Some of Cape Town’s top bands and artists are set to perform live sets this winter as the Two Oceans Aquarium’s After Dark concert series returns. This monthly event promises an intimate, one-of-a-kind marine setting for live music, organised in collaboration with Texx and the City.
Guests are encouraged to experience the Aquarium in a completely new light, with two acts performing stripped-down sets on weekday nights in a living-room-style show in front of the iconic I&J Ocean Exhibit.
Upcoming bands and artists for After Dark
Akeeda & Porcelain Moon
The atmospheric opening show for After Dark features singer-songwriter Akeeda and indie-pop duo Porcelain Moon, setting the stage for a season of live music.
Akeeda is known for her vulnerable, emotional ballads that showcase her reflective storytelling, with her sound lending itself well to After Dark’s more intimate, acoustic vibe. Her most recent single, Expiry, is a bittersweet track that tells the story of a relationship where love is present, but both people want different things.
Porcelain Moon makes “indie pop for your daydreams”, with a melodic and funky bedroom sound that foregrounds singer Emma Goode’s sugary vocals and bassist Gerry Matthee’s dynamic grooves. They blew up with their self-titled 2025 album featuring hits like Wishbone and Sugar Rush, with a new slate of songs seemingly on the horizon.
Cost: R445 per person. Book tickets on the website.
When: Wednesday, 29 July 2026 | Doors open at 6.30pm | Music starts from 8pm
Where: Two Oceans Aquarium, Dock Road, V&A Waterfront
Freddy L & Petrol Station Pies
As we near the end of the winter weather, alternative rock trio Freddy L and noisy rock outfit Petrol Station Pies take over the Aquarium.
Freddy L find a sweet spot between loud-and-proud instrumentation and soulful vocal stylings, with lead singer Ntuthuko (Freddy) Lalendle’s signature raspy voice effortlessly mixing Xhosa and English in their work. Stacey and Hold On are the two most popular tracks on their recent album, Roadside Assistance, and definitely the ones the crowd is most likely to sing along to. The group was recently featured on Apple Music’s Up Next South Africa list.
Petrol Station Pies are “Cape Town’s favourite noise punk band”, headlined by high-pitched singing, crashing drums, guitars that sound straight out of Guitar Hero. Their recent release, Bela Lugosi, debuted alongside a stylish and chaotic music video.
Cost: R445 per person. Book tickets on the website.
When: Wednesday, 26 August 2026 | Doors open at 6.30pm | Music starts from 8pm
Where: Two Oceans Aquarium, Dock Road, V&A Waterfront
The Dirty Skirts & Lost//Youth
The final of the three After Dark concerts showcases up-and-coming duo Lost//Youth alongside scene veterans The Dirty Skirts.
Lost//Youth are the most eclectic of all the After Dark-featured artists, pairing an alt-rock guitarist with an ethereal folk singer. The result is a unique musical experience, with their 2026 single, howl, mixing indie guitar riffs with spoken word poetry into a track that’s difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to put down.
After being forced to cancel their show last year, they’re back. The Dirty Skirts are no mystery to Cape Town’s indie-rock fans, best known during their run between 2004 and 2012. Their career highlights include being nominated for Best Rock Album at the SAMAs for their album Daddy Don’t Disco (2008) and winning Best Alternative Album at the SAMAs (2011) for their album Lost in the Fall.
Cost: R445 per person. Book tickets on the website.
When: Wednesday, 23 September 2026 | Doors open at 6.30pm | Music starts from 8pm
Where: Two Oceans Aquarium, V&A Waterfront
Music meets marine life for this intimate gathering
The After Dark concert series takes place in an otherworldly aquatic setting, immersing guests in the music as they watch fish, turtles, and stingrays calmly swimming about. Doors open at 6.30pm, giving guests enough time to explore the aquarium before the first act starts at 8pm.
Tickets are limited, and past After Dark performances have been sold-out successes, so advance booking is essential. A cash bar is available, and food can be purchased before the event and during the interval.
Discover everything happening at the Two Oceans Aquarium
