Warren Gibson

Born in 1996 with amps in the red and zero interest in fitting neatly between the lines, PLUM came snarling out of South Africa’s alternative underground like a band that had swallowed the rulebook and spat it back out in feedback. Formed by Kevin Leicher, Troy Dougans and Waz Leicher, they built a cult the old-fashioned way - sweat, volume, and songs that hit you somewhere between the ribs and the conscience.
They never played it straight. Trip-hop bled into acid rock, nu-metal locked arms with funk, drum & bass rhythms stalked through blues-soaked riffs. It was messy. It was muscular. It was alive. By the time All and Nothing landed in 2005, Plum had carved their name into the concrete of the local scene…then walked offstage and into a long, loaded silence.
But silence has a way of fermenting.
What came next wasn’t a reunion. It was a reckoning. In 2025, Plum dropped “Don’t Stop Believing” - not a comeback single, a statement of intent, an anthem about resilience and self-worth that didn’t beg for relevance; it demanded it. Recorded at Darkstar and Jazzworx Studios with Kevin behind the desk producing and engineering, it sounded like a band remembering exactly who they were and why it mattered.
Now, with powerhouse drummer Ryan Greenwood detonating from the backline, Plum’s live shows are once again the stuff of bruised eardrums and raised fists. Festivals like STRAB and Praise the LOUD Fest have felt the aftershock. This isn’t nostalgia bait. It’s voltage.
Now in February 2026, they push the needle further with “How The West Was Lost,” released via Mongrel Records; a brooding, genre-warped dispatch from a civilisation staring at its own reflection. Drawing uneasy parallels between modern decay and ancient Rome, the track hums with tension, indie edges and razor-wire commentary. It doesn’t preach. It prowls. It asks whether we’re too distracted to notice the cracks beneath our feet.
Plum isn’t interested in reliving the ‘90s. They sound like they survived them. Recharged. Relevant. Still allergic to complacency. This isn’t a revival. It’s a band with something to say and they have the amplifiers to make sure you hear it.