Cape Town’s crowded events calendar is getting another addition. Amber Hour, created by Locnville (the music duo consisting of brothers Andrew and Brian Chaplin) and Sketchy Bongo (real name Yuvir Pillay), a record producer, DJ and songwriter, launches on April 30 at Grand Africa Café & Beach, running from 4pm to 2am.
Locnville, who formed in Cape Town in 2009, are gearing up for a comeback. They dropped their latest track, Show Me Love, in October last year after returning from a brief hiatus.
They describe Amber Hour as an “experiential series” that prioritises atmosphere and audience engagement as much as music. According to Locnville’s Brian Chaplin, the goal is to move away from passive crowds towards something more immersive.
“It’s about creating a space where everyone genuinely connects, not just shows up,” he says, adding that the team wanted to avoid the familiar sight of audiences disengaged behind their phones.
The concept has been shaped in close collaboration between Chaplin and Sketchy Bongo, whose creative partnership predates the event. Both artists were drawn to the idea of building something that feels more like a social gathering than a traditional concert.
The choice of venue reflects that thinking – Grand Africa has a beautiful beachfront setting and a relaxed, open environment that suits the tone of the production. Chaplin says, “I’ve had this idea of hosting an event there for a while, using the ocean as a natural backdrop. It’s the right time of the year for this kind of thing, as summer comes to an end. It marks the changing of the seasons and is structured to follow the transition from late afternoon into night, with sunset forming a key part of the experience.
“The whole aesthetic is built around that last glow of sunshine before heading into night,” Chaplin says, and the mood will intentionally progress from a more relaxed daytime energy into a high-tempo evening atmosphere.
Musically, Amber Hour reflects current trends in South African sound. The lineup brings together a mix of established and emerging artists, including Skelm, Celso Fabbri, MEEK, Rudy Julius and Kurt April, alongside headliners Locnville and Sketchy Bongo. The programming leans into Afro house, amapiano and Afro fusion — genres that Chaplin says represent where his own sound and the broader local music scene are moving.
Chaplin says, “Amber Hour isn’t meant to be a Locnville-led showcase. It’s designed as a platform for lots of artists. It’s its own brand, its own thing.”
He adds that, while the duo will perform at the first event, the broader aim is to create space for the next generation of talent.
There seems to be a strong appetite for a curated experience like this. Early ticket phases have already sold out, with general admission and VIP options still available.
“It’s a positive sign,” says Chaplin, emphasising that demand ultimately comes down to execution. “There’s a gap for just about any kind of event as long as you’re creating something special,” he says.
As the first instalment in what’s planned as an ongoing series, Amber Hour will serve as a test of whether audiences are looking for something beyond the standard festival format. If successful, it could mark a shift toward more deliberately designed, experience-led events in South Africa’s live music space — where setting, timing and curation carry as much weight as the artists themselves.
Tickets are on sale now at howler.co.za/amber-hour.
