Local rocker Francois van Coke became lead singer by default

Local rocker Francois van Coke says publishing his autobiography was one of many things he never thought he would do.

“I never thought I would ever sing in a band, I did a TV show for a number of episodes, I never thought I would be a bar owner.

Van Coke said he became a lead singer for Fokofpolisiekar by default, he was the worst guitar player and no-one else wanted to sing.

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“Everything fell into place by chance, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to do all those things,” he said.

State of the industry

Van Coke said the music industry was roughly where it was before Covid, with cross-country tours and shows.

“Covid was a big adjustment when you reinvented and found a way to do shows in that environment where everyone was at their homes.

“At times it was quite good for us. Covid worked out quite well for me because we then started streaming shows. Luckily, we had a fan base before the time that was looking for music in the lockdown.

“So, it went quite well even though we played fewer shows, I was at home a lot, which was really nice,” he said.

Van Coke recently hosted his The Stories Behind the Tunes show at the Menlyn Barnyard Theatre. He will return to the capital in October with his Francois and Friends show that includes big local names like Karen Zoid, Jack Parrow and Early B.

“I don’t usually talk a lot in my shows, so that was the first time I talked so much and it was quite an adjustment. I am not talking about the songs, but rather the stories that lead to this song. Many of these stories are also in my autobiography, How I Remember It. The idea behind the book is how I will tell stories to my friends,” he said.

Van Coke said surviving in the music industry for over two decades meant one had to reinvent themselves to be relevant.

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“Getting that balance right was important. We are lucky that people resonate with our tunes on such a deep level. We see parents bringing their teenagers to the shows, that’s two generations of fans.

“It’s crazy, two generations listening to our tunes, it’s a great privilege. Hopefully, we can do it for another generation,” he said.

Van Coke said he would never swear words because his songs were honest.