It's been a busy time for the experimental art rockers The Buckfever Underground: there's a new album 'Saves', international acclaim for one of their songs (eight years after its release), and plenty of press releases from their PR team.

The Buckfever Underground began in 1998 as little more than an in-joke/social experiment by Toast Coetzer (English and Afrikaans spoken word vocals) and Gilad Hockman (random acoustic guitar). Performing an odd mix of stream of consciousness spoken word, vocals over random acoustic guitar the pair gained a small following in the university town of Grahamstown were they were noted as much for their poster campaigns as for their music. Following the release of their debut EP — 'Jou Medemens Is Dood' — the band slowly began to find its audience and the beginnings of a cult following.

In 2001, the group moved its headquarters to Cape Town where its line-up was reshuffled to include Jon Savage on piano/keyboards (Savage had also provided some drums on 'Jou Medemens Is Dood') and Stephen Timm on drums. In 2003, their second EP, 'TAFL – Teaching Afrikaans As A Foreign Language' was released.

In 2005, the band again reshuffled to allow Jon Savage to focus on his own band, Cassette. Although Savage has not left Buckfever, his regular absence required the addition of a new member. This place was taken up by experimental guitarist Righard Kapp who had already released two solo albums of his own. That same year, the five-piece began work on their first full album which would eventually be entitled ‘Saves’.

'Saves' was recorded in June 2005 and while post production was officially completed in October that year, life got in the way and the album was only ready for release in August 2007. As The Buckfever Underground’s first full album and third official release, 'Saves' is another clear step in the group’s development. Featuring 11 tracks, Coetzer’s lyrics are as incisive and observant as ever while the band finds its sound drawing from its richest landscape yet.

Two of the new songs — 'Die Woord' and 'Die Wortel Van Kwaad' — are listed in the top ten download on the Rhythm Records online store — as is 'Die Volk (Is In Die Kak)', eight years after its original release.

This recent surge of interest comes on the back of ‘Die Volk (Is In Die Kak) being nominated as one of the Top 100 Protest Songs of all time in a Dutch survey. The song deals with the feeling of disillusionment of young Afrikaners towards their community in post apartheid South Africa.

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