2006 was the year that FOKOFPOLISIEKAR released the Brand
Suid-Afrika EP, was caught amid a ravaging media storm, recorded Swanesang at B
Sharp Studios in Boksburg. Their
drummer, Jaco Snakehead Venter jumped out of the band’s tour van and broke his
arm. Justin Kruger had to temporarily
replace him. It was 100% rock 'n roll
chaos. Die Bende released Swanesang, and felt driven to the point where they
had to call a hiatus or call it quits.
The culturally and historically significant imprint they
were making was the furthest thing from their minds as they were individually
trying to figure out their way forward. "2003 – 2006 was a crazy
roller-coaster ride. None of us were ready for how intense the ride was going
to be. The touring and endless parties started taking its toll. We had to make
a decision. Now, 10 years later, I can confess that we made the right one. The
8 months break we took in 2007 was the best move we as a band could have
made,’’ says Wynand Myburgh, manager and bassist of Fokofpolisiekar.
It is ten years later and the Fokofpolisiekar influence has
spread to the inception of popular and award winning bands, aKING, Die Heuwels
Fantasties, Van Coke Kartel and Francois van Coke’s successful solo
career. The band continues to be celebrated
in books, documentaries, movies and more. Most importantly they remain
intimately connected. Not just as a band, but also in business: Wynand Myburgh
manages Francois van Coke’s solo career.
Hunter Kennedy is part label owner at Supra Familias which released
Francois’ debut solo album. Johnny de
Ridder is regularly involved with producing songs for the Die Heuwels
Fantasties and Francois Van Coke. Jaco
Snakehead Venter has established himself as a band photographer and is the
Fokof Lager brand manager.
The spirit of Fokof thrives as they continue to deliver the
best live experience and reinforce their legacy by releasing crowd pleasers
such as Fokof Lager on tap and vinyl editions of their musical releases. 2016
sees the official release of the Swanesang vinyl in July, a banging tour, fun
competitions, and hopefully solving the mystery of how Johnny de Ridder doesn’t
appear to age.
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