THE BATS AT THE HEX

The Hexagon Theatre on the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus will host another return season of the ever-popular The Bats.

It all started in 1964 when the bats - Eddie Eckstein, Paul Ditchfield, Pete Clifford and the late Barry Jarman - burst onto the local scene and became, to many ardent followers, South Africa's answer to the Beatles. They toured extensively, both locally and internationally, wowing audiences here and in the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) and Germany with their brilliant music and hilarious comedy show. More than just great musicians, they were also great entertainers, and it was this that kept them at the top of their game for 16 years, an amazing achievement for any band.

In the early 70's they won a Sarie award for Song of the Year with Who's That Girl, and in 1972, Paul's composition Oh God It's Beautiful was chosen to represent South Africa at the Tokyo world song festival. Paul took Eddie with him to Tokyo to perform the song and they reached the finals.

In 1980, with many hit singles, including In A Shabby Little Hut and Vat hom Dawie and a whole bunch of long playing vinyls under their belts, they decided to go their separate ways to pursue solo careers. This break just seemed to hone their talents because after a break of 21 years, they are better musicians now than they were then!

After constant pressure from their fans to get back together again, Eddie, Paul & Pete, minus the late Barry who had decided to retire, were joined by Derek Gordon and got back on the road for what they thought would be a short 'come back'. Little did they know that ten years later, they would still be on the road, delighting audiences young and old.

The BATS appear at the Hexagon Theatre from February 24 to 26 at 19h30. Tickets R90pp booked on 033 260 5537 or email hexagon@ukzn.ac.za