Tired of the mundane activities of everyday life, the Afrikaans rock band, Nagligte, decided to revive their band in 2014 and are now working on their third single.
The band started out in 2000 when Jacobus (Roof) Brink and Wynand Jonker met while studying at Stellenbosch University. At the beginning they were sceptical of one another’s musical abilities but this subsided after their first performance.
But life went on, and Roof and Wynand started working, got married and had children. Their dream however, gained momentum in 2014 when they started writing songs with Daniel (Eddie) Brink.
“We were so fed up with our jobs. We just wanted to do something to get out of this rat race,” said Roof.
The three – who are all businessmen – started laying down some ideas in Wynand’s studio and started working with Fred den Hartog from Die Heuwels Fantasties and Francois de Klerk.
The band’s debut album, Hoop in die Donker, was released in 2015 and their upbeat style immediately made waves in the music industry. The first single, Dit Stop Nou, topped the charts of some of the biggest radio stations in the country. The band was also nominated for two of the coveted Ghoema 2016 awards in the categories Best Alternative Album and Best Newcomer and has performed with some of South Africa’s biggest artists.
“One of the producers on the album, Sheep, sent us a piece of music and said we must see whether we can come up with something. We immediately loved the music and Wynand instantly brought a concept and melody to the table. Myself, Roof and Wynand then wrote the lyrics for the song together,” said Eddie.
The second single, Ongeloof(lik) reached the number one position on Bok Radio. It also featured on the charts of various community radio stations across the country. The group has recently made appearances on Jou Show and Bravo, was featured in Rooi Rose and performed at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Innibos, Vrystaat Kunstefees and Hoërskool Randburg. They are very grateful for these opportunities.
“The music industry has taught us a lot about perseverance and patience. It is a tough industry and you have to give it your all to survive. To be part of a band, is like managing a small company. You have to be resourceful and find creative ways to get yourself out there. But you must also remember to have fun, because that is why we are doing this in the first place,” said Wynand.
On their record deal with Universal Music South Africa, Roof said: “We are super excited and honoured to work with the team at Universal Music South Africa and look forward to the road ahead. Their experience, resources and enthusiasm for Afrikaans rock music is fantastic. We look forward to rocking in Afrikaans!”
They have a diverse taste in music which ranges from melodic pop to heavy metal and this contributes to the epic, sing-along alternative sound which defines this group. “We had a clear idea of what we wanted to sound like”, said Wynand. “But after the first couple of sessions in the studio we realised that we were far from sounding the way we wanted to. Slowly but surely we started finding our own unique sound through combining the wider spectrum of the various influences that each individual member brought.”
The group’s message to everyone out there: “We want to break away from an existence without purpose that currently consumes so much of our time. We want to tell everyone: It doesn’t matter who you are or what your circumstances are, there is always hope. Wake up. Grow up. Get up.”
