A lot can be said for the progress that Francois van Coke has made personally in his own career, and style of music. But, it’s when you look at the impact that he has had on the South African music scene, that you realise how amazing this guy really is. Francois recently scooped up 5 Ghoema awards for Afrikaans music, 3 of which were for “Toe Vind Ek Jou”, that he did with Karen Zoid.
The impact that he has on the next generation of musicians in SA is also extremely evident, with more and more bands emerging in the Afrikaans Rock genre. One of the new kids that we should most definitely keep an eye on, is Werner Oli4, who was chosen as an opening act at the Aandklas Open Mic Nights, that take place every Sunday (except the first of every month) at Aandklas Hatfield. Another such an act, with probably the deepest voice this side of Narnia, is Nick May, who is also a regular at the Open Mic sessions.
These guys were the perfect choice to get the crowd going on the 28th of May, when Francois did his thing at Aandklas. This show was absolutely mind-blowing, with Nick May setting the tone with Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond, and then getting everyone to confess that they got high. Unfortunately, I missed Werner’s set, since I was caught up at a friend’s Bachelor party (congratulations again, Fred), but I have no doubt that he was every bit as amazing.
Francois van Coke’s got a way with a crowd that is near impossible to emulate. When he gets onto a stage, every eye in the venue is on him, and every ear is pitched to hear him perform. Saturday was no different. The rocker gave the crowd exactly what they had been expecting, with a little bit extra, as always. My personal favourite moment was when he did “Toe Vind Ek Jou”, which was very different from the version that we are used to with Karen, but still every bit as impactful.
It was an amazing show, giving a platform for young and upcoming musicians to open for great local artist, after being fairly selected (*cough* jasper dan *cough*) by the guys from Aandklas. I believe that we will soon be just as amped to see Werner, Nick, and all of the other talented kids from the Open Mic Nights performing at shows like this, and possibly festivals like Oppikoppi, but for now, join us on Sunday evenings from 19:00 to celebrate the next generation of South African music.
Article by Michael King.
BaasDeBeer's Blog 