Take two young people, add to it a South African background, mix it with a combination of calm and chaos and you’ll obtain Medicine Boy.
Medicine Boy came all the way from Cape Town and they are now based in Berlin. The type of music they play is hard to define, it’s a bit of everything and also nothing that has ever been seen before. I suppose all we can say is “It’s Medicine Boy”. They typically play the kind of music that has the power to make you enter in your own world and forget about the rest. But the most effective way for you to understand what I mean is to listen to their songs.
The group defines its music as “Dream Noise” and you understand what they mean as soon as you start to listen to their songs. Through their music, they take you into their own universe, between dream and reality. Medicine Boy is composed of André Leo (vocals/guitar) and Lucy Kruger (vocals/keys). After the releases of their EP (2014), LP (2016) and album (2018) they’ve been touring in Europe and South Africa.
I think that listening to them at home and living one of their concerts is another thing. Seeing them on stage must be quite worth the experience. And it’s really convenient because they’ll be playing in Berlin on Friday 7 June at the Urban Spree with a Brooklyn duo, the Vacant Lots. And what’s even more convenient is that you can win 2×2 tickets to see them! Cheers! More info below.
We’ve had the pleasure to speak a bit with them and ask some questions about them and their music.
indieBerlin: Hi Medicine Boy, first of all, how would you introduce your band to the people who don’t know you yet?
Medicine Boy:
The band formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2014 as a duo – two voices, guitar, organ and drum machine.
A big part of starting as a duo was the possibility to tour internationally. We’ve since acquired a drummer in SA and Europe.
We released an EP (More Knives – 2014) and an LP (Kinda Like Electricity – 2016) independently and toured Europe in support of both releases.
In 2018 our latest album, Lower, was released on Fuzz Club Records.
We currently live in Berlin.
indieBerlin: How would you define your music?
Medicine Boy:
We call it Dream Noise. Throughout the years that ‘label’ has continued to sit well with us.
That space between calm and chaos is where we tend to reside.
I guess it’s always easier to give a list of some influences when describing one’s music to someone for the first time – a promoter recently suggested ‘for fans of BRMC, Spiritualized, Portishead and Nick Cave’. We’ll take that.
That space between calm and chaos is where we tend to reside.
indieBerlin: Clash Music said “Medicine boy inhabit their own world”, could you tell us what does your world look like?
Medicine Boy:
I guess it’s the world created by our songs and these worlds tend to change. Some nights the same song can take you to a different place than it did the night before. There is a lot of space and shadows and night lights.
One thing that remains is that it’s a deeply personal world we inhabit with these songs.
indieBerlin: How did you two end up working together? Tell us more about your journey.
Medicine Boy:
We met in 2012 through a close mutual friend and the three of us quickly started playing together in various projects including Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys, which formed the following year.
As we became closer, musically and personally, we wanted to do something that just involved the two of us. There were a few reasons for this including the challenge of seeing how the hell we were going to make it work. I guess in many ways we’re still figuring it out.
There were a few reasons for this including the challenge of seeing how the hell we were going to make it work
indieBerlin: You’ve been touring in Europe, South Africa, and the UK. Where do you dream of performing next?
Medicine Boy:
There are still so many places in Europe we’d like to visit. Denmark and Russia to name a couple. Australia would be amazing. Seems like there’s a lot of good music coming out of there and I here the support for the arts is really strong.
indieBerlin: What would you say is the main benefit you both personally receive from working together?
Medicine Boy:
Being a musician (or any artist) is terrifying in so many ways while being extremely rewarding and soul-enriching in others. Having someone to share both sides of this coin with you makes the sorrow and struggle more manageable while the joys taste even sweeter.
Sharing songs is quite an intimate affair and knowing each other so well makes the space feel safe enough to do so.
Being a musician (or any artist) is terrifying in so many ways while being extremely rewarding and soul-enriching in others.
indieBerlin: I’ve read that for you, in 2017, Ratatouille might have been the greatest cinematic achievement of your time. Is it still the case or have you found a bigger masterpiece?
Medicine Boy:
It still reigns. I am excited to see what the new Toy Story will offer.
indieBerlin: Which is the funniest memory you both have with each other?
Medicine Boy:
Looking back, deciding to go on our first European tour for three months using only public transport is kind of funny. At the time it was a lot of things, but definitely not funny.
indieBerlin: If you could live one day in any other person’s shoes, which one would you each choose and why?
Medicine Boy:
André: Perhaps a professional diver, exploring the ocean.
Lucy: I’d like to be inside the mind of a writer for a while. Somebody like Neil Gaiman or Ursula K. Le Guin. I want to know what’s it like to have a whole other universes in my mind.
Win 2×2 tickets to see Medicine Boy this Friday at the Urban Spree! Simply send an email at win(at)indieberlin.de
Concert info:
The Vacant Lots+Medicine Boy
June 7 @ 8pm to 11pm
€16,45 at Urban Spree
Photo Credit: Willem van den Heever
