Left to right: Robin Brink, Ross Dorkin and Matthew Field from Beatenberg.
Photo: Tami Aftab
- Local band Beatenberg recently released their new song, Don’t Call Her Over To You.
- This was their first single of the year.
- Vocalist Matthew Field talked to News24 about the single and the band’s current projects.
South African band Beatenberg recently released their first single for the year, Don’t Call Her Over To You.
The trio consists of Matthew Field on vocals and guitar, Robin Brink on drums, and Ross Dorkin on bass. The group is currently based between London and Berlin.
They released their debut album The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg in 2014. The group has won numerous awards and toured worldwide, even supporting George Ezra and appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE:
More singles are to come later this year.
The drive behind the music
On what drives them to make the music, Field tells News24: “The way that I make music is quite instinctive and I just make it without particular justification or reason, since I was a little kid.
“If I ask myself, what am I doing now, what the message is or what sound I’m going for, I don’t have any of those answers,” he adds. For him it comes naturally.”
The cover for Don’t Call Her Over To You by Beatenberg.
Three parts of the single were written at different times and, for Field, it’s interesting to see how those parts live together now on the song.
“The sound is quite quintessentially of the band. It’s quite easily recognisable.”
The way songs come about for him is usually not premeditated. “Don’t Call Her Over To You, is something I thought to myself in a certain situation.” From that thought, the rest of the lyrics followed.
READ MORE | Beatenberg frontman Matthew Field talks balancing a solo career and singing in the band
“The inspiration for any given song is just the general inspiration that I have all the time,” he states. For him, songs connect in a way that lead to him keep making songs, one flowing from the next.
“It’s not often that I’ll have a song that’s like: this song is inspired by Z. Its much more like my whole life is constantly folding on itself. Its all there, pieces are put into the song and beaten into shape.”
Most of 2023 has been spent working on music, touring and live shows. Field himself has been working on some solo material.
Beatenberg legacy
When asked about how the band perceive their own legacy, Field expressed his gratitude for the love they have received.
“Whenever you see any interviews where we talk about [our music], there’s a mix of bewilderment and gratitude towards the fact that we’ve found this place in South African music.”
He added:
We all know how difficult it is to make it in the music industry. You can be hard working or have a lot of ability, but there’s an element of chance that seems to come into all of this stuff.
Thinking back to one of their biggest hits they’ve been involved with, Pluto, Field says that to work with DJ Clock, was an “amazing moment and a chance encounter”.
“It’s hard to explain why these things happen, but I’m grateful that they have happened… In many ways it’s sort of this thing where it’s made it difficult for us to know where to go. Because you cant really replicate that so easily.”
But they just try to stay true to their selves and what they like. Yet they are still enjoying the fruits of their success, with the band performing alongside big names like George Ezra. Field considers it a privileged to get those types of opportunities.
“Its something that we’ve got a little used to, but we recognise that we’re still lucky to be in that position.”
