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The Lemmings are a rock /acoustic /pop band
originally from South Africa and now based in South Africa, Los Angeles and Vancouver.

The music, of which there are three released albums, has been described as "fluid and poetic" creating a new space in today's arena.

The Lemmings have done several national tours in South Africa, two tours in Europe - twice to the UK and once to Sweden as well as a two month tour of the USA.

In total, the band has played far over one thousand shows, including such famous events and venues as The Radium (Johannesburg), The Blues Room (Johannesburg), The Sun City Superbowl, Gunston 500, The Saint Hill Arts  Festival (Sussex, UK), Tre Backar (Stockholm) and Roxy Rhythm Bar (Melville, Johannesburg), Momo's (Austin Tx), The Derby Room (Los Angeles).

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About The Music:

Though The Lemmings is a great studio band, they are ultimately a live act that continues to blow audiences away with their two-hour concerts. From vast spacial moments that remind one of Pink Floyd, to shimmering and energetic anthems that get the audiences singing along, the band's dynamic performances are ultimately where the die-hard fans are won. 

Abri comments: "We are motivated by the present situation on Earth and our position in it. Music can bring hope and create the feeling of a future worth living. Art is really all people have today - an appreciation of beauty. One of our biggest sources of inspiration is the following quote: "A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists."




Abri van Straten: Guitars and Voice

"When I was nine years old, I heard The Byrds play 'Tambourine Man' and was stunned by the beauty of this. I decided to spend my life doing the same thing. I wanted to write great songs that stood on their own for all time.

 My vision is the creation of beauty."



Ludwig Bouwer: Bass Guitars, Voice and Production

An artist creates futures for all humankind, and if the artist is truly honest, it should be respected - as long as the artist takes responsibility for his or her message."

 




Warren Bruckmann: Drums

Warren is not only a brilliant drummer but also a true humanitarian, conducting human rights-missions into Africa and contributing hugely to several betterment groups. 








Brian Hodge: Piano, Keyboards and Voice

“One of the greatest gifts mankind has been given is art. We dream, we create, we communicate and shift viewpoints through art, its wonderful.”  



While some other bands have tried to hijack the name over the years, The Lemmings from South Africa remain the first and original The Lemmings. This is the story behind the name...

A great many myths abound about what a lemming is and what it is supposed to do. The most common myth – on which the computer game was based - is that lemmings are stupid little furry creatures similar to huge rats that follow their leader off cliffs and die. Some say they commit suicide due to over-population. There is also a story that goes that they leap into the Baltic-ocean in order to find a new land to inhabit. The truth is far more interesting…

Many, many years ago - some say before the time of the city of Atlantis - a beautiful and perfect land existed. It was known as Lemuria, and some referred to it as Mu. It was the land of the lemmings and it was paradise. But, as nature sometimes does, a great catastrophe occurred. Some say it was a meteorite, some say it may have been a volcano, others swear it was an angry god, but all agree that it was the greatest threat Lemuria had ever seen. The lemmings faced an almost certain end to their race. Becoming more and more desperate, and unsure whether they would be able to save their precious land, the elders of the lemmings built a special boat and put all the youngest of their race aboard, safely nestled in protective cocoons. They cast the boat off into the stormy ocean praying that the gods and the elements would guide these young infants to arrive somewhere more inhabitable.

As the vessel disappeared into the stormy distance, the elders turned back to their task of saving Lemuria.
Weeks and months later, carried from ocean to ocean by the currents and tides, the vessel bearing the infants struck shore on the cliffs of northern Scandinavia. The local villagers who discovered these infant lemmings raised them and tried to domesticate them, but as free beings often do, they resisted this attempt at control and when they grew up they fled into the forests where they again started to flourish. Unlike their ancestors though, the young lemmings had retained none of their former technology and over generations became quite a primitive race.

The haze of time could not erase all the memories completely though, and even to this day, the lemmings talk amongst themselves and swap folk tales about a perfect land called Lemuria.

And sometimes, just sometimes, when the nostalgia gets too much, a few lemmings gather enough courage to leap back into the ocean in search of this place, this perfect state of existence…








Thanks for visiting us, we'll see you at the show!

 


 

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