The blunt mag Night Crawler Files: Fokof Bar and music venue, Pretoria

The first in a series of reviews of popular South African alternative watering holes and music venues – starting with the infamous ‘Fokof Bar’ in Pretoria.

By Micheal Bower. Photos by Robert Pereira and Tanje Van Wyk.

What’s the best bar in the 012, and why is it Fokof Bar?

Forgive them because they know exactly what they do.

Every great story has to have a bar. For Ted Mosby it was ‘McLaren’s’. Hunter S. Thompson had the ‘Woody Creek Tavern”. Jay Z rapped about the ‘Forty Forty Club’. For the alternative brethren of Pretoria, it is unmistakably, unequivocally number 297 Lynnwood road – Fokof Bar. 

Or as any 012 local, whoever bought a blunt mag in the 2000’s would call it “The Bar”. Rock music, cold beer, sexy tattooed people, Fokof Bar f*cks!

“Fokof Bar is literally the place I have been longing for since I started my drinking career. There just aren’t enough places that are comfortable, yet alternative. I feel like nobody represents the alternative culture better than Fokofpolisiekar and creating this place with them has been amazing,” says – Robert Pereira, Fokof Bar owner.

The Bar is just over three years old. The premise was simple. Take the owners of Arcade Empire, a powerhouse Pretoria live music venue of international standards, pair them with Fokofpolisiekar and design a space around the stories, myths and drinking culture made famous by the boys in the biggest Afrikaans band on the planet. 

 “Fokof Bar is literally the place I have been longing for since I started my drinking career. There just aren’t enough places that are comfortable, yet alternative. I feel like nobody represents the alternative culture better than Fokofpolisiekar and creating this place with them has been amazing.” – Robert Pereira, owner.

Let’s be honest, in their hey day, or more accurately mayday, Fokof were notorious for providing just as much drunken entertainment and antics off stage as they did onstage, headlining the country’s biggest festivals.

Not many bands can boast their own bar. But then again Fokofpolisiekar are not most bands.

While some of the band’s members have slowed down and focused on their families, the bar itself has captured the essence of their reckless abandonment. It’s been open for just over three years, but in that time it’s hosted a rather wide array of events. 

Live music, comedy and the occasional quiz night hosted by an idiot (the writer of this article) is now a staple for its weekly line-up. Today it’s almost impossible to get a table on a Friday or Saturday without booking. 

“The idea for the bar started out as little more than a joke and then came together over time. When we started Fokofpolisiekar 16 years ago, we would always say if the band got successful, we should have our own beer, but only ever as a joke. And now, when we made our own beer, we said ‘it would be cool if we had our own place.’” – Wynand Myburgh, Fokofpolisiekar.

That said, Fokof, like most places in South Africa, felt the brunt of Covid 19 lockdowns severely. To bounce back from a crippling booze ban takes more than a good reputation. It takes fortitude, something Fokof has in spades

“The idea for the bar started out as little more than a joke and then came together over time. When we started Fokofpolisiekar 16 years ago, we would always say if the band got successful, we should have our own beer, but only ever as a joke. And now, when we made our own beer, we said ‘it would be cool if we had our own place.’ And of course, if you’re lucky, you meet the right people and over time things become more real,” says Wynand Myburgh, Fokof Bar owner and bassist of Fokofpolisiekar.

Die Fokof Bar is befok bru.

As a regular at the bar I have become accustomed to its delicate intricacies. I can’t find a place in Gauteng with the quality of attention, or a better T-bone special. While some might accuse me of having somewhat of an obsession with the bar, it’s as close to a McLaren’s as I can get.

Resilient, scrappy, fun and safe, Fokof Bar keeps the spirit of punk rock alive and well.

Check out Fokof Bar on Facebook.

And Instagram.