This interview, captured in early 2023, has taken 30 years to realise.

For context, Frederick Botha, AKA Drikkie to those who know and love him, formed a band in the late 1980s called The Gathering in Pretoria, South Africa, a country coming out of the State of Emergency brought on by the then Nationalist Party and government of the day. So, not a convenient time to be unconventional; everything The Gathering was, in the very best way. This is that untold back story.

I will hand it over to Drikkie to explain best. “Recording the first versions of “Perfect Souls” and “Wooden Walls” was not a nice experience. Out-of-step engineers and a shitty record company typical of the time. “Lamb Stricken” was, however, more pleasant.

“We could play the song how we wanted, without the producer trying to change it. They probably didn’t understand what we were doing in the first place, which was funny. Recording the final single was great. We could do exactly what we wanted, and it was fun.

“The fifth band member will always be Charl; he ensured the image was always taken care of, designed all the posters, and even helped with the live shows. I think he was sadder when the band broke up than I was 😉”

thegathering, thegatheringsa, perfectsouls, woodenwalls, drikkiebotha, frederickbotha, theoutsiders, lambstricken