“KALT IS THE NEW ALTERNATIEF!” says Damian Strydom.
For the ‘KALT Leier’ of Afrikalt, that’s the idea behind the indie label and cultural collective’s latest project: the Boere Punk Toer. It’s an epic five-date trip through South Africa, bringing together some of the artists pushing alternative Afrikaans music in new and, according to Strydom, decidedly unruly directions.
From 15–19 September, Karel Bester & Die Kraaines Band, Blitz, Worsie van Wyk, Skrikkeljaar, Kosmos Ens, Tydloos and Nikotien will take the music from Stellenbosch to Burgersdorp, Bloemfontein, Klerksdorp and Centurion. Following the collective’s previous tour projects like Paarl na Pretoria, Skrik vir Niks and Blus Jou Lus, this one is an extension of Afrikalt’s broader mission to create a space for artists making Afrikaans music outside the expected parameters of Afrikaans music.
In this case, “Boere Punk” is less a genre than a skommel of different sounds and things. Karel Bester & Die Kraaines Band pull boeremusiek, psychedelia and punk into something distinctly their own, while Blitz bring a raw rock-and-roll energy to the fore.
“Everyone likes it a little loud and a little rough,” says Blitz bassist Seth Lekas. “Blitz, Karel Bester and the Kraaines Band together are lekker onbeskof. Unapologetically rowdy.” The tour places these sounds in the same room. Not to behave, but just to see what happens.
And the refusal to behave according to expectations is exactly what Afrikalt’s overall philosophy is about. Founded in 2023, the collective has been building a space for artists working across punk, rock, metal, psychedelia, electronic music, hip-hop and experimental sounds, picking up a thread that runs through the Alternative Afrikaans and Voëlvry movements, starting all the way back in ‘80s. Rather than sommer revisiting history, Afrikalt is interested in what happens when a new generation starts pulling it in new directions. The Boere Punk Tour pops that philosophy on four wheels and klaps it.
For Karel Bester, taking the music out of Cape Town is essential cultural exchange. “A tour is much like a cultural exhibition to me,” he says. This tour isn’t about asking the Binneland to accept a new version of Afrikaans music, but rather about exposing them to what Afrikaans music means beyond their definitions, putting different scenes and audiences into conversation with each other. “I feel, much like our first tour into the Binneland way back in 2024, we’re presenting what Cape Town has to offer to the cultural heritage and future of Alternative Afrikaans,” Bester says.
In the tradition of alternative Afrikaans music that came before it, the point of Boer Punk isn’t necessarily to ask for permission or to seek acceptance. It’s to make something truthful and, preferably, a little bit onbeskof.
Boere Punk Tour 2026:
15 September: Bohemia — Stellenbosch
16 September: Kreatief — Burgersdorp
17 September: Aasvoël Club — Bloemfontein
18 September: Café Amsterdam — Klerksdorp
19 September: Railways Café — Centurion
Tickets are available via Quicket.
Photography courtesy Afrikalt.
