English version below
Een Frank P / Snoeyschaar co-produktie
Vandaag besluiten we ons drieluik ‘Punk in Afrika’ met een interviewtje met drie jongelui die zichzelf Twenty One Children noemen. Thula, Abdula en Biko heten ze. Op het podium gaan ze als drie Razende Roelanden tekeer maar eenmaal eraf blijken het uiterst aimabele, bescheiden jongens. Ze zijn komen overvliegen van vierduizend kilometer verderop, vanuit de South Western Townships, beter bekend als Soweto, eigenlijk een voorstad van Johannesburg.
Maar eerst even de omstandigheden schetsen. Het interview vond drie weken terug plaats in het Indische Oceaan-kustplaatstje Kilifi. Het We’re Loud! punkfestival was daar neergestreken voor een derde etappe, na eerst al Nairobi en Lamu aangedaan te hebben. Onze correspondent ter plekke rapporteerde toen al dat Kilifi nogal een compact plaatsje is, en dat een mooi openbaar plekje in de schaduw daar lang niet zo vanzelfsprekend is als bij ons. Voor dit interview wist hij weliswaar een paar terrasstoelen te bemachtigen, maar zijn I-Phone dictafoon laat overtuigend horen dat hij daarbij moest concurreren met veel opdringerig omgevingsgeluid. Zoals: soundcheckende bands, luidruchtig drinkende locals, een net opstartende dub-reggae deejay… Kortom , de geluidskwaliteit van de tape laat errug te wensen over. Zodoende vallen er bij nadere beluistering gapende gaten in het gesprokene. Maar ach, Zaaglezers staan bekend om hun begripvolle karakter, zij malen hier niet om… Integendeel zelfs.
Eerst meteen maar eens vragen aan de jongens: in Nederland staan townships vooral bekend als uiterst gevaarlijke oorden waar je – als je niet oppast- voor een paar rotte centen gekeeld, verkracht en met een autoband om je nek in de fik gestoken wordt. Hebben zij zelf ook die ervaring? “….Zwaar overdreven, je hebt overal op aarde mindere plekken…. (onverstaanbaar gebrabbel)… In het gedeelte van Soweto waar wij wonen is het juist heel rustig…”
Ze vertellen dat de twee optredens bij het We’re Loud!-festival (in Nairobi en in Kilifi) hun eerste optredens in een ander Afrikaans land betekenen. Maar dat wil niet zeggen dat ze nog nooit in het buitenland zijn geweest: “Nee, we speelden al in de UK, een stel ‘smaller pub shows,’ Maar ook bij het Dot To Dot-festival en bij The Great Escape in Brighton stonden we …. (ze noemen nog een festival maar de naam ervan is onverstaanbaar)…” Zien ze verschillen tussen Kenia en Zuid-Afrika, als het gaat om de beleving van de edele kunst van het punkrocken?“The Kenyan kids, they love rock n roll! But they’re still a little bit shy. Back home the scene is bigger and the kids are more used to it. So they go crazy, they go fucking wild!!”
Toevallig is begin december de derde release van The Twenty One Children verschenen, ‘After The Storm‘ geheten. Check Bandcamp eens! Het is verschenen in een vinyl-oplage van 200, en nu alleen nog digitaal verkrijgbaar. Net als hun eerste plaatje is deze verschenen op Slovenly Records, het label van We’re Loud organisator Peter Slovenly. Ja hoor, met Pete kunnen ze prima opschieten: “Pete wasn’t sure because he’d never seen us play. But then we did a charity show for a children’s home at Thula’s house..(de heavy dubanken van Augustus Pablo komen er nu bovenuit)… Slovenly covered the whole thing and Pete was convinced after that.” En hey zeg, laten er nou ook opnames zijn van die liefdadigheidsshow! :
Wat maakte dat jullie gingen spelen punkrock? Thula: “In the nineties I was checking out different radio channels since it was hard to get good music when I stuck upon some music that hit me. I kept listening the whole night and after that I’ve been looking into this kind of music. And then I was exchanging cd’s with other guys and that’s how I got into punk rock.”
Juist ja. En vertel eens, waar is-tie opgenomen die nieuwe plaat? “Where it was recorded? In Biko’s dad’s studio... (krak, krak doet de I-phone) .. “ He’s a legendary South African musician.” En toen moest er in die studio plotseling punkrock opgenomen worden. De jongens hebben er nog steeds de grootste lol om. “With a funky snare drum, hahaha” Maar eh… way zeg je nou joh, een legendarische musicus? Daar willen we meer van weten!“Biko’s father’s name is Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse. He used to play for a band called Harare and was the original founder of the ‘Soweto funk” sound.’
Zijn er wel genoeg plekken om te spelen in Zuid-Afrika, willen we weten. Nou, dat valt flink tegen, maken ze duidelijk. Er zijn veel tenten dichtgegaan de laatste tijd. “There are ten venues at the most in Johannesburg. That’s why we do shows at the house. So you don’t have to pay, and people are into new things.”
