'Cool" isn't the first word that springs to mind when thinking about Bellville, the middle-class boerewors-gordyn suburb cushioned by Brackenfell and Durbanville in Cape Town.
However, that perspective might change after seeing the half-hour documentary 12 Mile Stone that promotes the Bellville Rock City CD/DVD.
It is debatable whether the Springbok Nude Girls made it cool to be from Bellville. However, a new posse of offspring now runs the hood and produces some of the best music to come out of SA.
Plus, it is courtesy of Bellville and bands like Fokofpolisiekar that Afrikaans music has gained a certain "sexiness" and has filtered effortlessly into the mainstream.
12 Mile Stone, so named because Bellville is 12 miles from Cape Town, was made by the filmmaking duo called The African Attachment. Greg Fell and Dean Leslie are two English-speaking, non-Bellvillians who decided to tell the raucous story of the emerging music scene there.
The doccie shows a group of friends, mostly students of the D F Malan School, who pushed the boundaries of where SA rock could go to.
While bands like KOBUS!, the Nude Girls, 7th Breed and New World Inside were already around, it took Fokofpolisiekar to really boost the confidence and set the tone for what could follow with the likes of aKing, Ashtray Electric, Foto Na Dans, Thieve, Van Coke Kartel, New Holland, Die Heuwels Fantasties and Jax Panik. What emerged was a thriving music scene, not limited to Afrikaans.
The documentary came about in August when Rhythm Records owner, Albert Du Plessis, was toying with the idea of putting together a Bellville Rock City compilation, named after the song by New World Inside. Fell and Leslie had spent much of this year working on music videos for aKing, Fokofpolisiekar, The Dirty Skirts and The Parlotones. "We feel there has to be a viable solution for bands and filmmakers to work together," says Leslie.
"When Rudi from Ashtray Electric said they were all going to Aardklop, we decided that footage from there would be a cool way to give people first-hand experience, instead of just sourced material," Fell adds. The documentary includes live shot footage, in black and white, complete with music from all the bands.
"It was a crazy trip, but it was invaluable for the film to get the experience for ourselves and see what the guys are like," says Leslie.
The makers travelled with the bands to festivals like Rocking the Daisies and Aardklop, with additional sourced live footage shown throughout the doccie. With a focus on the music scene, a kind of brotherhood is revealed after several interviews with Francois van Coke, Laudo Liebenberg, Wynand Myburgh, Hunter Kennedy and Jax Panik.
"We're complete outsiders, and English speakers, but the bands were open to working with us. And we've got a new appreciation for their music," says Leslie.
Fell points out: "For me, the best thing is that we got to make a film that had a guaranteed market, and to make some great mates in the music industry."
The Bellville Rock City CD/DVD package is a collector's item featuring a 13-track CD, the 12 Mile Stone doccie, a booklet of photos and experiences, music videos and a list of mp3s. Also, the bands involved are touring the country now, to promote the documentary.
12 Mile Stone will provide much insight into a vibrant and exciting music scene and will refresh anyone's opinion who thought Bellville was just some dried out town where nothing happens.
- aKing, New Holland and Ashtray Electric play at the doccie launch tonight at Mercury Live, 43 De Villiers Rd, Cape Town.