By Kevin Rademeyer.
The SunBet Arena in Pretoria was transformed into a dreamscape as Cigarettes After Sex brought their X’s World Tour to South Africa. Clad in shades of black, fans gathered in near-reverence for a night of melancholic bliss. The band—helmed by Greg Gonzalez—delivered an immersive experience that blurred the line between concert and dream, their signature ambient pop swelling through the venue like a cinematic haze.
Formed in 2008 in El Paso, Texas, Cigarettes After Sex began as a low-fi experiment, with Gonzalez recording their debut EP I. in a university stairwell. The band’s slow-burning rise to fame hit a turning point in 2016 when their 2012 track, Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, resurfaced on YouTube and gained massive traction after featuring in The Handmaiden. TikTok and commercial placements fueled their reach, propelling their 2017 self-titled album and later releases—Cry and X’s—to global recognition. With billions of streams and a social media following of millions, doubling even U2 followers, Cigarettes After Sex have become an understated phenomenon.
As the first notes of X’s echoed through the sold-out arena, the atmosphere was instantly hypnotic. Gonzalez’s delicate, androgynous vocals draped over Randall Miller’s steady bass and Jacob Tomsky’s soft percussion, creating the band’s signature velvety swirl. The stage visuals—stormy grayscale landscapes and grainy silhouettes—complemented the band’s ethereal aesthetic, deepening the emotional pull.
Cigarettes After Sex’s music blends dreamy ambient pop with slowcore influences, characterized by reverb-drenched guitars, minimalist percussion, and Greg Gonzalez’s hauntingly androgynous vocals, evoking an intimate, melancholic haze. The crowd was mesmerized by the three opening songs of X’s, You’re All I Want and Dark Vacay.
Fan favorites like Sweet, Sunsetz, Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby and Cry washed over the crowd in waves, each song blending into the next with a seamless, narcotic allure. Their sonic consistency is both a hallmark and a peculiarity; distinguishing individual songs was often a challenge for people who don’t know the band intimately, however the intoxicating effect remained undeniable. Gonzalez’s voice—often described as an “erotic lullaby”—seemed to pacify the crowd into a collective trance. K., the crowd lit up with phones capturing fleeting moments, while Heavenly saw solo concertgoers lost in introspection.
The production elevated the night’s emotional depth. A disco ball descended during Apocalypse, casting shimmering light across the arena—a moment that one Cape Town attendee had earlier called “heavenly.”
The Pretoria crowd agreed, erupting into hushed awe. At times, sweeping spotlights illuminated the audience, creating a transient glow that made the entire venue feel suspended in time. “It felt spiritual,” said Johan Fourie, a concertgoer from Johannesburg. “Like we were all part of something bigger, something unspoken.”
Despite the band’s worldwide success, Gonzalez maintained his signature enigmatic presence. He spoke sparingly, occasionally tossing guitar picks to the floor and handing out setlists at the end—gestures that delighted devoted fans, who in return gave him flowers. His understated approach let the music take precedence, allowing tracks like Dreaming of You and Falling in Love to pull the audience further into his world.
The audience was a diverse blend—couples swaying in synchrony, groups of friends sharing knowing glances, and solitary figures lost in the music’s embrace. The unofficial black dress code, a TikTok-fueled trend, added to the unity of the night. For 90 minutes, the outside world dissolved, replaced by a weightless, sepia-toned nostalgia that only Cigarettes After Sex can conjure.
As the final echoes faded and the house lights flickered back to life, the spell was broken, but its imprint lingered. Cigarettes After Sex at SunBet Arena was a testament to the power of music not just to entertain, but to transport—to envelop an audience in something deeply intimate and profoundly beautiful. For those who crave raw emotion over high-octane spectacle, this was an experience worth reliving.
Cigarettes after Sex was brought to South Africa by Big Concerts. The band will now move on to Australia, New Zealand and Asia to continue their popular tour.