The Story That Shaped SIDEPIECE
“We don’t want to sound like another band. We want to sound like SIDEPIECE. We want our music to sound original, and we’d hope they feel that. We don’t want to be a knock off of another band…”
Shot By @framethegig / Instagram
To be honest, I had never been entirely tapped into the Rock or Punk scene in Cape Town. I had a few encounters with the genre in my earlier years when a couple of my mates started their own band that didn’t last too long (shoutout Backdoor Amber, iykyk). However, having known them, they properly introduced me to the names and spaces that made the genre so prominent in the Mother City.
It was only last year when we had been invited to the Up The Creek 2025 briefing, hosted at KAYA Cafe, as they prepared to brief the artists for their stage performances, that I eventually encountered the band known as SIDEPIECE.
Finally witnessing their riveting performance at the KAYA Cafe Stage at Up The Creek 2025, I was left astonished by how exhilarating their performance was. I struggle to gather the words to describe how exciting their set was, but they did a phenomenal job at captivating the audience and myself. My fascination with the band grew more as I spent the rest of the festival getting drunk and enjoying the prestigious festival with their lead singer, Nathan Garret, and it’s why I was so eager to have a chat with the lads, breaking down how this mission of theirs came about and gaining more insight into their upcoming project.
Kicking off this interview, could you each tell me a bit about who you are and what role you play
in SIDEPIECE?
N: “I am Nathan Garett. I am the vocalist and bassist for SIDEPIECE. The reason I got into music was because while growing up, music was the only thing that kept me going.”
“Obviously, I know I was very privileged growing up, but I still had my own hardships to face, I had issues, and there’s always the family shit to deal with. The one thing that kept me going through all that was music.”
“The first instrument that I picked up was the bass, which I only started learning at the age of 17. It was actually because mates of mine in high school had a band and I was at every one of their practices or gigs. Eventually, it got to a point where they told me that they loved my energy, but I had to fucking pick something up. Some dude just handed me a bass, and that’s where it started.”
“In the wise words from Louw: “Bass is the easiest thing to learn but the hardest to master.”
L: “I am Louwrens Venter, guitarist and gang vocals of the group (laughter). Yeah, I’ve been playing guitar for 23 years. I got my first one when I was twelve. I remember my parents not wanting to buy me one, so I had to borrow one from a friend. It was only when I showed my parents that I was good at it and really enjoyed it that they were cool with it.”
“Otherwise, I’m actually just a creative, and it’s what I do for a living. I’m a creative director at a design agency. I work in the creative industry in the day while continuing my passion for music at night. Overall, I’m just a maker.”
P: “I am Pierre Horne. I’m the drummer for SIDEPIECE. I’ve been playing the drums since I was 15. For me it was always the heavier stuff. I was listening to bands like Architects, The Devil Wears Prada, Of Mice & Men, A Day to Remember, Underoath, Bless The Fall etc. “
“I guess it’s about what you heard for the first time. It’s the first time that music makes you feel something. It started with Metallica which progressed to heavier and heavier music. If I listened to Led Zeppelin when I was 14, it would be an entirely different story.”
Growing up, what were your musical inspirations? What kind of sounds drew you into thinking of
making music of your own one day?
P: “For me, like I said before, it was always the heavier stuff. I was listening to bands like Resolve, Architects, and more of those metal sounds that nobody had really heard or were into back then.”
N: “Yeah, that’s why Pierre is the one who gives our sound that kind of bite.”
P: “Yeah, I guess it’s about what you heard for the first time. It’s the first time that a sound makes you feel something. It started with Metallica, which progressed to heavier and heavier sounds. If I listened to Led Zeppelin when I was 15, it would be an entirely different story. That’s just my analogy of how feeling something for the first time may be the start of your musical journey.”
L: “I think mine was Pixies and Nirvana. That was the moment when I discovered there was great music out there. There’s sounds that make me feel things.”
N: “There were two sorts of influences for me. As a kid, I remember my parents bringing home “Stadium Archadium” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the time, I really enjoyed “Dani California” because of it playing on the radio, but it was cool to find out they had even more music on a long album.”
“And on the second day of high school, I remember driving home and on the radio, “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” Arctic Monkeys was playing, and from there I just kept diving into more of their music.”
So how do you guys all know each other?
L: “Pierre and I have been friends for a couple of years now. However, Neil and I have quite the story of our own on how we met. I was partying in Stellenbosch with a girlfriend at the time, and she called him to the table to join. Him being very friendly, I thought they had been the best of mates.”
“We were making plans on doing something in Cape Town and maybe even booking an Airbnb in Cape Town. We ended up partying the whole duration of Heritage weekend at the biggest venue, and after three days of partying with Nate, we dropped him off. Surprisingly, my girl at the time told me that she had loved my friend. The whole time I was thinking he was her friend. (everyone laughs).”
“Since then, it was inevitable. We ran into each other a couple of weeks later, I realised he had a bass guitar, and we slowly started jamming together.”
