Nostalgic Echoes of the 1980s: Memorable Tales from Jamesons Bar, JHB

The 1980s remain one of the most memorable decades in recent history. It was a time of bold fashion, groundbreaking music, and cultural shifts that still influence us today. For many, the 1980s evoke a sense of nostalgia, recalling simpler days filled with unique trends and

unforgettable moments. This blog post takes you on a journey through the stories and memories that defined the 1980s, highlighting Bright Blue's experiences.

'Of all the recordings that BB have made over the last 40 years, none quite captures the magic of their live performance as well as this recently discovered audio recording from Jameson’s Bar in Johannesburg.'

BB @Jamesons EP

Recorded in early 1984 onto cassette tape by the late John Shaughnessy, who was the front of house mix engineer for the band at the time, the raw energy of these five Cape Town musicians in their twenties  bursts out of the recording, exploding with hope and idealism.

Covering the darkness of those times with a layer of infectious energy, the songs explore themes of government surveillance, conscription and the infamous Immorality Act. The grooves are huge, with the brothers Cohen…Peter on drums and Ian on bass driving the band, while Dan Heymann’s intricate keyboard inversions provide a beautiful bed for the melodic afro funk of Tom Fox’s guitar. Robin Levetan’s vocals push the band to a level never captured on their studio offerings.

The recording comes with a healthy amount of analogue distortion, as if the sound is too big to fit on cassette tape, VU meters pushed into the red, symbolic of those crazy times in the 1980’s.