aKING are making their way to Oppikoppi this year and their set promises to be one of the highlights of the festival. I have been following these Bellville boys’ musical progression since the late 2000’s and I have to say that they’ve always been one of my favorite acts in the SA Music Scene.
The first aKING album (Dutch Courage) was released in February 2008 and since then these rockers have releasing 3 other studio albums, playing at almost every festival in the country, rocking out and not showing signs of slowing down. It’s been nearly two years since they’ve released an album and I do hope that there will be a new album soon.
I was getting quite curious about aKING’s Oppikoppi set, so I had a chat to Hennie Van Halen (the bassist in the band) about this festival and a few other things. This is what he had to say:
When you think of Oppikoppi, what comes to mind?
First and foremost, dust. In and around every crevice. Also, amazing performances and thousands of friendly faces. My time at Koppi is usually made up of meet & greets every 2mins until you’re drunk enough to go to bed.
What is the funniest thing you’ve seen at Oppikoppi?
My own face drunken in the porta-loo mirror at 4 AM on a Sunday morning.
What do you think of the current state of SA Music?
This isn’t an easy question. It’s difficult to be objective when you’re in such a small segment of the industry, but I can’t complain. People are doing amazing things and audiences’ minds are opening up to the fact that our country is incredibly diverse, culturally and musically. If anything, I wish that what we lost in terms of “cd buying fans”, we could gain in terms of “show attending fans”.
What is your favorite quote about Rock Music?
“Blues is a good man, feeling bad. Rock is a bad man, feeling good.”
What can music fans expect from your set at Oppikoppi this year?
In the words of Griffin, “We’ll be bringing it hard this year!”.
I’d like to thank Hennie van Halen and aKING for this quick interview. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m definitely NOT missing their set at Oppikoppi this year.
General Admission tickets for Oppikoppi cost R850. Get yours now or you’ll be paying R950 for a late ticket.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Music and Interviews categories on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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