Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Buskers find new home
A fresh idea offers budding city musicians new audiences
CAPE Town buskers have found a new home. With winter on its way it could not have come at a better time.
Café Crema is a music event held on certain Thursday nights at Akro Co-working in Wale Street. The event is the brainchild of Maxwell Jansen and Natalie Wood of Chasing the Bean, the coffee shop attached to Akro Co-Working. The event is a platform for young musicians to play for audiences who have paid for the privilege.
The last event held on April 16 featured musicians Lauren Smith and Stanley Sibande, both of whom have interesting stories.
Smith is a local who packed her bags one day, got into her car and headed to Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown). She busked at various small towns before getting to Makhanda and securing a slot to play at the National Arts Festival. She has already secured her place for this year’s festival.
Sibande is from Zambia. He came to South Africa to fulfil his dream of being a musician. In his third week in the country he was robbed in Bellville. He lost everything. Jansen and others have been helping Sibande get back on his feet and help him achieve his goal. He has played at a number of venues around the city, including the Good Company Market, another busker-friendly place.
Café Crema sees a co-working space turn into a classy live music venue and a coffee shop become a bar. The event has a relaxed and comfy vibe. It’s a great place to unwind after work and because it’s a co-working space it has plug points on the tables where you can charge your phone, which is convenient. Another thing, sure to relieve your stress, is that your ticket (R150 presale or R175 at the door) includes snacks, drinks and, of course, entertainment.
The next event is planned for May 30. The line-up is still to be confirmed. To book or for more information email maxwell@chasingthebean. net.
Is the Cape Town event essentially the same as the show in Pretoria or are there changes to line-up?
The only change in the line-up is the absence of my good friend and collaborator, Karen Zoid. She is busy with other shows and could not open her schedule for this one. Riana Nel was added to the line-up after we became friends while shooting She is a phenomenal singer. Do you all perform together or are there separate sets? Sounds like an epic rock concert
It is! It is a two-hour show of 27 or 28 songs, but we are never on stage all together. My band, Die Gevaar, is the backbone of the show, so we play tunes from my solo career and we are joined by my collaborators on the songs we have worked on together.
Francois van Coke & Vriende is on Friday, 8pm, at GrandWest. Tickets are R225-R275. Book at Computicket.