Some musical gatherings really do feel like once-in-a-lifetime moments.

And then, if you’re lucky, you get to do it all over again.

This Saturday, 12 September 2026, some of South Africa’s finest rock and blues musicians return to Daisy Jones at Summerhill Wines, Stellenbosch, for another edition of Further On Up The Road an evening celebrating great songs, great players and the enduring friendships that have helped shape South African rock music.

The formidable line-up brings together Steve Louw & Big Sky, The Blues Broers, All Night Radio and the Hugo Veldsman Trio.

For Steve Louw, whose career has been built on songwriting, guitars, live performance and an abiding love of rock ’n roll, returning to the stage with musicians of this calibre is what it is all about.

Ask Louw what the most enjoyable aspect of his work is and the answer could hardly be simpler:

“Playing and singing.”

That philosophy has sustained a remarkable career.

Louw and Big Sky return with a catalogue that stretches across decades, including the essential Waiting for the Dawn, the song Louw says he simply has to perform at every show, alongside material from his critically acclaimed latest album, Traces Of The Flood.

The album was produced by renowned producer Kevin Shirley, whom Louw singles out as someone who makes him laugh “all the time”.

Music remains at the centre of Louw’s world. Asked what music means to him, his answer is just one word:

“Life.”

His creative inspiration is equally elemental. He finds it simply by looking at “the sky, day or night.”

There is also no disguising the influence of Bob Dylan. Dylan is the artist Louw would most love to co-write with, while Dylan’s Nobel Lecture is among his current reading choices.

 His musical world also embraces South African classics from Juluka, Tananas, Baxtop and Tribe After Tribe, while Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising is the song he says changed his life.

And then there are the guitars.

Louw names his 1964 Epiphone Casino – the model famously associated with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison – as his most treasured possession.

If there is a dream stage still waiting for him, it is Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium.

Yet there is much more to Steve Louw than rock ’n roll.

Asked what he might have done had he not become a musician, his answer is conservation. It is a subject close to his heart and one he identifies as his charity work and an important part of his life.

He describes himself in five words as “Musical, songwriter, guitar player, dendrophile, singer.”

That word dendrophile a lover of trees says plenty about a musician who finds inspiration in the natural world and lists a river journey through the Yukon or Alaska high on his bucket list.

Louw also hasn’t lost his sense of humour. His recollection of a memorable stage mishap involves the power tripping during a show: he began electric, suddenly had to go acoustic and then, when the electricity returned, went electric again.

The show, as they say, must go on.

Joining Steve Louw & Big Sky on Saturday are The Blues Broers, with the extraordinary guitar talent of Albert Frost helping deliver the band’s distinctive combination of Chicago blues grit and Cape Town character.

All Night Radio return after helping make last year’s gathering so memorable, bringing their rich blend of roots rock, blues and country back to the Daisy Jones stage.

Adding a new generation to the evening is the Hugo Veldsman Trio, making their first appearance at Further On Up The Road. Their youthful energy, soulful guitar work and fresh interpretation of folk, blues and rock traditions make them an exciting addition to a bill rich in South African musical history.

What makes Further On Up The Road special isn’t simply nostalgia.

These are musicians who continue to play, write, explore and evolve. It is about artists who have travelled many miles individually coming together to share a stage, swap songs and celebrate the music that first sent them down the road.

For Steve Louw, happiness is refreshingly uncomplicated.

Asked where he would most like to be, his answer is:

“Where I am.”

This Saturday, that place will be Daisy Jones.

And with this collection of musicians on one stage, South African rock and blues fans may want to make sure they are there too.

EVENT DETAILS

Further On Up The Road

Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026
Venue: Daisy Jones, Summerhill Wines, R44, Stellenbosch
Doors: 17h00
Show: 20h00
Tickets: R200 per person via Quicket.

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/385281-the-2nd-annual-further-on-up-the-road-daisy-jones/#

Table bookings essential: WhatsApp +27 64 968 2015