Kinky Robot

Kinky Robot is an alternative rock band formed and based in Johannesburg South Africa, featuring Martin Bester on lead vocals, Estian le Grange on bass guitar and electronics, Jady van Zyl on drums and Pieter Rossouw on lead guitar.

2010 saw the recording of Kinky Robot's first single, Hobie Beach. Radio stations across the country received it favourably and the hit song was play listed on radio stations worldwide. Hobie Beach went on to chart on several radio stations across South Africa, which of course at the time was wrapped up in the euphoria of the 2010 World Cup Soccer event. Kinky Robot went to number 1 on stations like Cape Town's KFM and Johannesburg's 94.7 Highveld Stereo's Homebrew chart, MFM in Stellenbosch, Bay FM in PE, Kovsie FM in Bloemfontein, Tuks FM Most Wanted chart in Pretoria and was a top 10 hit on stations like Algoa FM in the Eastern Cape, Jacaranda 94.2 in Gauteng and Northern SA, going as far as no.3! It also went onto no.20 on 5FM's Top 40 chart, SA's national youth station.

The success of Hobie Beach on SA radio, as well as download success on the 'Nokia Music Store', got the band included on 'Now 56', the country's top hit compilation CD, amongst various other compilation albums. They closed 2010 with very well received gigs at the legendary Kenton Music Festival and Kenton New Year's Bash.

2011 opened with the release of Kinky Robot's first music video for their hit single Hobie Beach. March 2011 they went back into studio and recorded their much anticipated second single 'Lover of Life', which enjoyed great airtime and time on the charts. In April 2011 the band received their first SAMA nomination for Hobie Beach, in the 'Record of the Year' category. The South African public voted the song into the Top 5 of that coveted category, ahead of many very popular and established artists. They also performed at the SAMA's main event before a live television audience, their first television appearance to go with their very first live radio performance hours earlier, on national youth station 5 FM. The year closed with the release of their third single 'Gravity'.

2012 started with the band in studio with producer Brian o'Shea to finish their long awaited debut album, "Naked”, followed by the Kinky Robot "Naked" Tour, which kicked off in October 2012 and saw the band travel from Durban to Cape Town and everywhere in between, to showcase their musical prowess to South African alternative rock fans the country over.

2013 was even more jam-packed with performances and appearances to promote their debut album. June 2103 also saw the release of the controversial music video for the title track of their debut album, 'Naked', which was eventually turned down by many local television stations, purely because of its provocative crime–driven storyline and the questions and emotions it raised. It sure did get people talking with quotes like:

"Kinky Robot has quickly ascended through the ranks to become one of South Africa's most important currently active bands. 'Naked' is all about introspection and the video presents an excellent, albeit harrowing, exploration into loss, hardship, melancholy, dismay and revenge. It will hit home for many South Africans." - musicreview.co.za and “Kinky Robot’s creative ingenuity has once again taken their repertoire to a whole new level – capturing the same intense emotions that Hobie Beach once did. Naked is a hard-hitting alternative rock track with strong electro influences and the video (well-produced) captures exactly that, giving you goose flesh from beginning to end.” – indiedoesit.co.za

2014 dawned and the band hit the road performing and recording! Currently recording their second studio album with award winning producer Marius Brouwer in Johannesburg (Brouwer also produced the hit singles ‘Hobie Beach’ and ‘Lover Of Life’ for Kinky Robot), 2014 is looking like the biggest year in the bands history to date. Stupid Bound, the first single from their forthcoming album, was released in June of this year. It has already been play listed on 28 radio stations across SA, from top youth campus station Tuks FM, to top commercial station 94.7 Highveld Stereo and just about everyone in between.

Kinky Robot can be found frequenting the live music circuit in Gauteng and are constantly on the look-out for new venues, new opportunities to show case their music and of course new fans. The band's live performances to date include gigs in Hatfield Square for the Capital's student fests, playing at the World Cup final fan zone in the Square to thousands of locals and visitors alike, while national tours have seen the band perform in legendary music venues around the country, from East Londen to Jbay, Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. No newcomers to festival gigs, Kinky Robot have rocked the MK Stage at the 'Innibos' festival in Nelspruit, as well as share the floor with international bands at the legendary Mieliepop Festival. Kinky Robot can also be found at venues like Rumours Lounge, Arcade Empire, Sundowners, Tanz, Monte Casino, Emperors Palace and several other venues around Transvaal.

Source: http://www.kinkyrobot.co.za/biography (12 February 2018)