Clap Your Hands Say Yeah live in concert

Indie rock sensation “Clap Your Hands Say Yeah” will howl at Cape Town crowds on April 13 2012.

See our interview with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

If you’re not familiar with “Clap Your Hands Say Yeah”, the Philly-Brooklyn quintet set to step onto South African stages as the first of four shows in the Live Performances Series from adidas All Originals, you’re not alone.

The revolutionary rockers’ sound, as well as their success, is the stuff of Indie folklore. More specifically, the group is nearly as famous for recording, releasing, promoting and distributing their 2005 self-titled debut album without the help of outside sources as they are for making good music.

Their do-it-yourself antics and their refusal to indulge the major record labels garnered a cult-like following that included the likes of bloggers, influential music web sites and even noteworthy celebrities – think David Bowie.

In short, they used word-of-mouth and the Internet to beat the system, and cemented their integrity by boldly refusing an offer from the producers of “The O.C.”, the now-cancelled overly melodramatic teen soapie, to perform on the show.

"I don't like the idea of being overexposed," front man Alec Ounsworth told The New York Times back in 2005. "Vincent van Gogh never sold a painting, and he was perfectly content."

Needless to say, their fame largely resides within the thought clouds of scenesters and hipsters, so if you don’t know them don’t fret.

“Clap Your Hands Say Yeah” has more to bring to Cape Town crowds than just “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” and “Is This Love?” though, both favourites off the 2005 album. The band released their second album, “Some Loud Thunder”, in 2007 and their third, “Hysterical”, in 2011 after a brief hiatus.

The most recent release has received mixed reviews, and the group openly admits that they’ve adopted a more middle of the road approach; meaning, it’s more mainstream than anything they’ve come out with in the past.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Cape Town concert at the Wittebome Civic Centre, a venue that’s been selected for its appropriately off-the-radar appeal, will be supported by local artists. Tickets are now available via Webtickets.co.za.

Read CapeTownMag's live interview with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah prior to their Friday the 13th Cape Town concert.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert in Cape Town

When: 13 April 2012, 8PM

Where: Wittebome Civic Centre, Rosemead Avenue, Wynberg

Line-up: Sideshow / Beach Party / Spoek Mathambo / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Tickets: Early bird - R275 / Pre-sale - R325 / Regular - R375

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Johannesburg

When: 14 April 2012, 8pm

Where: Town Hall, The Street, Newtown

Line-up: Musical Chairs / Desmond and The Tutus / Spoek Mathambo / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah / Lil Bow

Tickets: Early bird - R275 / Pre-sale - R325 / Regular - R375