Van Coke Kartel infects His People
1 Apr 2010
Francois as Oorlog Frankenstein is a god in a panda suit with a golden halo and everyone wants to get a stroke of his furry belly. Hopping and head slamming his way around the stage he spews Penis is my lewe and Dans dans dans ek will fokken fokken dans. This is his stage, this is his alter, these are his fans, these are “His People”. I'm sure the His People Centre where the album launch for VCK, as part of the Toffie Popular Culture festival, was held is not virgin to seeing signs of worship and musical celebration, (His People are the happy clappy types right?) but perhaps not quite like the way it was manifested on Saturday night.
And like in many places of worship the sick came, though in this case it was not to be cured but rather to revel in their infected state. With the theme of diseases for the night 14 Hope Street played host to a menagerie of many sickies; chicken pox moshed with the black lung while Tourette syndrome cuddled up with an STD in a dark corner.
Francois Van Coke and Peach Van Pletzen's supposedly un-serious two man elctro-rock side project Oorlog Frankenstein is silly, crazy and absolutely infectious and seems well on its way in garnering a cult following.
Argentinean electro band Manta Raya played next and were painful on many levels. Shouty and indecipherable (though that could have been because the lead was singing in Spanish though it was really hard to tell in some songs) it was relief when they finally stopped. Lead Mecha is quite the dramatic performer and writhed and crawled around the stage but ultimately Manta Raya seemed to be all bluster and show and no talent.
Finally they ended and Van Coke Kartel took to the stage in some snappy blue suits and hats and boasting an addition of two new members Jason Oosthuizen from band One Day Remains (who seems to have filled the shoes of now ex drummer Peach and ex-ex-drummer Justin Kruger) and talented lead guitarist Jedd Kossew from 7th Son fame. With a new direction and diversification in sound seen on their latest album Skop, Skiet en Donner and addition of new members Van Coke Kartel seemed to have finally come into their own and moved out from under the Fokof shadow.
You know you're living in some crazy-ass postmodern times when it's late Saturday night and you've dressed up as yellow fever to listen to a band chant Penis is my lewe at a part-time His People Centre where there are beer cans and stompies in the baptism pool and guys with toilet rolls stuck to their heads smoking sneaky cigarettes in the vestry. Aaah you've gotta love it.
