Karoo Tourism

Steyn Fourie brings West Coast warmth to Victoria West

Fourie’s own understanding of music fits neatly into the legacy of the Apollo Theatre. On Wednesday evening, a little of Velddrif will arrive in Victoria West. The Karoo will provide the company.

View the program here: September 5 - 8. September 9 - 12.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Steyn Fourie will bring West Coast hospitality to the Victoria-Wes Kunstefees when he performs at the town’s golf club on Wednesday September 9.

A musician from Velddrif

Steyn Fourie is based in Velddrif on the Cape West Coast. His music is designed to draw people into the moment through familiar melodies and the invitation to sing along. Armed with his guitar and voice, Fourie moves comfortably between song and conversation using humour and audience interaction to build the performance.

This friendly format is a great fit for smaller towns, where a successful evening is found in the chorus taken up by the room and the sense that performers and listeners are creating the occasion together.

Music that has travelled

Fourie has performed on numerous South African stages, although his music has also taken him much further afield. His international appearances include performances for audiences in Portugal, Thailand and India.

Those journeys place a musician from Velddrif before listeners with very different languages and cultural references. Fourie’s performance style preserves the character of West Coast music wherever he travels, and draws on storytelling and local warmth.

Fourie's background should find an interesting new setting in Victoria West. The West Coast and Karoo are different, but both regions have strong traditions of local storytelling and community entertainment.

The song audiences wait for

Fourie is loved for his rendition of Pennies op die Spoor, written by Stef Kruger. His acoustic interpretation has become a favourite among listeners, who regularly ask him to close a performance with it.

The song is beloved for its South African nostalgia. Coins placed on a railway track are transformed by the force of a passing train, leaving behind flattened pieces of metal and the memory of waiting by the line. Fourie’s version leans into the story inside the song, and allows listeners to meet his performance through their own memories and associations.

From the coast to the Karoo

Fourie and the Dorpsnare will perform as part of a snoek-braai gathering at the Victoria West Golf Club. The food brings a literal taste of the coast to the Karoo, while the music supplies the rest of the evening’s West Coast character.

The event forms part of the broader Victoria-Wes Kunstefees, which runs from tomorrow until September 12. The programme includes exhibitions, creative workshops, book readings, children’s theatre, stargazing and performances by André Swiegers and Rocco de Villiers.

Fourie’s own understanding of music fits neatly into the legacy of the Apollo Theatre. For him, songs are a way of unlocking stories and creating the moment when a room begins to sing as one. On Wednesday evening, a little of Velddrif will arrive in Victoria West. The Karoo will provide the company.

Event details

Fourie will appear alongside Loxton’s Dorpsnare during An Evening of Fragrance and Music, a relaxed gathering built around live entertainment and food. The event runs from 18:30 to 21:00, with tickets priced at R300 per person.