About
We are The Buckfever Underground - a South African spoken-word band that plays free-form improvised jazz-rock / post-rock. Since the early 2000s, we’ve performed poetry in English and Afrikaans with experimental music.
We’ve developed a loyal following of fans who appreciate our innovative and genre-defying sound. Whether playing at a small club or a major festival, we always brings their A-game, delivering a high-energy and unforgettable live show.
We tour yearly - throughout the Western Cape and sometimes across the country. We enjoy playing at bars, homes and arts festivals - see the Shows page to see what is coming up.
In addition to our music, we are known for their activism and commitment to raising awareness about important social and political issues. Through music and public statements, the band has become a voice for change and a force for good in South Africa.
Current members
Toast Coetzer
Toast Coetzer writes and performs poetry in both English and Afrikaans.
He is a travel writer at Go / Weg travel magazines. He’s also one of the co-editors of the oldest (and most erratic) Afrikaans zine in the world, Ons Klyntji. He co-hosts The Unhappy Hour on Bush Radio 89.5 fm every Sunday from 6-8 pm in Cape Town.
Read more on toastcoetzer.com or on his Afrikaans Wikipedia page.
Stephen Timm
Stephen plays the drums, sometimes keys and has occasional brings out the percussion set of bells and shakers.
Stephen released a book he wrote in Feb 2021, titled At Any Cost.
The South African fraudster who took the tech world for more than $40 million
The book is available to order on Amazon (ebook available). Or read more about the book on LitNet on on Stephen’s LinkedIn post.
History
The Buckfever Underground has been around since 1998 when then students Toast Coetzer (vocals, lyrics) and Gilad Hockman (bass) started the band in Grahamstown. Jon Savage (keyboard) soon joined with Stephen Timm (drums) and Righard Kapp (guitar) joining after the band had relocated to Cape Town in the early 2000s.
The picture above is from just after we finished recording our Verkeerdevlei album at Teatime Studios out in Brackenfell. Pictured from the left are: Gilad Hockman (bass, ideas, The Plan), Jon Savage (keyboards, big tunes), Toast Coetzer (vocals, lyrics), Stephen Timm (drums, electronics, keyboards) and Righard Kapp (guitar magic).
Michael Currin was in the band from 2017 to 2022 and played on the recordings “The Last Days of Beautiful” and “Satelliet”.
Read more about us on The Buckfever Underground page on Wikipedia.