Photo credits: Kyle Murdock.
Veranda Panda ascends with brand-new EP Ascension, featuring lead single Love Today with Angel M.
Durban’s beloved live electronic duo Veranda Panda are back and bolder than ever with their most daring, genre-defying body of work to date. Their brand-new EP, Ascension is out now with lead single Love Today featuring Angel M marking a triumphant evolution in their sound and message.
This colourful collection of five original tracks is a brave and deeply personal artistic statement from Liam and Jane Magner. Known for their powerful, high-energy performances and unique fusion of electronic music, electric violin, and vocals, Ascension is a celebration of Veranda Panda’s journey through music, growth, and nonconformity.
After being honoured with the Golden Otter Award at this year’s Splashy Fen — awarded to those who embody the spirit of South Africa’s oldest and friendliest music festival — the duo retreated into the heart of the KZN Midlands with their rabbit, Oscar Wild, to complete the ideas that had been brewing for the past year.
The result is Ascension: an intricate, emotionally-rich offering that sees Janetake centre stage vocally across all five tracks for the very first time. A bold creative shift that underscores the duo’s evolution and emotional depth.
The EP’s lead single, Love Today, is a collaboration with Pietermaritzburg singer-songwriter Angel M, whose soulful vocals blend seamlessly with Veranda Panda’s signature electronic flair. A nod to South Africa’s prolific afro-house sound, the track is an energetic yet introspective anthem about presence, gratitude and celebrating the now.
“This song is a celebration of life at its core,” shares the duo. “It’s about embracing this day, this moment, because it’s all we can be sure of. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not promised, but today is a gift.”
Quoting the Dalai Lama, they add: “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow. Today is the right day to Love, Believe, Do and mostly Live.”
As with their music, Veranda Panda’s commitment to authenticity extends to the visual elements of their work. The Ascension EP artwork is an original piece by prominent Durban street artist That Dam Vandal, a testament to their passion for supporting real artists and treating their work with integrity.
About Veranda Panda
Veranda Panda is a high-voltage husband-and-wife duo from Durban, South Africa. With Liam on production, vocals, harmonica and DJ gear, and Jane on electric violin, piano, and vocals, they create original, genre-bending electronic music that’s deeply rooted in storytelling and shared experience. Their work is inspired by their home in KwaZulu-Natal blending classical training, Celtic heritage, and African rhythms into something unmistakably their own.
Their hits Sugarbee, Dopamine, Chocolate Mermaid, Pineapple Sunday, Carry Me, and Right Here Now have earned them national radio play and chart success. Veranda Panda are festival favourites, having performed at Splashy Fen, Rocking The Daisies, Oppikoppi, Up The Creek, ParkLive, Get Lucky Summer, and more, and have recently taken their sound global, including a headline performance at Saarang 2025 in India.
Having supported some of South Africa’s top acts, from Goldfish and Jeremy Loops to GoodLuck and Mango Groove, Veranda Panda have cemented their status as one of the most exciting and engaging live acts in the country.
With Ascension, Veranda Panda rise boldly, colourfully, and unapologetically, and invite the world to join them on this next chapter of their sonic journey.
Stream “Veranda Panda – Ascension EP” HERE
Ascension EP track listing:
1. Love Today (Feat Angel M.)
2. Grace
3. Light up the Jungle
4. Rebecca
5. Light up the jungle (Bombay Canary VIP)
Follow Veranda Panda on socials:
www.facebook.com/VerandaPandaZA/
www.instagram.com/verandapanda/
www.youtube.com/user/VerandaPandaZA
Tik tok: @veranda_panda
Veranda Panda is a high-energy, live music duo, from Durban, South Africa. Through an eclectic fusion of styles, genres and powerful performances, they have carved out a unique and compelling space for themselves in the South African music scene.They seek to bring people together through shared musical experience, served up through their lively brand of electric violin, vocals and machines.
Veranda Panda performs as a core duo of Liam Magner and Jane Magner; A husband and wife duo who have spent the last fifteen years performing together.
Liam is the dynamic producer and performer, driving the musical mothership on a range of electronic dj gear, vocals and harmonica.
Jane is the powerhouse frontwoman; leading the charge on electric violin, vocals and piano.
For larger stage shows, they often incorporate live drummers into their performance- the #VPDrumline- to further drive the potency of the Veranda Panda live show experience.
Veranda Panda are not just an ordinary performance duo. They are a live electronic act, who produce, create and perform their own original music.
Their music articulates stories and feelings, and captures moments that speak to the heart of what it means to feel alive.
Growing up and residing in KwaZulu Natal- known as the kingdom of the Zulu in South Africa- has organically positioned them to cultivate a uniqueness to their sound. Their music celebrates the melting pot of influences that have surrounded them in their beautiful home country.
With echoes of Jane’s classical violin training, their shared Scottish and Irish heritage, and the rich tapestry of African rhythms, harmonies and grooves; Veranda Panda is a product of their vibrant and complex rainbow nation, expressed in the live electronic music space.
They have playlisted and charted on many notable South African national radio stations, with their popular singles:
Sugarbee, Chocolate Mermaid, Dopamine, Pineapple Sunday, Right Here Now and Carry Me.
Veranda Panda have headlined on major South African music festival stages, such as Splashy Fen and performed at Oppikoppi, Rocking The Daisies, Up The Creek, Mieliepop, ParkLive, Park Acoustics, Music at the Lake and Get Lucky Summer to name but a few.
Further afield, they have performed at Sakifo in Reunion, HIFAin Zimbabwe and most recently performed on the main stage EDM night at Saarang 2025 in Chennai, India.
They have frequently supported the likes of top South African acts Goldfish, Jeremy Loops, Jack Parow, GoodLuck, Mango Groove, Mafikizolo and more. Veranda Panda’s natural ability to engage and ignite a crowd is notorious, and crowds actively seek out the distinctive performance experience that they provide.
Veranda Panda is a unique voice in the South African Music industry.
Wielding the powers of creativity, versatility and energy in a manner that is unmatched in their field. Through creative truth, beauty and excellence, they articulate a story that needs telling and celebrating.
From the country’s most notorious clubs, to festival stages and corporate dining halls, Liam and Jane are as professional as they are fun and quirky.
With a keen ability to engage crowds and work their magic, they have been hailed as Durban’s finest and are a staple in the South African music scene.