LEAD MAGAZINE | 2019
ARE YOU PRIMED
TO BE FREE
A household name in their resident South
Africa for years now the band has tried to
crack the European market, doing better than
any other southern import with the exception
of Seether, who literally picked up and moved
the the USA.
The writer of this article is also a musician, who
has played to crowds of 30,000 and to not so
crowds of thirty. I get the journey. How many
of you reading this can truly say you followed
your passion in one of the most difficult and
disrupted industries on earth and made a
good living and an amazing difference doing it
for nearly twenty years. Certainly less than just
a few percent and that’s for sure.
Prime Circle released their first album in 2002,
back when people were still buying albums.
The style is west coast rock/ post grunge and
surely an iconic voice like that of singer Ross
Learmonth’s would sit well in a stadium in Los
Angeles. It’s a beautiful voice supported by
musicians who for once don’t overplay their
hand. What makes the great artists like Pink
Floyd or Santana is not what they chose to play.
Its what they don’t chose to play and that, like
in every business or life is what really makes it
memorable and successful. There’s no doubt
to the talent of keyboardist Neil Breytenbach
or guitarist Dirk Bischoff (He plays a Les Paul
so he has to be great) but the secret is they
never overplay their hand. Drummer Dale
Schnettler and bass player Marco Gomes keep
a tight rhythm section that give grunt when
needed to Learmonths vocals.
It’s tough being great in a country like South
Africa. It’s hardly a rock hot spot as far as
world stages go. However Prime Circle have
carved out a huge following winning the best
rock act in the whole of Africa, plus a bunch
of South African Music Awards over the years.
With 240,000 fans on Facebook they have a
following and play packed
houses yet always there is
the calling of getting global.
We get asked a lot how to
get global and part of the
mandate of this magazine
is to tell global stories. Our
answer is always the same.
Pick somewhere and go
there. That’s exactly what
Prime Circle did a number
of years ago. They did the
hard yards. It’s no small
inexpensive exercise to
move a band around and
whilst being signed by EMI,
it still falls back on what your
individual goals are and
how hard you are prepared
to push. Neil Breytenbach
explained that initially they
were playing in clubs of
literally tens of people and
they did a lot of them. Then
it slowly began to grow. We
see so many people blow
budgets on big launches
and being flashy but Prime
Circle kept it real. They were
finally seen by the right
people and in recent years have been playing
big festivals primarily from a base in Germany
during the summer season, supporting bands
like Rammstein and even Black Sabbath.
Platinum and Gold Albums have been
numerous in their career and their latest
album ‘If you don’t you never will’ (2017)
has already had two number one hits from it.
In 2016, they performed with Iron Maiden and
Iggy Pop in Vienna.
These guys are living their dream. Regardless
of all the fame, success and exposure that
comes with it the band remains grounded,
approachable and good hearted. Like most
born in Africa they have a soul for the land
and people and are literally in joy playing
on the continent. You can see it, the whole
way through the gigs. So much so that this
year they even ran their own festival called
‘Primefest’ in Johannesburg, which attracted
a sold out 10,000 plus event. Singer Ross
Learmonth said;
‘We are so excited to bring PRIME
FEST to our fans. This festival
is not a show about us. It is about
giving our fans and all music
fans an event where we have the
artists who love to play music and
share an outdoor experience with
festival goers.’
So what’s next. Prime Circle are writing and
playing better than ever and they still have
youth. The world is open for them. Obviously
Europe is the target, for the moment, but the
music is truly global. I have more Prime Circle
songs on my rotation than almost any other
band and according to I-Tunes ‘I will wait for
you’ is my third most played track. Given I
wrote the first two, this says a lot about the
band. A band in their prime, following their
passion, doing it their way with a product that
is global. You can contact the band through
their website www.primecircleband.com You
amy consider corporate sponsorship. This is
the future for many artists.
Neil Breytenbach is the Keyboardist, Songwriter, Producer, and Music Director of the band, Prime Circle. Since their debut in 2002,
Prime Circle have been one of the most celebrated rock acts in South African history. The band has toured extensively, performing at
several major international festivals over the course of their 17 year career, and have been honoured with numerous South African
music awards and celebrated chart topping hits.
www.primecircleband.com
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