Come rock your way to fame. Attention all high school bands: The Band Battle is a brilliant chance to turn up the volume of your truth, maybe get a gig going, put some hard cash in your pocket and just jam your heart out with your buddies! This prestigious competition will be presented by Curro Durbanville High School on Friday 27 June 2025 and all high schools in the Western Cape are invited to enter.

“Our school has a cultural heart and would like to draw on The Band Battle to help setting up bands everywhere, in towns and cities, and giving them a platform to make music. We hope this competition – which is a first for us – becomes an annual institution that stimulates creativity and camaraderie,” says organizer Deon van Zyl. One of the many attractions of this competition is that there are no guidelines and that each band has room to showcase its own skills, make music in its own style and with its own choice of instruments. “We have already received an entry from a band that even uses a cello!” says Van Zyl. Entries – which include an audition video of one song – close on 24 April 2025. Entries are available online at the school’s website or send an email to Hanchen le Roux at hanchen.l1@curro.co.za for more details.

Francois van Coke_X_Monarch Coffee_X_Kikitography

The night of reckoning

The top ten bands will be invited to an audition, after which the three bests will go through to the final to shake things up on stage during The Band Battle concert on June 27. The three bands will take care of the pre-show. Rock legend Francois van Coke is not only the main judge; he and his full band are also the evening’s guest artists who will perform after the school bands. The band that wins goes home with R10 000 in cash and gets the opportunity to perform for an hour at Die Boer Theatre in Durbanville. Tickets for this festive gig are on sale at Quicket.

The Band Battle is part of Curro Durbanville High School’s new Kultura Festival which will take place from 20 to 27 June on the school’s campus. In addition to productions from beloved artists such as Sandra Prinsloo, Marion Holm, Barry Hilton and Early B, the country’s leading public speaking teams will face each other in the brand-new Nou praat jy! speech contest. And, because all these things unfold in Durbanville, a Wine Festival will be held to showcase the local wine farms’ finest creations, offering the community a chance to come together and enjoy this cultural celebration. Tickets for all the shows are available at Quicket.co.za