Circus - Circus (Reissue) (1977/2001)

Circus ruled in South Africa's wildcat club culture of the mid-1970s - an original band, with a theatrical approach to their songwriting in the ballpark of David Bowie, Elton John, and New York's Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Not that they were copying anyone. It's just that when the pop market is on a roll, bands bounce off one another as they follow the momentum. That's when unknowns can break into the big time every week with their own twist on what's happening. That was Circus's edge. Everything they touched in their glorious 30-month run from 1976-8 set a new level of excitement in the biggest clubs of the Reef and the Coast. They stayed true to themselves, and wound up broken by the SABC's Tannie morality and the profit motive of the record companies. But they showed the way in the time of massive change in the music market. The Windrich brothers of éVoid and Jonathan Selby of Petit Cheval were regulars at Circus jams. In the pre-Punk era maybe Circus were South Africa's New Romantics. They were professional musicians, all under 23, with unshakable faith that they had what it takes to get to the top of the world charts. And in 1978 they proved it...