N: “Louwrens was the first person I actually ever got to jam with. I always used to sit in my room and play by myself before that. Until he came along, grabbed me by the ear, and would show me what this and that did with making music.”
P: “Yeah, initially SIDEPIECE was just the two of them. I only came later.”
L: “Since lockdown, it was the two of us for the next four years. It was a lot of time to not do much but to just get drunk and play music.”
N: “And we’d also listen to a lot of music. I think that was the time when everything was easing up from lockdown, and I moved into Louwrens place. That’s where we shared a lot of music and finding common places in what we liked and what we didn’t like when listening to different music.”
What was the moment like when you decided on the three of you all coming together to create SIDEPIECE?’
L: “We were always all good friends, but back then, we had a different drummer. But it just wasn’t vibing. It didn’t feel right to fully commit because we knew we weren’t ready, but we’d know when we were ready.”
“Our past drummer eventually went to the UK, but we weren’t sure if he’d be fully committed to the band or not, which is why we asked Pierre to come through just to maybe play some drums for us here and there.”
P: “I saw straight through you! (laughter). He sent me the message, and I knew exactly what he wanted.”
L: “Hey, man, I was just playing it easy. But now that the three of us all got together, it became a thing of how were we going to do this?”
N: “And that’s how we actually got our name. Louw’s fiancé created a group with all of us and named it “side-hoes”. We went for some pizza later, and it sounded like something, but we thought to rather change it to SIDEPIECE. That’s how it was born.”
Since the formation of the band, how have things been going?
P: “What I’d say is that every time we play together, we are getting even better and better. So that’s good. It’s a good feeling to always know that you’re getting better.”
“And not just from the improvements of our performances, our songwriting is also getting better, and our creative process keeps improving. It’s great to know that there’s a trust in our progression, finding out what works for us, and obviously playing our music live.”
L: “And also finding our sound and what makes us unique.”
N: “And for me, it’s so much fun. These are two of my best friends. When we lock into a groove, you can feel it. I always say that with a band, the music needs to sound bigger than its parts.”
“When you’ve all locked in, and it’s something we’ve all agreed upon, the execution always comes out right, and that always feels brilliant.”
You earlier mentioned finding your sound. What is your sound?
L: “It’s a difficult one to describe because it’s a bit of everything. It doesn’t really fit in a particular box. It is punkesque, there’s a bit of new age, and there’s a bit of different influences in our sound. It’s difficult to put your thumb on it.”
N: “There’s a little bit of Grunge in there.”
L: “Yeah, it’s Punk, PostPunk, and even the chords we play are very Jazzy, very Bluesy, and Pierre brings the metal drumming while Nate brings his grungy vocals. It’s a mix of everything, but it’s hardcore.”
How did you guys land on that sound? Was it a planned thing or did it come from just jamming around with each other?
N: “We’re not really a jam band. We would very much go into the process with the thought of having something written, which leads into this thing, and now we’ll sit in a room and think of how we can make a song out of this. That’s how we structure it.”
L: “Also, in terms of the style of music, we’ve had an idea of the style of our music for years. We also don’t jump around too much into the different genres, but we have a set idea of what the sound of SIDEPIECE should be.”
N: “That’s also where Louwrence and I are the loskops of the group. That’s where Pierre comes in and does the proper structuring (laughter).”
From your experience as a music creatives, do you think there’s a music industry for Rock acts in Cape Town?
N: “There’s a music scene. Not a music industry. Not yet dude.”
P: “An industry would mean money! Well, there is money but not necessarily for alt music. The money is more towards pop acts or the more commercial stuff.”
“Advertisers and sponsors will spend money on events where they know they’ll make money. That’s not alt events.”
“Yes. The events that are being organised are done by individual smaller companies like Planet Karavan, Foulplay, Noisefix, Breakneck Bookings. Not the big major event companies. I would definitely say Rock is more on the niche side.”
N: “For example, before COVID, Jagermeister and Jose Cuervo were doing festivals for Rock. Now that’s shifted towards Hip Hop, Amapiano, and Gqom events. That’s where the money’s at.”
“The public’s consensus or the public’s taste has changed. And that’s perfectly fine. But a little bit of representation here or there could go a long way for the genre. I think Rock doesn’t get the exposure that it needs. Not like how it used to.”
“You know what I actually think? I think because life has become a bit more shittier for people, the music has to be happier for people to enjoy. I think Rock is a bit more on the angrier side.”
P: “Rock was always the cool kid for like 50 years. It’s no longer the cool kid, and the money follows whatever is cool. Money follows whatever is trending and whatever is blowing up.”
“You don’t see Rock songs becoming TikTok dances. It’s always a different new thing at a different time, and money will always follow that. Which makes total sense. Time’s have changed like that.”
Would you say the Rock or Alt music scene is now a niche kind of thing?
P: “Yes, extremely. The events that are being put on are being done by individual companies and brands, not the big major companies. I would definitely say Rock is more on the niche side.”
