Johannesburg - If you asked the band members of renowned Afrikaans rock band Fokofpolisiekar whether they expected to reach two decades, the answer would be a resounding no.
Yet, 20 years later the band are alive and kicking and playing some of the best music of their careers.
The Afrikaans alternative rock group from Bellville in Cape Town, which consists of Francois van Coke (lead vocals) Hunter Kennedy (guitar and backup vocals) Johnny de Ridder (lead guitar) Wynand Myburgh (bass), and Jaco Snakehead Venter (drums), admits they did not have any long term plans when they started out.
“It was never really a goal to play in Fokofpolisiekar forever,” says bassist Wynand Myburgh. “When we started, we just wanted to push it and become as popular as possible; but there were never really any super long term plans.”
This week, the band celebrated their 20th birthday and will commemorate it with a concert at Loftus D Field in Pretoria this afternoon.
They will be joined by other hit rockers such as Koos Kombuis, AKING, BEAST, Fuzigish, and Springbok Nude Girls.
The Saturday Star caught up with Myburgh to chat about the band's 20-year existence and the memories they enjoyed along the way.
How does it feel to have turned 20?
It feels good and it definitely feels like an achievement. We feel proud.
Did you guys ever imagine reaching this milestone?
It was never really a goal to play in Fokofpolisiekar forever. But, we are all in our individual capacity definitely wanted or dreamt about playing music for as long as possible. When we started the band we just wanted to push it and become as popular as possible, but there were never really any super long-term plans as a band. We just kept playing shows and writing music and now it is 20 years later. We all love creating.
Tell us about how the band first came together?
In 2003 I, Wynand (bassist), and Francois (singer) decided to start an Afrikaans punk band with our friend Hunter Kennedy. It was an absurd idea, but we were young and wanted to give playing music full time a proper go. Snake (drummer) and Johnny (lead guitar) soon joined the band and a few months later we recorded our first EP and played our first shows.
What was the first song that Fokofpolisiekar came up with and looking back, what do you guys think of the song now?
It was the song entitled “Fokofpolisiekar”. We have a love-hate relationship with the song. It is not something that we would write today and we have played it at every live show in the past 20 years.
But, it is a great sing-along song and we try to make it fun and not take it too seriously. In an attempt to make the song more fun for us to play, Francois started inviting audience members on stage to sing the song with him. We now end our shows with some times 20 people on stage jumping with and singing the song.
I’m sure you’ve created some special memories over the years. As a band, what memory sticks out?
Writing albums has always been on top of the list of special memories. To create something from ‘nothing’ and the whole process of writing music is super special. It also captures a moment in time in our lives.
What are some of the challenges that Fokofpolisiekar has faced over the years?
We pushed really hard since the release of the first EP in 2003 and by the end of 2006 we were pretty much burnt out. In 2007 we took a break and that could have potentially been the end of the band. But, the break came at the right time and since we started playing again in August of 2007, we have never stopped.
Overcoming that potential breakup was definitely our biggest challenge to date. All we needed was a break to clear our minds and do some other stuff.
How has the band managed to stay relevant?
This is a difficult one to answer. Why are we still relevant? I do not know. I do, however, believe that there is great magic in our two main songwriters’ abilities to write amazing songs. And Hunter (the main lyricist) has a gift to really observe, question and capture the pulse of society in an amazing poetic way. Combine this with five best friends making music and having a good time for the past 20 years has managed to keep us going.
How did the band come up with the name Fokofpolisiekar? And talk us through the meaning?
It was in the early days of the band. We have not played any shows and were still just writing music. We knew having a good name was key to our success. One day Francois and I were driving and a sedan pulled up in front of us cutting us off and Francois spontaneously screamed “Fokof familie motor (Fuck off family car)’’.
I immediately told him that was a great name. We phoned Hunter and told him the name. A few days later Hunter asked: “What is the band’s name again? Fokkof polisiekar (Fuck off police car)?” And we were immediately: “That is it! That is the best name!”.
We later doubted it again and were concerned that we will just be sabotaging our potential career, but in real FOKOF fashion we chose the more complicated route and called ourselves – Fokofpolisiekar. It was game on. We now had to work even harder to prove ourselves and that we are not just a band with an obscure name. It was a gamble but worked out in our favour.
The band has enjoyed huge success, even launching their very own beer?
Fokof Lager is doing great. It is a self-sustainable business that employs people and turns a profit. We are very blessed with the beer venture and very blessed to have Jaco (our drummer) and Sonja Ellis working on it.
Does the band have a favourite album?
Very tricky question. I think every member would have a different opinion and I think that it changes all the time. At this stage today I am going with our new unreleased album etitled “Dans Deur Die Donker”. I am really into it and really think it is the best collection of songs that we have ever written. Tomorrow it will probably be “Swanesang” and next week “Lugsteuring”.
Tell us about your wildest road trip story as a band?
The time when Jaco (our drummer) decided to open our van’s door and jump out while we were doing about 60km/h. Needless to say it did not end well. It was in 2006 and our level of partying was out of control. We were in Witbank and it was the messiest night of our careers and that night also set in motion a whole bunch of other problems and obstacles.
Jaco’s response after the jump was: “I always wanted to do that”. We were out of control; hence the break we took at the beginning of 2007.
Did the band ever come close to calling it a day?
By the end of 2006 we were burnt out and out of control. We decided to take a break from the band and see if we still wanted to do it after a few months. Luckily we all missed it and even started three other bands during the hiatus: Van Coke Kartel, AKING and Die Heuwels Fantasties.
To keep doing Fokof was a no brainer. We all wanted to still play music and Fokof was and will always be where it all started for us.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done for the band?
I think all the Fokof tattoos out there are crazy. And there are a lot! To ink lyrics, our name, designs, etc on your body forever is mad. But, also very cool.
How would Fokofpolisiekar like to be remembered?
As five friends that enjoyed making a noise.
Does the band plan to continue playing for many years to come?
As always, we have no plans but to keep doing what we love. And if that is writing music and playing live as Fokof, then yes.