Van Coke is bringing his friends to Pretoria

Francois van Coke is coming to town, and he is bringing his friends with.

Local music lovers are in for a treat as Van Coke en Vriende comes to Pretoria once again for a show of epic proportions.

It also marks the release of Van Coke’s second collaboration EP of the kind, featuring songs with other local legends and rising talents.

“I’ve been doing the En Vriende show for a couple of years now. The show is different from others, everyone on that show I have written a song with and collaborated with,” Van Coke told Rekord.

“So this year’s event I thought of some new collaborators that I haven’t worked with before, like Zaan Sonnekus, a young alternative artist that I dig.”

Sonnekus is no new name with audiences around the Capital City.

“We were around the same age as Zaan when we started Fokofpolisiekar, so I see some similarities there, he is on a mission to make things happen, which is awesome,” said Van Coke.

“Loufi is another – my friends have done things with him, like Parow and Early B, so I thought he would fit on the bill quite nicely.”

This year’s show, powered by Van Coke’s unstoppable band, Die Gevaar, will take place at the Sunbet Arena on August 18 and will go national with a Cape Town date added for mid-September.

“En Vriende is a celebration of South African music. These are songs that we wrote together, it isn’t just songs that we are singing from other people.”

The Pretoria show will feature Spoegwolf, Canadian band Neon Dreams, Fokofpolisiekar, Zaan Sonnekus, Early B, Loufi, Tasché, Jack Parow, Hunter Kennedy, Van Coke Kartel and Die Heuwels Fantasties.

“Some of these people will be there for the first time, and many of the familiar faces will return.”

Of note, Van Coke Kartel will be performing a sort of reunion since it officially broke up in 2017.

Van Coke said that Pretoria feels like his home base.

“Pretoria just feels like there is more of a culture for live music, and they have kept us going all these years,” he told Rekord.

“I remember the first time that we came to Pretoria. We drove into Pretoria going past the Unisa buildings. We turned on the radio and it was TuksFM, playing our song ‘Tevrede?’

“That was a very epic moment coming into Pretoria that first time.”

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