Jesse Clegg – a talent second to none
Despite hailing from the UK, I am obviously well aware who iconic South African singer Johnny Clegg is. I am equally aware that alternative rock artist Jesse Clegg is his son. This knowledge should have stopped me from making a huge blunder the first time I met Jesse but of course, it didn’t.
Chatting to him and Richard Onraet after their show at The Boeretroos recently, I spoke a little about my background and happened to mention that my own father is a musician. “Oh, so is mine!” chirped Jesse with a smile. Cue blunder: “Oh, really? Who is he then?” Realisation hits me a little too late and the damage is done, but Jesse thankfully laughs it off. In retrospect, I like to think that actually, my blunder was a huge compliment… I didn’t automatically associate him and his music with that of his father and I appreciated his talent as an artist in his own right.
The fact is, I’d just watched the most amazing acoustic set by Jesse and Richard and was blown away. At no point during the show did I think of Jesse’s background, I simply enjoyed a fantastic performance by him and Richard. Nothing more, nothing less.
Catching up with the talented pair the next day, I chatted to them, blunder forgotten, about their passion for music, touring and South Africa.
The two met in December 2013, at a time when Richard had been playing guitar for Arno Carstens and Jesse was between guitarists. Hitting it off not only technically but also creatively, Jesse speaks of Richard’s talent in both the studio and live on stage. It was evident in their performance just how well the two work together – perfect timing and beautifully blended harmonies along with an unmistakable passion resulted in one of the best live shows I have ever seen.
Having descended from a very musical family, Jesse spent the first six years of his life on tour with his father and naturally grew up with an acceptance of such a lifestyle. Jesse tried his hand at several instruments growing up but at the age of 12 he discovered rock ‘n’ roll, the guitar, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In 2008, Jesse released his debut album ‘When I Wake Up’, to critical acclaim. Jesse’s music grabbed the attention of Canadian producer David Bottrill and, after moving to Toronto for 4 months to work with Bottrill, Jesse released his second album, ‘Life on Mars’, in 2011, earning the 26-year-old deserved success in South Africa. Jesse has also just released his first live and unplugged album, recorded in Johannesburg, available for sale at all shows on the current tour.
Earlier this year, Jesse took his music to the international stage, embarking on a 7-week tour across the USA and Canada. An itinerary comprised of 32 performances in 31 cities, Jesse made a name for himself overseas and was invited to play at numerous high profile festivals including the CMJ Music Marathon, New Music Seminar and the CBGB Festival. London followed with featured shows including the prestigious main stage at the Isle of Wight Festival.
Richard also descends from a musical background – he started playing guitar at a very young age and grew up with the knowledge that music was the path he wanted to take in life. When not on tour, Richard runs the music department of a Johannesburg college and absolutely loves it. At 24-years-old, he is driven by a strong passion for music, whether teaching, creating or playing it, and his ambition has clearly taken him places others his age can only dream of.
Having embarked on a South African tour which started in Kimberley in November and culminates in Umhlanga in January, Jesse and Richard speak of their love for their home country and their reluctance to ever leave the country for good – naturally, they would love to take their music all over the world but cannot ever see themselves emigrating. Proud South Africans, Jesse and Richard will always return to their homeland.
Both Jesse and Richard love to tour, thriving on its constant change, and they talk about some of the places they have performed at which evoke certain memories… for Jesse, probably the most memorable was when a guy in his underwear jumped up on the stage and started rocking out with him… cool as a cucumber, Jesse just carried on playing and thankfully the situation didn’t get out of hand! Richard recalls a show where the bouncers were armed to the teeth – an undoubtedly very necessary precaution but not exactly one that would put you at ease! When they speak of their most favourite places to perform, both Jesse and Richard include Kirstenbosch on their list and of course, they love coming to the Eastern Cape and make mention of how many times they have broken guitar strings here – clearly they must rock out that much harder in our fair province! They speak of how beautiful it is here in East London and promise me that after our interview they will check out Friesland Milk Bar and of course, sample our famous Shamrock pies!
I have no doubt that the rest of their shows will go down just as well as they have here and, once they have completed this tour they will be back in the studio to begin work on the next album. A pleasure to meet, I wish Jesse and Richard all the very best for the remainder of their South African tour and for the future. With talent second to none, these guys are going places. And if you haven’t managed to catch them live yet, well, what are you waiting for?