An Interview with HOKUM

HOKUM are a four piece progressive rock band from Midrand / Johannesburg, South Africa. They released a full album in 2015 and according to The Metalist (who unlike me, has seen them live) “they are serious musicians, with not only talent, but a plan – they really do give it their all and are amazing team players.”

In case you were wondering, the members of the band are Scott Wareham, Jason Jackson, Conrad de Jong and
Sarah Wolff. To be honest, I’ve heard a lot about HOKUM and I really need to make a plan to see them play live. The mere fact that I have not yet, makes me a bad rock fan, a really bad one. Just listen to their track, “Mobility” below and you’ll understand why I feel like one.

I recently had a chat to HOKUM about a few things. This is what they had to say:

Last year you released, “The Money Eaters”, how would you say this was received by your fans?

It’s been really well received by fans and critics alike. The response seems to have justified the long wait; we’re really proud of it.

You have been around since 2005, how would you say the rock scene in SA differs now from then?

There are way more events and event organizers now, which has helped build a solid community and touring schedule for bands; the independents are running a tight ship. We’re in the right space and place now to take our music to another level, and reach more people.

What are you currently working on?

Aside from our first tour to Cape Town (4th – 10th of July) we’re working on an EP of reworked material from “The Money Eaters”. We want to take a few of the tracks and change their arrangements, stripping everything down into more intimate pieces; a sort of acoustic HOKUM.

We’ve also finished writing material for the new album, and have already tracked most of it. We’re very excited about where our music is going. It’s going to be punchier, heavier in places, slower and more subtle in others. It’ll be a more personal record…

If you could colab with a South African artist, who would you choose and why?

Tough question: so many great artists! Inge Beckmann from Lark comes to mind immediately; she’s an amazing artist and vocalist that we’ve wanted to work with for some time now. I think the difference, sonically and tonally, between vocalists would be really interesting to explore.

Where can people catch your next live performance and what can they expect?

We’re playing at the Bohemian in Johannesburg on the 4th of June with Albinobeach and Mad God. You can expect amazing sound, great energy, and something different to your regular rock shows. An intellectual yet energizing night.

I’d like to thank HOKUM for this interview and I wish them all of the best with their future musical endeavors.

Watch this space for regular updates in the Music and Interviews categories on Running Wolf’s Rant.

Photo credit: Henry Engelbrecht & Chris Preyser.