South Africa

For BLK JKS – pronounced “black jacks” – this year’s Lotus Fest is a homecoming away from home. The band hails from Johannesburg, but when it came time to record their Secretly Canadian debut last winter, they packed up their things and headed to Russian Recording in Bloomington.

“We really had to record in a place where we could really focus,” bassist Molefi Makananise said. “Bloomington offered that to us.”

BLK JKS have drawn comparisons to bands like TV on the Radio and The Mars Volta.
Songs like “Molalatladi” showcase the band’s fresh blend of African rhythms and rock ‘n’ roll. Lead singer Lindani Buthelezi’s voice is often backed up with a wall of gorgeous vocal harmonies or countered by discordant guitar shreddery.

The band balances raucous rock and spacey ambient parts that fuse energy with serenity, and although they draw easy surface comparisons to other genre-bending bands, BLK JKS’s desire has always been originality.

“When we started going out of our little space, all we focused on was making a song,” Makananise said. “We’ve tried to not sound like anybody else, even though the inspiration is there.”  

The band has spent six months touring the U.S. in support of “After Robots,” a record that’s been receiving rave reviews.

Rolling Stone called BLK JKS one of Africa’s best new bands and gave “After Robots” three and a half stars, but none of the band’s success has changed how BLK JKS think about themselves.

“We just want to deliver, whether we’re on a big stage or a small stage,” Molefi said. “I understand when people say good things come to those who wait, but it really comes to people who work.”