Rocker proves he can still pull “Rabbitt” out of a hat

"My friend and I knew which cars they drove and their registration numbers. We always knew where they were playing and we used to slip notes under their windscreen wipers."

March 28, 2017

Philippa Francis 1 minute read

WHITE RIVER – When Nicola Smal heard Duncan Faure, former frontman for ’70s rock band Rabbitt, was coming to the Lowveld, she cleared her diary, dusted off the five album covers she owns and dragged her husband along to the Barnyard Theatre at Casterbridge on Saturday night.

Well-known South African musician and producer, Mel Botes, brought Faure out from Las Vegas for a series of shows around the country through his record label, Storm Rekordz.

With Don Cobra of sleaze-rock band LA Cobra, they performed an acoustic set ranging from Rabbitt hits to songs from Faure’s other great success story, the Bay City Rollers, and covers of the Beatles and Billy Joel.

Faure was impressive on the guitar but it was when he was behind the piano belting out Elton John classics, that he was most comfortable and looked almost like the music great himself with his large-framed spectacles and backwards cap.

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The show was not as well supported as it should have been for a musician of Faure’s calibre, but the star spared no energy entertaining the fans that did show up, and they were not in the least bit disappointed.

Rabbitt was hailed as South Africa’s answer to The Beatles and the band became accustomed to playing to thousands of screaming fans, many of whom were young girls who even threw their underwear onto the stage in excitement.

Duncan Faure, De Wet Potgieter, Don Cobra and Me Botes.

It all feels like yesterday, except these days I don’t even get a pair of grandma ‘lappies’ flying onto the stage,” Faure told Lowvelder, while speaking about his John Lennon autograph and how one ages 20 years in Las Vegas because it is “as dry as Mars”.

“The music just keeps on going. It’s great as you never stop learning. I perform as often as possible, it’s what I love to do.”

What a sight: Elton John and Duncan Faure.

Particular highlights of Saturday’s show were the trio’s rendition of Rabbitt’s “Charlie” which made it to the top of South African charts in 1976 and
Faure’s Beatles challenge: he promised to buy a drink for any audience member who requested a song he could not play.

He could play them all, even though he chastised himself for getting a chord wrong in his rendition of “Michelle”.

The small audience meant Faure could meet fans and pose for photographs after the performance. His biggest fan’s efforts were vindicated when she had her albums autographed by the music legend.

Botes said it was an absolute honour to share a stage with Faure, whose music he had listened to as a youngster.

“I don’t think he ever got the credit he really deserved. South Africans don’t treasure their musicians enough and I wanted his fans to have the chance to see him again,” Botes explained.