December Streets is an indie rock band formed in late 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa. December Streets consists of Tristan Coetzee (

Lead Vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Rhythm Guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

), Nico van Loggerenberg ( Lead Guitar, Keyboard), Gideon Meyer ( Bass guitar, Saxophone), Waldo Boshof ( Trumpet, Keyboard) and Corneil Classen (

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). The band released its debut EP, titled ''EP'', on 20 January 2011, featuring radio singles such as ''My Name'', ''Fire Through the Window'' and ''Dance with Somebody''. December Streets broke onto the national radio charts, with ''My Name'' and ''Fire Through the Window'', both charting on national radio, including

5FM 5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster. SABC announced the appointment of Mr. JD Mostert as Business Mana ...

. The following year, after several line up changes, the band's current line up met through attending the University of Pretoria and together wrote and released their debut studio album, ''This Is'', on 2 August 2012.

History

Formation and early years

Tristan Coetzee and Gideon Meyer met through mutual friends during high school. Shortly after meeting each other, Gideon joined Tristan's first musical project, ''Local Authority'', a young punk band. After various musical projects, Tristan & Gideon got together again with Michael Schoeman (Guitar) Daniel Raubenheimer (Drums) and Erich Britz (Keyboard) to form what would be the beginning phases of December Streets, then called ''The December Streets''. In 2009 after experimenting with various genres, they decided to go to studio to record a 3 track demo, which included future singles ''Fire Through the Window'' and ''My Name''. Due to university and work pressures, band members, Michael Schoeman, Daniel Raubenheimer and Erich Britz left the band in 2010, before the release of their debut EP. After several line-up changes Tristan and Gideon met Corneil, Waldo and Nico at the University of Pretoria through various musical programmes. The newly reformed band quickly gained a following among students in their hometown of Pretoria. After receiving nationwide success with their first single, ''My Name'', they decided to launch their rerecorded debut EP. In 2012, December Streets recorder and released their debut album, ''This Is'', after signing with 2 Feet Music (a division of

Sheer Sound Sheer Sound is a South African independent record label formed in 1994 by Damon Forbes. History Sheer Sound was formed in November 1994, shortly after South Africa's first democratic elections. The label was initially a home for jazz and world ...

EP (2011)

The band's first physical release was simply entitled “''EP''” and was released on 20 January 2011. The 6 track EP was recorded at ''Antimotion Studio''. 4 singles followed from the EP, with fan favourite, ''My Name'', making it to the number 1 position on

's Rock Chart, as well as a spot in the top 40 in the International Chart. Two other singles, Fire Through the Window and ''Who Needs Shoes'' reached the top 10 charts on the local

Tuks FM Tuks FM is the radio station of the University of Pretoria and one of South Africa's community broadcasters. It was one of the first community broadcasters in South Africa to be given an FM licence. Previously renowned for its alternative ro ...

charts. EP's were sold at shows only, and given away for free under

creative commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

. Fans were encouraged to copy, share and distribute the album as much as possible.

This Is (2012)

In 2012 December Streets started recording their debut album, “This Is”, after signing with 2 Feet Music (a division of Sheer Sound). The album consists of the rerecorded hit singles from the EP and brand new tracks written in 2012. It was produced and recorded at ''Antimotions Studio in Johannesburg and was released to the public on 2 August 2012.

Untitled Second Album (2014)

The second album, still untitled, is currently being recorded and produced by Francoise De Klerk and Rudolph Willemse.

Band members

Current members

*Tristan Coetzee (Vocal, Rhythm Guitar) *Waldo Boshoff (Trumpet, Keyboards) *Corneil Classen (Drums)

Former members

*Daniel Raubenheimer (Drums) *Michael Schoeman (Guitar) *Erich Britz (Keyboard) *Nico van Loggerenberg (Lead Guitar, Keyboard) *Gideon Meyer (Bass guitar, Saxophone)

Achievements and Notable Shows

Achievements

December Streets' debut album, ''This Is'', had 4 ''Top 40'' hits on a national radio station, 5 FM. This includes: *My Name *Fire Through the Window *Got that Feeling *Thief

Notable Shows

December Streets continue to play at shows and festivals across South Africa including:

Discography

Albums and EP

Studio albums

Singles

*Who Needs Shoes(2011) *My Name(2011) *Fire Through the Window(2011) *Got that Feeling(2012) *Thief(2013)

References

External links

Official WebsiteDecember Streets on SoundcloudDecember Streets on FacebookDecember Streets on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:December Streets South African indie rock groups