“Yes, you do get bands that surpass that bubble. Like Desmond And The Tutus. They still are THAT band and they could fill almost any venue.”
J: “They are a bit Pop-Rocky, though, so they appeal to both fans of the two sounds.”
P: “Even though they’re not necessarily an Alt band, they’ll play at all the festivals because people will associate them as being cool.”
“However, I feel the majority of Rock is not deemed cool anymore. This is just in general. Rock is obviously fucking cool to all of us.”
N: “With them, I think what made it work for them for so many years is their quirkiness. And it’s why we love them, and it’s why everybody loves them. They’re awesome.”
“I think Rock needs to embrace a little bit of that and to not take itself so seriously. It’s very much about leather jackets and smokey bars, which is sick, but bands should be able to take light of themselves.”
I watched you guys perform at The House Of Machines and it was quite the exciting experience. For someone who wasn’t aware of the shows you put on and are attending a gig of yours for the first time, what kind of feeling or experience do you hope they leave the show with?
L: “We’d hope they’d leave knowing that we’re not your generic Rock band. We bring something a little bit different, and we’re trying to find a little genre or niche in the Rock scene that is unique to us.”
“We don’t want to sound like another band. We want to sound like SIDEPIECE. We want our music to sound original, and we’d hope they feel that. We don’t want to be a knock-off of another band.”
N: “100%. I think we want people walking away knowing they weren’t expecting what they had seen. We’d like them to know that they didn’t need that, but lowkey they did.”
Of course. And I recall watching you guys perform at Up The Creek in 2025 and watching Nate raging on his guitar while kicking and smashing the props on stage. That took me off guard, but I enjoyed every bit of it.
N: “That’s the energy. Energy translates into so many genres. Look at Travis Scott, for example, he’s got that hyped energy for the Hip Hop scene. He knows how to get the people hyped and up on their feet.”
“While performing, if I’m not going crazy, how can I expect the audience to go crazy?”
P: Exactly. Once the crowd picks up on your energy, and the feedback loop starts happening…those are the best shows to play.
L: “It’s contagious because when you start playing hard, they start going harder.”
P: “And that’s when you get into that flow mode. When the crowd isn’t interacting much, you focus more on just trying to play well. But when the crowd is going, the feedback just puts you into this wonderful flow mode.”
“One of the most beautiful parts of playing live is when you’re in that feedback loop flow mode.”
I can sense the strong bond between the three of you. If you had to look at one another, what have you learned the most about yourselves and each other?
P: “I learned that I should stop being an asshole. I’ve also learned that I should stop always wanting to be in control, in terms of composing our music. And I’ve also learned to be more patient and understanding. That’s all because of them! Making music with people is a very intimate thing.”
L: “From Pierre, I learned to have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that order. Listen more and speak less!”
P: “Yeah, because I didn’t do that (laughter).”
L: “Exactly. I also didn’t do that. From Nathan, what I learned was that life is short, so make the most of it.”
“You can take that any way you want to. Things aren’t always as serious as they need to be. People are always so serious when there’s really no need to be. You can actually just live in the moment and enjoy things. Otherwise, what’s the fucking point?”
N: “Yeah, man, I guess from the whole experience, I learned that being wreckless isn’t as fun as it seems. Especially when you’re working with people. These gents taught me that life is not just a party. If you fuck up, you have to take responsibility.”
“But you also have to do your best to make sure that the shit never happens again. There’s no shame in calling a party a party. These guys are very strong characters in the sense of what they want to do is what they want to do, and there’s nothing you can say about it. That’s very admirable because I’ve got a very rubber arm. That’s something I really enjoy about working with my brothers. Yeah dude, they’re just fucking stellar okes man (laughter).”
Faux Confidence - A vibrant album overflowing with excitement!
Finally releasing their long-awaited body of work, the Cape Town band pulled out all the heat on this one. This eight-track project wasted no time making an impression, with the opening track, "Who", immediately demanding your attention. Booming instrumentation erupted from the speakers as raging guitars collided with the heart-pounding drumline, setting the tone for the exhilarating journey that followed.
Nathan's performance was outstanding throughout, pouring raw rage and emotion into every verse while maintaining a captivating sense of charisma. His delivery shone brightest on standout tracks "Crisis", "Genft", and "Knock Knock", each of which displayed the band's ability to channel intensity into something genuinely memorable.
What made this project so special is the way it transformed anger into something strangely beautiful. The aggression never felt forced. Instead, it became an essential part of the storytelling, drawing you deeper into the band's world with every track. It's this balance of ferocity and artistry that has made them such a beloved act.
More than anything, this album has me eager to experience these songs in a live setting. The project perfectly captures the essence of the band's identity - relentless energy, unapologetic intensity, and a willingness to push their sound to its limits while still delivering a compelling narrative. A huge congratulations to the lads on an exceptional release and I strongly encourage everyone to give this thrilling album a listen.
