The Insider's Guide to Durban
If you think Durban is a mystery from the outside, trust me, plenty of locals don’t know what’s going on here either. Everyone knows about the beaches, the weed, and the bunny chows, but most Durbanites spend their lives complaining that, “nothing ever happens in Durban.” They’re wrong. Here’s a brief guide to the best Durban has to offer right now.
Relatives
I used to think I was cool but it turns out Durban’s cool kids were all partying at Relatives without me long before I even heard about it. The pop-up party happens somewhat regularly at Daily Dosage on select Friday nights. To find out when you have to follow them on Instagram and keep an eye out for their stories. Want to know who is playing? You have to show up to the party. Originally started in 2019 as a meetup for underground DJs in Durban, Relatives has evolved into a communal experience that focuses on vibe over hype.
Hawema
For an infamously chilled city, Durban has a long lineage of pissed-off noisemakers. Hawema is the latest band to not just continue this tradition but push it forward. Their influences are vast and varied. The simplest way to describe their sound is Rage Against The Machine meets Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness. Hip-hop, hardcore, jazz, and even maskandi get thrown into the Hawema blender to produce a tasty noise smoothie. There’s a ferocity to their live shows that harkens back to Durban’s legendary late-2000s hardcore scene. Distributed by Ditto Music, their upcoming eponymous debut EP features their first single, ‘For The Pain’ – a literal cry for help. Mark your calendars for the project’s release on 21 April.
Irebo Creatives
As someone who follows in the footsteps of flânuers, I find myself regularly strolling streets all over the city. Whether it’s walking down Florida Road or around the point waterfront, lately I’ve seen a brand name popping up everywhere: Irebo. Hailing from Inanda, Irebo is township slang for, “good fashion and style.” The environmentally conscious fashion label was established in 2016 by Stringz and Zorro. It celebrates “lokishini” culture and style by upcycling and repurposing waste material to create high-quality bags, hats, clothing and accessories.
The Breakfast Room
In the two years they’ve been open, The Breakfast Room has become the go-to breakfast spot in the city. Their menu features breakfasts from around the world, including Italian frittatas, Mexican breakfast tacos, Turkish menemen, and French croque madame (or monsieur). The front presents itself as a typical upmarket coffee shop but around the back is a non-cringe example of urban regeneration. The building used to be a jail, but has since been used as a party spot, market space, and art gallery – a tradition that The Breakfast Room continues with regular events.
Sphephelelo Mnguni
Sphephelelo Mnguni is an artist who has followed the Durban tradition of creating art for the streets before filling galleries around the world with his work. His career started by decorating walls around the city, but since graduating from the Durban University of Technology his work has become more focused on celebrating and investigating modern Blackness, earning him critical acclaim as a fine artist. He’s also behind a number of album artworks from KwaZulu-Natal musicians, including Muzi’s ‘Interblaktic Instrumentals’. Mnguni recently opened his debut solo exhibition at BKhz in Rosebank titled ‘The Sampling: Thinking inside the box’, and featured as part of the Zeitz MOCAA exhibition ‘When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting’. If you’re looking to invest in a Durban artist, you should probably get one of his pieces, because the price is only going up.
Article by: Bob Perfect