The true origins of Voodoo Child as a band can actually be traced to years before the first jam session in 2004. The reason for this is the fact that there already existed among us friendships between individual members, meaning that working together was enjoyable, not just bearable. It took about five minutes for everyone of us to realise that there was enormous “rocking-out” potential within the as-yet unnamed band, and we were already gig-hunting before we even had our first rehearsal. That first gig, in the popular Johannesburg live venue BackIIBasix, was the birth of a live band that has canvassed the country steadily, building a support-base for their music. Although we don’t believe in a saturation point when it comes to improving as musicians, we still feel like the last three years have been the teething years for our music. Sure we weren’t dedicating the bulk of our early performances to our original material, but the time spent playing together and understanding each other as musicians proved invaluable when it came time to finding our own identity. But no-one ever said you can’t enjoy your education, so we went right ahead and partied our way across Gauteng… from BackIIBasix to Blues Room, via Tempo’s and Tanz Cafe, all the while familiarising ourselves with performing live. The initial hard work paid off when we recorded our first single, Plain Jane, and saw it announce the arrival of the band o the original music circuit. This was confirmed when we were billed alongside Arno Carstens and Dawnay for a New Year’s Eve Concert at the Sun City Superbowl in 2005. The fact that it was an original gig told us that we were definitely on the right path and we carried on writing into the next year, slowly feeling more and more comfortable with our own music. Next to releasing our second single, Taboo, to widespread acclaim, our biggest highlight of 2006 was by far our invitation to play Woodstock 8. I think it’s safe to say that playing this festival definitely rekindled a fiery passion within us for this kind of performance - and we don’t plan to put it out anytime soon. 2007 has seen us working even harder than before to complete the transition from talented cover band to a full-fledged original act. With a brand-new recording and management deal in place, we’ve had the honour of starting our year off on a high with Julio Garcia’s The Cover album for 94.7fm (Highveld Stereo). Not only do we find ourselves in the midst of some of the cream of South African music, but our take on the Beatles’ Come Together represents many of the various elements that define Voodoo Child’s sound. Our respective influences, ranging from rock, funk and soul to punk, jazz and hip-hop are given cameos on this high-energy classic. In typical fashion, we’ve viewed the experience as a learning curve for the upcoming recording of our debut album. The project will feature a blend of all our different styles, and (just as typically) we’ve been refining the songs to the point where we’re loving everything about every one of them – because only then do we believe we’ll be able to bring our music to you the way it was meant to be heard.