Nog effe iets in het wilde weg vragen: kennen zij Die Antwoord goed? Want dat is tenslotte in Nederland veruit de bekendste Zuid-Afrikaanse band. Die Antwoord (komend uit Kaapstad) zingt soms in het Afrikaans en zeggen erbij dat Afrikaans de taal van het ghetto is. Zien de Twenty One Children dat ook zo? “Die Antwoord? Ja weleens van gehoord geloof ik. Zeggen ze dat Afrikaans de taal van de ghetto is? Dat is stierenstront, I completely disagree!“
In Holland we have Big Daddy Snoeyschaar and he talked about a record he has from Soweto. It’s called ‘The Indestructable Beat Of Soweto,’ it’s from 1985. Are you familiar with that record? ” What you say??, the in-de-stru-ta-ble beat of Soweto?? Wow! From nine-teen-eighty-five.. Wow! What kind of music is that?” Het is wel duidelijk. De boys spreken het woord ‘1985’ uit alsof dat ergens in de vroege middeleeuwen plaatsvond. Maar ja, in Afrika is dan ook geen plek voor nostalgie, ze hebben wel wat beters te doen daar. Overleven bijvoorbeeld. The only way is up up up!
Nog effe nieuwsgierig dan naar door welke bands deze jongens zoal zijn beïnvloed?: “Skate punk vooral……(pieieieiieiiiip doet een versterker) … I Love 80s hardcore. Like ‘GI’ from The Germs, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Death, Poison Idea… And I really like that new Turnstile album!” Als wij per ongeluk ook de naam Pure Hell laten vallen (een zwarte 70s punkband uit Philadelphia) gaat er plots een siddering van enthousiasme door de gelederen van de band. “Pure Hell, definitely! Their music is good and undeniable! I was interested in others who are into this and because they look like me, they’re not white and that made me curious. ”
Tenslotte nog even snel een vijftal vlugvraagjes dan: a) Staat jullie familie achter jullie? Vinden ze het leuk dat je in een punkband zit? Of rust er juist een stigma op? Die Antwoord: “My mother has always been supportive, she doesn’t really get it, but when she saw us play, she was really proud.” b) Hoe zien jullie de globale positie van Afrikaanse-muziek, en dan speciaal van Afrikaanse punkrock? Die Antwoord: “I think African music is getting huge. A punkfestival like We’re Loud gives us the ability to connect with other bands like Crystal Axis, it’s becoming big I suppose.” c) Zijn jullie bekend met de docu ‘Punk in Africa’? “ No, not really, just saw some clips. But I suppose it’s about National Wake the first multiracial (punk) band in South Africa. That was a big deal. TCIYF (The Cum In Your Face) was Thula’s band. They were the first all-black punk band in S-Africa. d) Zijn er veel p-bands in Soweto of in Z-Afrika? Wat zijn de bekendste? “Yeah there’s a lot of bands in Soweto, Soweto is a scene on its own. There’s Aura Electric who are the young guns and then there’s also Shameless. In the greater scene there’s bands like: Necklace, Dynasty House, Sons Of Solomon and One Second Longe.” e) Wat is jullie droom als band? “World domination I’d say. Just play everywhere. I just want to make people happy..” ..(krak, krak, piiiiiieeeeeppp)…
Punk from Soweto: Twenty One Children
Dutch version above
A Frank P. / Pruning Shears co-production
Today we conclude our triptych ‘Punk in Africa’ with an interview with three young men who call themselves Twenty One Children. Their names are Thula, Abdula, and Biko. On stage, they rage as if going beserk, but once off stage, they prove to be extremely amiable and unassuming guys. They flew in from four thousand kilometers away, from the South Western Townships, better known as Soweto, actually a suburb of Johannesburg.
But first, let’s set the scene. The interview took place three weeks ago in the Indian Ocean coastal town of Kilifi. The We’re Loud! punk festival had landed there for a third leg, after having already visited Nairobi and Lamu. Our correspondent on the spot reported back then that Kilifi is quite a compact town, and that a nice, shady spot isn’t nearly as readily available there as it is here. He did manage to snag a few patio chairs for this interview, but his iPhone dictaphone convincingly demonstrates that he had to contend with a lot of intrusive ambient noise. Such as: bands sound-checking, loudly drinking locals, a dub-reggae DJ just starting up… In short, the sound quality of the tape leaves a lot to be desired. Consequently, upon closer inspection, gaping holes appear in the spoken word. But hey, Chainsaw readers are known for their understanding nature, they don’t mind this… quite the opposite, in fact.
