Hey, you with the black(-ish) shirt, stand still. We have good news: all the years of running from the Gendarmerie can now finally mellow to a much more friendly and civilized mutual knowing nod.

15 years of broad spectrum tune-goodwill seems to have thawed the long arm and many other limbs across South Africa, for OppiKoppi is poised to be declared a monument in 2009.

It is just nice to know that after all these years there does seem to be a certain almost base level naturalistic understanding of the annual OppiKoppi equation:

Tune+Friends+Tunes+Tequila+Tunes+30xbakkie loads of speakers + an outdoor couch = Goodwill beyond gendarmerie comprehension.

But: truth be told (as is not often its wont in the greater Northam district municipality), not even the OppiKoppi family had the idea that the small bar fracas presented in 1994 with Koos Kombuis and Valiant Swart would lead to a festival.

And everything which came after that was either completely intentional or unintentional, depending on the reporting officer. Mostly though there was an almost existential drive to have a good time: Lots of tunes with lots of volume for as long as anyone cares to keep standing — and that dedication and verve seemed to have found fertile soil in thousands upon thousands of music pilgrims. Too much tunes were always just enough.

For anyone on the inside or immediate outside of the South African music machine it is unbelievable that the good ship OppiKoppi chartered stormy (and at 4am in the small bar, very stormy) waters to reach 15 years of absolute music overload to a militant base tune denizens.

We think that is worth celebrating: and will do exactly that.

So forgive and forget and hug the next gendarme whose Phendinkus you stumble upon or over. Good times seems determined to stick around and especially at the Republic of OppiKoppi.

So, after 15 years, the 2009 line-up is:
Ashtray Electric
The Cavalier
Zebra & Giraffe
Die Heuwels Fantasies
aKING
Battery 9
Balthazar (Belgium)
Lucky Fonz III (Netherlands)
Fokofpolisiekar
Wrestlerish
Bed on Bricks
Riku Latti & Albert Frost
Van Coke Kartel
Die Antwoord
Tidal Waves
Voicst (Netherlands)
The Sick Leaves
Taxi Violence
Terminatryx
Jack Parrow
Low Profile
Jack Hammer
Andra

Expect that line-up to grow over the coming weeks.

Oppikoppi Smoorverlief runs from Friday 7 August to Sunday 9 August at Oppikoppi Farm in Northam.

Tickets are available from 1 July at www.tunegum.co.za for R400 (including all service fees).

Visit www.oppikoppi.co.za for up-to-date information on news, the line-up and much much more. The first 2000 online tickets sold from the Oppikoppi website will receive a pre-fest limited edition Levi's OppiKoppi T-shirt.