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Biography
Civil Twilight originally started in 2005 as a trio of brothers Andrew and Steven McKellar and Richard Wouters in their hometown of Cape Town. They spent several years practicing in local church halls and garages before playing in local gigs until they relocated to Los Angeles, California in the United States. While in Los Angeles, the band signed with indie label, One October, and recorded their debut single, “Human,” which was released in 2007. Their released singles faired well, with some of the songs being featured on various television shows such as The Vampire Diaries and House. This allowed them to gain more popularity, and eventually relocating to Nashville, Tennessee.
Having signed with Wind Up Records, the band released their first full-length album entitled “Civil Twilight” which was released in 2008. Joined by keyboardist Kevin Dailey, Civil Twilight released their sophomore album entitled “Holy Weather,” which peaked at number 3 on the US Alternative chart. For most of 2012 the band was busy touring, embarking on a headlining tour of the United States, followed by a series of appearances at music festivals such as Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas), and Rockin’ The Daisies in their hometown of Cape Town, South Africa.
Live reviews
If you are into rock and are looking for something different to mix it up a little, then Civil Twilight are the band for you. Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, they have released two epic albums since they started out just a few years ago in 2010. The band started at the bottom, working their way up from local churches, bars, and clubs, to larger music venues, and then arena tours. Their brotherly attitude (as well as Steven and Andrew actually being brothers) is evident in their tight performance and musical collaboration.
Gaining TV coverage on shows such as One Tree Hill was great exposure for Civil Twilight, and their following blossomed from these appearances. I was lucky enough to see the band in a quite small intimate theatre, and the experience was fantastic. Although the venue was full, the guys really chatted to us one on one and made us feel totally immersed and involved in the show. They produced an epic wall of sound throughout the performance, jamming from one song into the next. They even threw in a few covers to keep the audience really interested.
The lighting was something that added to the performance that had an unexpected effect, it brought the band to life even further, so kudos to the lighting guys! The band were on fire, best performance yet!
yazhow
Although South Africa rarely exports internationally recognised musical outfits, following the release of the four piece rock band Civil Twilight's eponymous debut the world was forced to sit up and take notice. Their alt-rock sounds and evocative performance style had captured the hearts of a solid South African following and they were poised to take the rest of the globe.
It was not only fans that found their music engaging, esteemed performers including Smashing Pumpkins and Florence + the Machine invited them out to support their tours and it is clear Steven McKellar and co have taken tips from these support slots. The live show is now a designed entity with enthralling screens showcasing various visuals that compliment tracks such as 'Oh Daniel' and 'Let It Go' well. The music from their first album has been developed and expanded to include evocative instrumentals partly as demonstration of skill and also to hold the audience within moments on 'Trouble'. The encore track of 'Letters in the Sky' has received the largest re-imagination so far and seems to be so much more epic, receiving a deservedly large round of applause.
sean-ward
Having loved the recordings from Civil Twilight I was thoroughly pleased to see them in concert at a small venue where crowd/artist interaction was possible and the mood wasn't diluted by huge crowds and crowding.
Civil Twilight performed a terrific set that was eloquent enough musically to prove their writing and arranging chops are of the highest tier. As with most live performances, hearing and understanding the lyrics competes with the volume of the electronic instruments but the beauty of the internet largely renders that concern moot when the poetry is available to any fan.
CT gets 4.5 stars for their Troubadour, West Hollywood performance on April 7, 2015. They are worthy of advancing into the realm of super-groups if enough of the public, promoters, and broadcasting outlets will but expose their music to the world.
coleen-cannon-ary
Show was absolutely amazing. The atmosphere was great, the venue was awesome and the band couldn't have played a better show. Both and members Steven and Andrew came and met the fans and did signings afterwards. Incredible guys, I highly recommend seeing them every time you have the chance.
cindrellaman
