Carstens sounds out Chavonnes

Former Springbok Nude Girls frontman joins François van Coke, writes Bianca Coleman

NEXT Wednesday two of our hottest rockers will be teaming up for a one-night-only acoustic performance at the Chavonnes Battery Museum in the V&A Waterfront’s Silo District.

Former Springbok Nude Girls lead singer Arno Carstens has never left the spotlight during his illustrious career. Just look at this list: 12 studio albums and more than 20 top ten singles, five South African Music Awards, and performances at sold out concerts in South Africa, the UK, Europe and the US as well as some of the world’s largest music festivals including Glastonbury, V Festival, T in the Park, Hard Rock Calling and the Isle of Wight.

But wait, there’s more. The Rolling Stones invited Carstens to open for them when they performed in Spain in 2007 and he has shared a stage with U2, REM, the Police, Paul Weller, Simple Minds, Ultravox, Meatloaf and INXS.

Still breaking new ground, Carstens’s 13th full length studio album, Die Aandblom 13, will be released next month. It’s his first Afrikaans album, and the title pays homage to his childhood home address, and his Afrikaans roots.

For the gig next week Carstens will be taking the stage with equally talented co-performer François van Coke, front man and a founding member of the iconic alternate rock bands Fokofpolisiekar and Van Coke Cartel. Van Coke released his first solo album last year. The first single from it, a ballad with Karen Zoid, became the first Afrikaans album and single to simultaneously hold the number one

Arno Carstens and François Van Coke will be performing at the V&A Waterfront