CRASHCARBURN

Chart topping rock band, CrashCarBurn, is testimony to the fact that after a decade a band can still be as fresh as the day it was incepted. Powerful rock anthems put together with a unique sound that is current and dynamic have given the 4-piece band the ammunition needed to dominate the radio airwaves and live circuits in South Africa. The band is made up of Garth Barnes (lead vocals and guitar), Brendan ‘Bugsy’ Barnes (drums), Etienne Janse Van Rensburg (bass) & Jaco Brittz (backing vocals & guitar).

the start:

After a highly successful 8-year run, brothers Garth and Brendan Barnes put the incredibly successful punk rock band Tweak to bed with a retrospective ‘best of’ package. However, they were far from ready to hang up their instruments. After taking their talents abroad in 2006, CrashCarBurn was born in London uniting loyal fans from the past with a brand new fan base that was equally drawn in by the crisp new sound that instantly won their validation.

the music:

The first album was recorded in London in 2006 with Grammy-nominated producers Colin Richardson and Matt Hyde. The album, titles ‘This City Needs a Hero’ generated a successful introduction as a ‘new’ band with hits such as ‘Serenade’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Get Away’, which all climbed the charts on many local radio stations.

The follow up album ‘Long Live Tonight’ came in 2010 and was the result of an exciting collaboration with American producer Mark Trombino, the man behind Blink 182’s ‘Dude Ranch’ and Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Bleed American’. This highly polished collection earned the band two SAMA nominations for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Engineer’. Along with these nominations the band’s commanding presence was reinforced with the smash hit ‘Twisted’ which became a chart topping single on many radio stations and was even added to Virgin Radio’s playlist in Thailand and China. The sudden interest in Asia was not to be scoffed at and the band embarked on a 6-show tour across Thailand and Singapore. ‘Twisted’ went on to become the biggest selling song of 2010 on the Nokia Music Store.

2012 was the beginning of the ‘Gravity’ era as the band launched their third studio album, which generated popular singles including ‘The Light’ and ‘Heartbeat Racing’, a collaboration with songstress ChianoSky. The album, produced by Grammy award-winning producer Darryl Torr, was launched in Africa’s biggest cinema together with a 15-minute documentary and followed by a performance backed by some of the most spectacular visuals.

Over the next year, the band did two more highly successful collaborations including 5fm’s Mash Lab with Short Straw called ‘Kings of Summer’ and a left-of-centre collaboration with Metro Award-winning rapper Kwesta on ‘Keep Walking’, which reached number one on Yfm in 2014. The single gained high rotation on most major radio stations across the country throughout 2015 which also saw the group release their next single, “Satellite”, accompanied by one of their most breath-taking music videos to date.

2015 and 2016 have kept the band busy with a number of projects including the release of the singles “Rock n Roll Reverie”, “Pay Back The Money” (a political protest song accompanied by a lyric video in conjunction with word-famous political cartoonist, Jonathan Shapiro), “Anthem of Warriors” (an anthemic support song dedicated to the South African rugby team during their participation in the Rugby World Cup) and “Winding Road” (a collaboration with singer-songwriter, Justin Serrao).

The band latest initiative has been a series of “Pop Goes Punk” shows which garnered massive attendances, with plans to do an annual, national series of shows around the country. This was supported by the release of two cover songs including B.O.B’s “Magic” and Demi Lovato’s “Cool for the Summer”.

the videos:

When CrashCarBurn announces a new single, this is often only the start of whetting the appetites of fans. The band has become known for releasing music videos of epic proportions in support of hit singles. Based in oceans, on city roofs or in boxing rings, the band understands that in this day and age, a visual representation is equally as important as what fans hear on an album or on radio. Big budget music videos have earned the band a number of awards, including the party anthem ‘Long Live Tonight’ being voted by the public as one of 10 winners in the MK MVP Awards. They also topped the MK charts with numerous videos including ‘Heartbeat Racing’ and ‘The Light’. All 15 music videos have received extensive airplay across SABC, MNET, DStv, MK, Channel O, Trace and MTV.

Enjoy CrashCarBurn’s videos by following the links below at:

www.youtube.com/crashcarburn

the stage:

Equally as impressive on stage as they are in the studio and in music videos, CrashCarBurn’s familiar hits can be heard at the thumping live shows that sell out music venues across the country and have fans captivated and screaming for more. In fact, CrashCarBurn’s live show is so good that it clearly impressed some very important people along the way and the band was added on to the lineup of 2008’s My Coke Fest, to play alongside the likes of Good Charlotte, Korn and Muse to an audience exceeding 30,000.

