For years now Oppikoppi punters have been enjoying the finest independent sounds that the Dutch and Belgian music scenes have to offer and now they can add Italy to that list.
Thanks to the exchange programmes between Northam’s Oppikoppi festival and the Pukkelpop (Belgian) and Lowlands (Netherlands) festivals, bands such as electro-rockers zZz and experimental jazz band C-Mon & Kypski have established audiences in South Africa.
Likewise local artists such as roots-reggae outfit Tidal Waves and hip-hop outfit Max Normal have played to huge crowds in Europe.
But the funding from the National Arts Council for these exchange programmes dried up a few years ago and things started to unravel, but all is not lost thanks to some hard work from former Boo! drummer Leon Retief.
Retief has negotiated a new exchange programme with Italy’s Arezzo Wave Festival that is being launched this year.
Oppikoppi’s Misha Loots says that it is Retief’s hard work that has resulted in Italian rockers Mojomatics playing their first Oppikoppi festival and Afropop starlets Freshly Ground making the trek to Arezzo.
“He found a way to make it happen,” says Loots. “They liked Freshly Ground and they sent us a list and we picked Mojomatics.”
Having spent the past few weeks sampling the recordings of Mojomatics, it’s clear that South African audiences are in for a treat.
Blending roots music forms from America’s South such as country, folk, hillbilly blues and bluegrass, this two-piece band inject their songs with the energy of the best garage rock bands.
Also returning to Oppikoppi is Dutch singer/songwriter Lucky Fonz III, who first hit South African shores in April for the Oppikoppi Easter festival.
It seems Fonz loved his last trip so much and was such a hit with local audiences that he has signed on for another tour of duty, bringing his beautiful Americana-styled songs back to South Africa.
Loots said Fonz secured funding in the Netherlands to support his return tour.
“We have no Belgian band this year,” says Loots. “We tried to keep the exchange with Pukkelpop going, but without funding the air flights and accommodation costs are too expensive. It’s very sad.”
Loots says Tidal Waves is one local band that has really made the exchange programmes work for them and they now spend at least three to four months a year touring Europe playing numerous festivals.
Amazingly the band is booked to play Belgium’s Mano Mundo Festival every year until 2010 and have secured a Belgian base too.
“At every gig we play there will be two or three people who like us and follow us, so it grows,” says Sam “Drumbo” Shoai of Tidal Waves. “It was like that in Europe. When we played there last year there were people that saw us the year before and they came back and they brought their friends.”
Oppikoppi fans can also catch modern Dutch reggae outfit Roots-Riders who blend hip-hop beats into their sound.
Oppikoppi Wildcard takes place from August 7 to 9 in Northam, Limpopo. For more information, go to www.oppikoppi.co.za/wildcard/