As jy met vuur speel sal jy brand - Fokofpolisiekar - Album: As jy met vuur speel sal jy brand - Fokofpolisiekar

Ah, true. And I myself, when I first saw Fokofpolisiekar live at a music festival, was predisposed to sneer. Sure, they did arrive in a R500,000.00 Toyota Landcruiser, but I'm positive they'd stolen that in Durbanville. And lead singer Francois Badenhorst, resplendent in a pair of jeans so low-slung that that I can only assume the front was attached to his penis with Velcro, did make the fatal mistake of announcing his guitarist as "the best in SA", mere minutes before a set by the immortal Albert Frost, who really CAN play a guitar.

But a band should be judged on its music first, it's sex appeal second, and its ideological confusion only third. And Fokofpolisiekar's music is great, danceable, bouncy punkrock. That's the MTV nu punkrock of a Blink-182, of course, rather than the hard punk of an old school band like Black Flag. Songs like "Hemel op die platteland" (did I mention the lyrics are all in Afrikaans?) are energetic, rollicking rants about all those young suburban tragedies that made Green Day so rich. There's a local edge to these ones, though, which gives them a certain poignancy.

Alas, the CD includes that most irritating of affectations, the hidden track. Ironically, this is a staple of the dinosaur bands that punk was a reaction to, but I guess nupunks aren't really that into history.

Fokofpolisiekar have enlivened a few road trips for me this week, but I still can't help wincing when the lead singer shrieks a trite line like "Ons almal vrek alleen". I guess that sort of angst is infinitely recyclable. Ah, who cares about the lyrics - the music rocks, and I'm definitely putting one of these songs on my compilation cd of SA songs to get drunk to. Oh, I forgot to talk about the sex appeal. Yep, they've got it.

- Chris Roper