Ten Ton Slug Announce First-Ever Botswanan Live Dates
For all you folks who play in bands in, let’s say, a third-rate nation like the US, check out the situation here. Ten Ton Slug will travel from Galway, Ireland, to Maun, Botswana in November to tke part in the Vulture Thrust Anger Management Fest, the cumbersome title of which is no doubt encompassing a range of styles or else I’ve misread the logos on the poster. They go supporting their colossal and oppressive 2024 album, Colossal Oppressor (review here), and the sentence below I’d like to draw your attention toward is the one that says, “This endeavor by Ten Ton Slug to play in Botswana has been made possible thanks to funding from Culture Ireland.”
Culture Ireland. A governmental organization geared toward supporting arts domestically and internationally. Sending a metal band to Africa because nobody’s ever played a song in the Irish language in Botswana. That’s all the excuse they needed. To an American, this is unfathomable, and if you’re reading this in the US, and you’re in a band, this is exactly how you’ve been ripped off. This could be all of us. It isn’t. Mostly because racism.
Kudos and safe travels to Ten Ton Slug as they head to Africa for the first time. A killer trip and obviously something they’re doing for the life experience, which makes it even cooler. They sent info down the PR wire:
Ten Ton Slug to bring the riffs to the Kalahari Desert
This November Ten Ton Slug head south of the equator to perform at ‘Vulture Thrust: Anger Management Fest 2025’ in Maun, Botswana on November 1st and at a warm-up show in Ghanzi, Botswana on Oct 31st.
The event is organised by Tshomarelo Mosaka aka Vulture Thrust, member of the band Overthrust and prominent event organizer in the region. It runs from 6pm to 6am in Ko Sedibeng bar in The Power Plant complex in Maun and features metal bands from around the region alongside appearances from international bands. This year’s event (which bears a different name than previous editions) features the following lineup:
Overthrust (Ghanzi, BW)
Ten Ton Slug (Ireland)
Skin Flint (Gaborone, BW)
Dreamslot (Maun, BW)
Remuda (Maun, BW)
Hilliker (South Africa)
Samehunduans (Maun, BW)
Ras Jesus (Ghanzi, BW)
The warm-up show takes place on Oct 31st in HillTalk Night Club in Ghanzi and runs from 10pm to 6am, featuring Overthrust, Ten Ton Slug, Obligado & Original Stars, and Ras Jesus.
This endeavor by Ten Ton Slug to play in Botswana has been made possible thanks to funding from Culture Ireland. The band’s performance at the events will most likely mark the first ever performance of a metal song in the Irish language in the country as the song Mallacht an tSloda from 2024’s ‘Colossal Oppressor’ LP is entirely in Irish.
Ten Ton Slug will warm up for the November African shows with two Irish gigs in the coming months – Dali in Cork on September 20th and the Roisin Dubh in Galway on October 11th:
Tickets are available at the links below:
Cork – Dali: (Sept 20th) w/ Coroza, Noosed:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dead-cult-ten-ton-slug-coroza-noosed-dali-cork-tickets-1490461373089
Galway – Roisin Dubh (Oct 11th) w/ Diggeth, Genuflection, Noosed
https://roisindubh.net/listings/ten-ton-slug-2025-10-11-190000-80471
(As a side note: the currency of Botswana, and indeed the country’s motto, is ‘Pula’ which translates to ‘Rain’ – this pleases the Slug.)
Ten Ton Slug lineup 2025***
Tommy Carolan – Drums
Pavol Rosa – Bass
Sean Sullivan – Guitars/Vocals
Rónán Ó hArrachtáin – Vocals
Let it be known that Tommy Carolan has been a full band member and actual Slug since May 2024
Long may his path be free of Salt.
[Photo: Liam Carroll Photography]
https://tentonslug.com/
https://tentonslug.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tentonslug/
https://www.facebook.com/TenTonSlug/
