Soweto Youth Up & Rising Tour 2026

Soweto Punk is a grassroots alternative music platform founded in Soweto in 2024 by Tshepang Ramoba musician, producer and founding member of BLK JKS. Built from the ground up in the township, the platform exists to create stages for South African artists who make music outside the mainstream: punk, rock, experimental, afro-folk, hyperpop and everything in between. The Youth Up & Rising Tour is how Soweto Punk takes that energy on the road.

Since its founding, the platform has hosted a growing community of musicians, photographers, skaters, designers and alternative music fans who are redefining what live music culture in Johannesburg looks and sounds like. The tour brings that community together across two Johannesburg shows in June 2026, a late-night set at Smoking Kills in Melville, and a full day at Native Rebels in Soweto. These are not ordinary shows. They are a statement: that South African alternative music is alive, that it is growing, and that it belongs on every stage, from a backroom in Melville to the heart of the township where this movement was born.

• Smoking Kills, Melville | Friday 12 June | Doors 20:00 A late night. A loud room. The tour opens at one of Johannesburg's most beloved underground venues. Lineup to be announced.
• Native Rebels, Soweto | Sunday 15 June | Doors 15:00 A full day in Soweto. From noon until the early hours, Native Rebels becomes the home of South African alternative music. This is the big one. Lineup announcement coming soon.

A third show is in the works — follow @soweto_punk on Instagram and @soweto.punk on TikTok to be the first to know. More info: [email protected] Instagram: @soweto_punk | TikTok: @soweto.punk