Verkeerdevlei by THE BUCKFEVER UNDERGROUND

“This was no game show. It was punk performance art. It was chaos wrapped in a song.” – Lloyd Gedye writing in the Mail & Guardian on The Buckfever Underground’s launch show for ‘Verkeerdevlei’

Watch a video clip from that live show here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHcz4DpaMpw&feature=youtu.be

“’Verkeerdevlei won’t make you dance. But it will make you think. Amongst South African bands, very few stir this kind of emotion in their listener. The Buckfever Underground is one of them.” – Pieter Redelinghuys writing in Die Burger (loosely translated)

‘Verkeerdevlei’ is The Buckfever Underground’s 7th release, and their first full-length studio album since 2007’s ‘Saves’. It was recorded over a frenetic weekend at T-Time Studios in Brackenfell in October 2011 – all 14 tracks from the session made it onto the album. Engineered and mixed by Tim Rankin (Bed on Bricks, Dorp etc), the album somehow flows smoothly from start to finish despite all the weird turns taken along the way.

Expect ninja-like red-winged starlings, small-town murder, a port-fuelled trainride and a kite surveying Rwanda from up high. There’s spoken word, there’s some singing, there’s English and Afrikaans. There’s even Björk-name-checking, some movie opening credits re-imagined and new reasons to go to the mall. Or was that the maul?

Guest musicians include Juliana Venter (Spooky Attraction From A Distance, ex-Mud Ensemble), Mavis Vermaak, Jane Breetzke (ex-Cassette), Jacob Petrus van Schalkwyk (Jaco+Z-Dog) and Lou-Ann Stone (saxophone genius).

The Buckfever Underground has been around since 1998 when then students Toast Coetzer (vocals, lyrics) and Gilad Hockman (bass) started the band in Grahamstown. Jon Savage (keyboard) soon joined with Stephen Timm (drums) and Righard Kapp (guitar) joining after the band had relocated to Cape Town in the early 2000s.

More info at www.thebuckfeverunderground.com – bookings etc at info@toastcoetzer.com

_____________________________
29 Augustus 2012, Die Burger
Review deur Pieter Redelinghuys
5 sterre

Na my mening is The Buckfever Underground Suid-Afrika se mees onderskatte groep. Hulle is nie wannabes, hipsters of watter eendagvlieg ook al die jongste gier is nie. Die inhoud is opreg, by uitstek oorspronklik en bowenal verruklik mooi as jy geduldig luister. Verkeerdevlei het 14 snitte– die fenomenale skryfwerk van Buckfever se voorman, Toast Coetzer. Hy is Suid-Afrika se aanspraakmaker op Will Oldham se wêreldtitel as liriekkampioen, hy is ons counter-punch vir ’n Nick Cave-opstopper, ons links-regs-kombinasie vir ’n Tom Waits-haakhou.

Sy skryfwerk is treffend omdat dit eerlik is ­(luister gerus drie, vier maal na “Die Somber Wou”, “Klawer”, “Treinreis” en “Waar is ouma?”).

Righard Kapp doen by meer as een geleentheid iets met sy ­elektriese kitaar wat sweerlikwaar grens aan iets onwettigs. Tog is dit subtiel, soos ’n gil wat gesmoor word, ’n onderdrukte oomblik van ekstase. Hy is ’n stemmingskepper eerder as ­’n kitaarspeler op Verkeerdevlei.

Net soos met vorige Buckfever-albums is dit duidelik dat die ­rolspelers mekaar vertrou en ­verstaan...die lirieke is waaroor alles gaan, die spil waarom die deuntjies draal. Maar om die woorde tot hul reg te laat kom, benodig jy musikante wat met emosie speel, soos wat Gil Hockman (baskitaar) en Stephen Timm (perkussie) hier met oorgawe doen. Verkeerdevlei gaan jou nie laat dáns nie. Maar dit gaan jou laat dínk. Wat Suid-Afrikaanse musiek betref, is daar slegs enkeles wat hierdie edele emosie in luisteraars wakker maak. The Buck­fever Underground is een van hulle.

http://maroelamedia.co.za/blog/boeretroos/verkeerdevlei/

The Buckfever Underground is a South African spoken-word band. They perform poetry in English and Afrikaans with experimental music. Current members Toast Coetzer (vocals), Stephen Timm (drums), Michael Currin (guitar). Founder member: Gilad Hockman. Also: Jon Savage, Righard Kapp. Founded in 1998. On Instagram @thebuckfeverunderground

thebuckfeverunderground.co.za