Let’s ask the boys right away: in the Netherlands, townships are known as extremely dangerous places where—if you’re not careful—you can be throat-snatched, raped, and set on fire with a car tire around your neck for a few lousy rand. Have they experienced that themselves? “… A gross exaggeration, there are worse places all over the world… (unintelligible gibberish)… In the part of Soweto where we live, it’s actually very quiet…”
They explain that the two performances at the We’re Loud! festival (in Nairobi and Kilifi) are their first in another African country. But that doesn’t mean they’ve never been abroad: “No, we’ve played in the UK before, a couple of smaller pub shows. But we also played at the Dot To Dot festival and The Great Escape in Brighton… (they mention another festival, but the name is unintelligible)…” Do they see any differences between Kenya and South Africa when it comes to experiencing the fine art of punk rock? “The Kenyan kids, they love rock n roll! But they’re still a little bit shy. Back home, the scene is bigger, and the kids are more used to it. So they go crazy, they go fucking wild!!
Coincidentally, The Twenty One Children’s third release, titled ‘After The Storm,’ was released in early December. It’s limited to 200 vinyl copies, and right now only digitally available. Just check Bandcamp! Like their first album, it’s released on Slovenly Records, the label of We’re Loud! organizer Peter Slovenly. And yes, they get along great with Pete: “Pete wasn’t sure because he’d never seen us play. But then we did a charity show for a children’s home at Thula’s house. … (August Pablo’s heavy dub sounds now come through) … Slovenly covered the whole thing, and Pete was convinced after that.” And hey, there are recordings of that charity show too!(check the video in the above Dutch language section)
What made you start playing punk rock? Thula: “In the nineties, I was checking out different radio channels because it was hard to get good music when I got stuck on some music that resonated with me. I kept listening all night, and after that, I’ve been looking into this kind of music. And then I was exchanging CDs with other guys, and that’s how I got into punk rock.”
Right. And tell me, where was that new album recorded? “Where it was recorded? In Biko’s dad’s studio. … (crack, crack goes the iPhone) … “He’s a legendary South African musician.” And then suddenly, punk rock had to be recorded in that studio. The guys still have a blast about it. “With a funky snare drum, hahaha.” But uh… you say, a legendary musician? We want to know more about that! “Biko’s father’s name is Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse. He used to play for a band called Harare and was the original founder of the ‘Soweto funk’ sound.”
Are there enough places to play in South Africa, we want to know. Well, that’s quite disappointing, they make it clear. “A lot of venues have closed recently. There are ten venues at most in Johannesburg. That’s why we do shows at the house. So you don’t have to pay, and people are into new things.”
Just a quick random question: do they know Die Antwoord well? Because they are, after all, by far the best-known South African band in the Netherlands. Die Antwoord (from Cape Town) sometimes sing in Afrikaans and say that Afrikaans is the language of the ghetto. Do Twenty Children see it that way too? “Die Antwoord? Yeah, I think I’ve heard of them. Do they say that Afrikaans is the language of the ghetto? That’s bullshit, I completely disagree!”
In Holland we have Big Daddy Snoeyschaar and he talked about a record he has from Soweto. It’s called ‘The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto,’ it’s from 1985. Are you familiar with that record? “What you say??, the in-de-stru-ta-ble beat of Soweto?? Wow! From nineteen-eighty-five… Wow! What kind of music is that?” It’s clear. The boys pronounce the word ‘1985’ as if it took place somewhere in the early Middle Ages. But then again, there’s no place for nostalgia in Africa; they have better things to do there. Surviving, for example. The only way is up, up, up!
Still curious about which bands these guys are influenced by?: “Skate punk mainly.. (peeeeeeieiiiip goes an amplifier)
… I love 80s hardcore. Like ‘ GI’ from The Germs, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Death, Poison Idea…And I really like that new Turnstile album!” When we accidentally mention the name Pure Hell (a black 70s punk band from Philadelphia) a sudden shiver of enthusiasm runs through the ranks of the band. “ Pure Hell, definitely! Their music is good and undeniable! I was interested in others who are into this and because they look like me, they’re not white and that made me curious”
Finally, five quick questions: a) Is your family supportive? Do they like the fact that you’re in a punk band? Or is there a stigma attached to it? “My mother has always been supportive, she doesn’t really get it, but when she saw us play, she was really proud.” b) How do you see the global position of African music, and African punk rock in particular? “I think African music is getting huge. A punk festival like We’re Loud gives us the ability to connect with other bands like Crystal Axis, it’s becoming big, I suppose.” c) Are you familiar with the documentary Punk in Africa? “No, not really, just saw some clips. But I suppose it’s about National Wake the first multiracial (punk) band in South Africa. That was a big deal. TCIYF (The Cum In Your Face) was Thula’s band. They were the first all-black punk band in S-Africa.” d) Are there many p-bands in Soweto or in South Africa? What are the best known ones? “Yeah there’s a lot of bands in Soweto, Soweto is a scene on its own. There’s Aura Electric who are the young guns and then there’s also Shameless. In the greater scene there’s bands like: Necklace, Dynasty House, Sons Of Solomon and One Second Longe.” e) What is your dream as a band? “World domination I’d say. Just play everywhere. I just want to make people happy…” (crack, crack, beeeeeppp….)