South African musicians trending in Oz
Ex-Komani boy Kobus Matthews a musical hit Down Under
Not long ago, The Rep described the career of Kobus Matthews, the musician who grew up in the old Queenstown and attended Hoërskool Hangklip.
Now he is making a name for himself in Australia too – on an Afrikaans radio station run by and for ex-pats now living Down Under.
The programme is called Die Strandloper (The Beachcomber) and is broadcast on a community radio station known as The Pulse 94.7 out of Geelong in the state of Victoria in Australia. Die Strandloper has been running since 2009.
According to the presenters, Veronica and Elaine, one of the highlights of 2018 has been to be allocated an extra hour, giving them a two-hour slot in which they can play “heerlike warm musiek en geselsies” in Afrikaans. Surely, if evidence were needed that South Africans have “packed for Perth” in great numbers, this would be it – and this is neither Perth nor even the same state!
So what is new on Die Strandloper?
They now have their own WhatsApp line which listeners can use to chat with the presenters, send messages and make requests. Every week they interview interesting people like artists, actors and interesting personalities or discuss unusual events and play the latest music direct from SA.
They also run a community calendar which keeps listeners up to date with what is happening in Australia and throughout the world.
Their latest initiative is Top 5 – the top songs which are announced weekly and the public is invited to call in and pass their opinions on what is making the list, or not, and from time to time they have super prizes to give away.
Their dream is to expand their coverage and possibly reach the stage where they can have a daily show as they already have listeners not only in Australia, but also in New Zealand, Canada and even in South Africa who enjoy the programme via the TuneIn app or the website.
Two of Kobus Matthews’s singles have been accepted for the radio station – Verlang and
Tjierie Tjierie – and Verlang made Die Strandloper’s Top 5 last week.
In the past three months, he has done “pre-shows” for several South African musicians, including Bok van Blerk, Jakkie Louw and Robbie Wessels.