Park Acoustics, hosted at the Voortrekker Monument, is growing in popularity by the minute! It's becoming a monthly institution not to be missed. And with the inclusion of an international band in the last show, a new record has been set for the amount of people that can be squeezed into the open air venue.

Selling over 2000 tickets, the big hit of Sunday's gig was definitely the acclaimed band KONGOS – four brothers currently living in Phoenix, Arizona but with South African roots. Their famous muso dad, John Kongos, started his career in Johannesburg before travelling to Europe. He met his wife, an American, in London and thereafter came back to Johannesburg. His boys spent much of their youth in South Africa before moving to America.

Chatting to them, they admitted that coming back to South Africa had quite an unexpected emotional edge to it, returning after being out of the country for 15 years.

Their debut album was released in 2007, but recently they have become a favourite on local radio stations. They commented that Pretoria fans are boosting their career greatly, the single from their first album “In The Music” reached No.9 on the Tuks FM Top 40. The new single “I’m Only Joking” was No.1 on Tuks FM Top 30 for two weeks in a row earlier this year.

With their unique sound of mixed genres, the band is for sure one to take note of. Dylan – 25 plays bass as well as lead singer, Jesse – 28 plays drums, Danny – 22 lead guitar and Johnny – 30 has revived the accordion to a funky instrument and compliments it perfectly with the keyboard. The backing vocals flow naturally with each brother offering a bit of their expertise. The South African tour coincides with their new cd launch “Lunatic”. Their scope range from hard core rock to acoustic ballades, to funky pop.

The supporting acts, Flint & Tinder and Batteleur, complimented KONGOS by offering a bit of an acoustic vibe as well as a crazy funky rock one. Flint & Tinder is made up of two local musos Trip Needham (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard, harmonica and mandolin) and VanMerwe (vocals, acoustic guitar, violin) Although they have only been jamming together officially since June of 2011, their rise to popularity is rampant. Their acoustic approach to Folk, Soul and Blues with chirpy and mellow lyrics create a unique energy.

Batteleur, an instrumental band from Cape Town, classifies themselves as a Post Triassic Big Beat band, with melodramatic easy listening music. It's difficult to put your finger on their particular style, very experimental. To put it simply – a bunch of talented, passionate musicians grouped together, having fun doing something different.

Excitement was tangible in the air as the crowd anticipated the arrival of KONGOS on the stage and went into a exhilarated crazy frenzy as the four brothers strutted their stuff. Luckily this is not the last we will see of this red-hot band, their local tour will meander back up to us with their next show at Arcade Empire, Saturday 21 January. Also, keep an eye on the press, their might be another gig in the Hatfield area in February!

Park Acoustics is sure to rock the capital with lots of good vibes next year, so be smart and don't miss out on the fun next year. Definitely a big bargain – three to four bands per gig, ranging between R60 to R100 a ticket. Keep an eye on our gig guide to know when the next event will rock us!