Picture this: Two kids from sunny South Africa, born to hippie parents, grow up to become rock virtuosos and visual artists. Fast forward through sold-out gigs, TV stardom, and a pandemic, and you'll find us here in the UK, ready to blow your minds with classic rock theatre like you've never seen before. Buckle up, folks - this is the story of Big Stage Music, and trust us, it's one hell of a ride!
Hey there, rock enthusiasts! We're Nathan and Warren, the dynamic duo behind Big Stage Music, and boy, do we have a story for you. It all kicked off in a little community center in Pretoria, South Africa, where our parents - fresh from the free love movement - decided to mingle. Little did they know they were setting the stage for a rock 'n' roll revolution!
From day one, we were as thick as thieves, bonded by our parents' friendship and a shared love for music that was practically in our DNA.
Nathan here - my old man, Pat Smith, was a music teacher with a no-nonsense approach that'd make even the toughest rockers quake in their boots. But let me tell you, that didn't stop me from falling head over heels for the six-string.
After school, you'd find me hunched over my trusty tape player, guitar in hand, and a notepad at the ready. I was on a mission, folks - decoding the magic of Dire Straits & Hendrix, and later, trying to wrap my head around the mind-bending licks of Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani. It was like solving the world's coolest puzzle, one riff at a time.
Warren here, sliding in with my gangly legs and a slightly goofy grin to share my side of the story. While Nathan was pouring his heart into those guitar strings, I was lost in the dreamy world of Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens, all thanks to my old man's trusty reel-to-reel – it was like having a time machine in our living room, you know?
My curiosity got the better of me, and before I knew it, I was backpacking across half the globe. With a easle being to bulky, I found myself clicking away behind the camera and soaking up every experience like a sponge.
Life's funny sometimes. What started as a hobby turned into graphic design studies, and then, almost by accident, I found myself doing photography full-time. It's been a wild ride – from fumbling with my first professional camera to somehow ending up as a Fujifilm ambassador (still pinch myself about that one). Along the way, I've had the incredible opportunity to share what I've learned, teaching photography at top institutions in South Africa while honing my entrepreneurial skills and building a semi-decent photography business.
Jumping back to 2016. Picture this: A casual evening under the warm African sky, some cold beers, a crackling fire, and two mates with a crazy idea. We decided to mash up our love for classic rock with our respective crafts. The result? "Don't Stop Believing' - A Tribute to Journey." We thought it'd be a one-off gig, but holy smokes, did we underestimate the power of rock! Before we knew it, we were selling out back to back performances in Pretoria's best theatre's.
Now, we'd love to say we immediately quit our day jobs and hit the road to fulfill our rock 'n roll destiny, but life's never that simple, is it? We had busy schedules, young families, and a dream! It was like trying to juggle flaming guitars while walking a tightrope - exciting, but pretty darn challenging. As we were gearing up for a national tour that was set to launch our new endevours towards the end of 2019, this happened...
2020 hit, and well, you all know how that went down. But here's the kicker - that global pause gave us the chance to regroup and dream even bigger. And by big, we mean UK big! We packed up our guitars, our families, and our dreams, and made the leap across the pond.
So here we are in 2025, standing on British soil with our amps cranked up to eleven and our hearts full of classic rock.
Big Stage Music isn't just another production company - it's our love letter to an era of music that changed the world. It's our way of serving this wonderful UK community, bringing the magic of classic rock to life in ways you've never seen before. We've got the experience, we've learnt the riffs, and boy oh boy, do we have the ambition.
We're here to create music that doesn't just move your feet, but hopefully it touches your soul just like it did ours many years ago. Grab your air guitars, warm up those vocal cords, and get ready to rock. Because at Big Stage Music, the show is about to begin, and trust us, you ain't seen nothing yet!
by Rock Legends
Join us on a journey through the golden era of rock, where every note tells a story and every performance is a celebration of music's greatest legends.
From garage band dreams to theatre rock revolutionaries, our passion for music fuels unforgettable shows that bring the past to life.
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