ANF eyes Wacken stage
Namibian band at iconic music festival
The metal band As Night Fades (ANF) will be taking part in the Wacken Metal Battle soon, where they will have a chance to take the stage at the world's biggest metal event, the Wacken Open Air Festival, with some of the genre's biggest names including the American group, Korn.While the group's singer Stephen Slabber says that the performance is a huge opportunity for ANF to rub shoulders with other musicians in their genre and gain exposure, he believes that Namibians still look at metal music through a prudish lens.
"We don't swear in our music and we don't sing about politics or religion - we're very neutral. Every song you hear on the radio these days is about sex or someone cheating on someone else. Our music is about being human and emotion," he says.
However, it is not unusual for ANF to change people's opinion about metal at their performances. “At every performance we gain at least one new supporter; I think there's something about the emotion and the energy," Stephen says.
ANF's members say they are grateful for the support they have received so far from their loyal fans.
"We want to thank everyone who still supports us all the time. We have the best fans in the world," says ANF's bass player, Udeni (Token) Kafidi.
"I think we are all looking forward to the performance and meeting everyone from the metal scene in Southern Africa," says Dewald de Kock, the band's guitarist.
However, Stephen says that ANF's participation in the Wacken Metal Battle would not be possible without their sponsors. Kiepies Dance Bar, Momentum Insurance, Chelsea Fashions and the National Arts Council all contributed to make it possible for ANF to participate in the event in South Africa.
The fact that ANF will participate in the Wacken Metal Battle in the Cape is also special for Stephen.
"We have never performed in the Cape and on the WhatsApp group where all the finalists are, it seems that everyone is excited to meet each other," he says.
The ban plans to perform four songs during their 20-minute performance, including the original track "Where Are We Then?" which they released last year. – [email protected]