Again, their live show impressed even more big shots when they made South African history as the first African act to be included on the Vans Warped Tour that came with a 21 city international tour and an opportunity to win fans in the USA and Canada on the same bill as Paramore, Angels and Airwaves, Gym Class Heroes and Katy Perry. CrashCarBurn’s engagement with big international names continued on their return back to South Africa with a tour with punk legends The Ataris. The band has also completed a 6-show tour across Thailand and Singapore.

The band has performed at nearly every major festival from Oppikoppi to Symphonic Rocks (with the backing of a full 64-piece orchestra). Most recently, the band perform at Elis Park Stadium alongside even more internationally-renowned artists at the I HEART JOBURG Festival including Fall Out Boy, Jessie J, Panic! At The Disco, Jason Derulo, B.o.B & T-Pain.

the future:

2016 sees the band a decade on, working on the completion of their forth studio album. Watch this space!

the facts:

• CrashCarBurn formed in London in 2006. Returned to South Africa in 2007.
• Debut album, ‘This City Needs a Hero’ recorded with Grammy-nominated team, Colin Richardson and Matt Hyde.
• 3 singles: ‘Serenade’, ‘Get Away’ and ‘Heroes’ released.
• ‘Serenade’ voted song of the year 2007 on the 5fm Hi5@5 and reaches number one on various charts.
• ‘Broken Skyline’ playlisted on Karrang Radio in the UK after being added to their ‘Kerrang Unsigned’ compilation.
• ‘Scarlet Letter’ and ‘Sing This at My Wake’ used on Moto GP ’07 for XBOX 360 and PC.
• Support American band OK Go! on their SA tour in 2008.
• Perform alongside Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, Good Charlotte and Muse at My Coke fest 2008.
• ‘Serenade’ music video wins the MTVU Freshmen competition, 2008.
• Make history as the first African band to play the Van’s Warped Tour in 2008 alongside acts such as Paramore, Katy Perry, Angels and Airwaves, Gymclass Heroes and 3OH!3, performing in 21 cities across the US and Canada to crowds in excess of 14 000 per show.
• Tour nationally with USA pop-punk legends, ‘The Ataris’ in 2009.
• Perform at the MTV Africa Music Awards Media Launch Party and the 21st YOU Spectacular Awards where they were nominated in the ‘Best Male Newcomer category’.
• ‘Heroes’ music video nominated for an MK Video of the Year Award, 2009.
• ‘Under a Falling Sky’ released as a video single.
• Record sophomore album with internationally-acclaimed producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World; Blink 182), 2010.
• ‘Twisted’ single tops charts and reaches number 4 on the Highveld 94.7 Take 40 SA chart and goes on to become the biggest selling song of 2010 on the Nokia Music Store.
• Win the MK MVP Competition with their single ‘Long Live Tonight’.
• ‘Long Live Tonight’, ‘More Than This’, ‘Die Beautiful’ and ‘Skin vs Bone’ released as singles.
• Tour Asia in March 2011.
• Nominated for two 2011 SAMA awards in the ‘MTN Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Engineer’ categories.
• Perform with a 65-piece symphonic orchestra in October 2011 as part of the Symphonic Rocks Concerts.
• Record 3rd full-length studio album with locally acclaimed, Grammy award-winning producer Darryl Torr.
• Album launch at NuMetro’s iL Grande Cinema in Montecasino, featuring a 15min documentary spanning the band’s career and streamed live on the MK online platform.
• ‘The Light’ and ‘Heartbeat Racing’ reach number 1 on MK video chart.
• Perform as a headline act at Oppikoppi 2013.
• Perform as the local headliner at I HEART JOBURG Festival 2014 alongside internationally-renowned artists Fall Out Boy, Jessie J, Panic! At The Disco, Jason Derulo, B.o.B & T-Pain.
• “Kings of Summer”, “Keep Walking”, “Pay Back the Money”, “Satellite” and “Winding Road” released as singles.
• 15 polished music videos have received extensive play on Mnet, MK, MTV Africa, MTV ZA and SABC 3.
• Completed 2 international and 10 national tours to date (including the XBOX 360 Summer Tour, the Powerzone Road Shows and the Powerzone Summer Tours along with their own highly successful independent tours).
• Collaborated with four of South Africa’s top artists to date, namely ChianoSky (Heartbeat Racing), Short Straw (Kings of Summer), Kwesta (Keep Walking) and Justin Serrao (Winding Road).

crashcarburn online:

Official Facebook:
www.facebook.com/crashcarburn

Official YouTube:
www.youtube.com/crashcarburn

Official Twitter:
www.twitter.com/crashcarburn

Official Instagram:
www.instagram.com/crashcarburn

Email:

crashcarburn@gmail.com

Updated: 08.07.2016