Rofstoeigreep

by Marley

“Rofstoeigreep” basically translates to “wrestling grip” and sitting here today after the Heuwels show on Sunday 28 April I can tell you one thing; that this blogger not only got a hangover but also left with the biggest smile on her face. In case you missed it I’m a big fan of Die Heuwels Fantasties and have been from the moment I heard “Vinger Alleen” a few years ago.

Marley, Pierre, Hunter, Doc, Phillip and Fred

I had a 6AM wakeup call to inform me of a friend of mine’s dogs who wanted breakfast. My beauty sleep obviously wasn’t that important to them. Just after 8 I arrived at our beautiful Botanical Gardens in Nelspruit, and I must say, if you haven’t been there yet it’s a beautiful place to go and explore even if it’s early in winter. The weather was perfect; not too hot or too cold or cloudy, just one of those perfect Sundays. I was put in charge of decorating a VIP section for a special birthday girl Christine, but the catch was I was only told the night before. By the time I finished the bar was set up and Pete decided to make a smaller bar this time round which was perfect for us bartenders. Once again we showed Nelspruit how well we work together as a team.

People began arriving just after 10 and the opening band Friday is Forgotten was up just after midday. This is a name I hope to see a lot more of in the future. They played mostly played covers but would love to hear some of their own songs. The boys had an awesome stage presence which made it hard to believe that they are all still in high school. Great confidence on and off stage, they had fun and their fans had fun supporting them. Proud parents were busy taking movies and photos on their phones; it was so heart warming to watch. Soon we were too busy to watch the shows but we loved what we heard from the other bands and it seemed that the crowd did too. It’s great to know that we have some really talented young musicians here even if some of them don’t know who Zebra and Giraffe or ISO are... (I know I was shocked too).

Cafe Wha?
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Friday is Forgotten
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

When I wiped the dust from my eyes Phillip and Fred of DHF were standing in front of me ready for a couple of drinks. I was over the moon with excitement and what felt like a few seconds was actually half an hour and before I knew it DHF was setup on stage and ready to go. What irritated us immensely was that the crowd was sitting down watching the show instead of standing up and enjoying the music. Even my poor attempt to get people up failed and I eventually just said “fuck it” and jumped around like the crazy pirate I am, which Phillip later relayed that I had at least caught his attention. They sang all their hits like “Klein Tambotieboom”, “Die Beloofde Land”, “Rofstoeigreep”, “DieVolkslied”, “Vinger Alleen” and so many more. Despite being behind the bar for about 80 % of the show, I was still singing along as loud as my voice allowed!

Pierre Greeff -
photo courtesy of The Lowvelder

Hunter Kennedy -
 photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Fred den Hartog
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Pierre Greeff
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Pierre Greeff
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Fred den Hartog
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Phillip Erasmus
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Fred den Hartog
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Phillip Erasmus
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Die Heuwels Fantasties
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Phillip Erasmus
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

Pierre Greeff
- photo courtesy of Vasti Lourens

After the show it was Meet & Greet. I got autographs on my CD’s and I’m now the proud owner of a brand new DHF t-shirt. Had a lovely chat with Phillip and Hunter (and a few tequilas) but just after that I had a slight crash behind the bar but survived it (thanks to the bar runners)... I was thrilled to see how many parents brought their kids, I saw babies in Bob Marley and Rolling Stones t-shirts. Young fans under the ages of 10 came to DHF for autographs and to have photos taken with them. It’s so awesome that parents expose their children to South African music and that the kids are true fans. One little girl asked Fred for a hug and you could see on his face how deeply honoured he was by it.

With Phillip Erasmus

Getting some merch signed by Hunter

With Hunter Kennedy - amazing personality

With mister Pierre Greeff

Philip is very lucky to stand between such good looking girls -
photo courtesy of Lowvelder

As the gardens emptied out and the shift was over it was an instant made decision to go to Blue Moon where DHF would be spending the evening. I know that by not going to Pappas on a Sunday might bring a random snow storm to the Lowveld but this was an opportunity I could not pass up. Driving the road was a breeze in comparison to the Glenwood road where Umbali is situated and I hope it stays that good for the VCK/Bittereinder show later this month. Arriving at BM with my quart of beer I everyone around a warm and inviting fire and the night went on filled with much laughter and fun. I got talking to Hunter, and I must say he is a fantastic person. His cousin was also there and to hear them talk about the actual Klein Tambotieboom farm was something for the record books. Pierre was a little out of it due to being so tired from touring so he just chilled out in the background away from the crazy laughter and shenanigans. Never the less as a music fan I was in my element to have spent time with the guys. I know there aren’t a lot of DHF fans here in the Lowveld but you have to give them credit they gave a brilliant show. As the night got darker the memories began to fade a little and there are just something’s you can’t repeat *wink*wink*. After a long but wonderful day I was at home and in bed by 10PM, (not too sober - thanks to Hunter) with a massive smile on my face I recounted the events of the day and drifted off to sleep.

Good news is that DHF will be back in the Lowveld for Innibos and yes, you will find me right there in front supporting as always. I really want to thank my fellow Blue Moon colleagues as it really is the best place to work, and not only because of cool events they host like DHF but because we all work so well together and love that we are our own crazy little family. A huge thank you to Pierre, Hunter, Fred and Philip for answering so many of my questions, signing stuff, drinking stuff, the tips and of course for the awesome music.

To every single person who retweeted, shared the event on Facebook, came to me and said something about the blog: I thank you, really thank you. A lot of energy goes into keeping up with all that’s going on and keeping everything running in the background. Without fans there will not be famous bands and its kind of the same thing with this blog – without fans it won’t be anything.

The A Team

The next show will be on the 11th of May at Blue Moon! Van Coke Kartel and Bittereinder will perform and we will be pre-selling tickets again. Please email us or comment below for more info

Photo crediet to: Vasti and The Lowvelder

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