration on a label they are planning.

Recognition

Jon Savage describes the band as having something special, while HoZac Records characterises their sound as sinister, pummelling and driven by frantic guitar scree and harsh vocals. These comments reflect the attention the duo receives within underground punk and garage rock circles in South Africa and beyond.