Hans Ebert
There’ve been a number of happy Happy Wednesday Moments, but this one goes straight to the top of the tree as it brings together two generations of a racing family- Felix Coetzee, below, the brilliant, soft spoken, South African rider, who will always be associated with the great Hong Kong sprinter Silent Witness, and his twentysomething daughter Kat Coetzee, who grew up around horse racing, but picked up a guitar instead of a saddle and expresses herself with words like “epic” and “awesome”.
Though now retired from race riding, “The Cat” is actively involved with the HKJC in mentoring local apprentices Kei Chiong, Jack Wong, Dylan Mo, and soon, Matthew “Boom Boom” Poon, when he returns from his “tour of duty” in Adelaide, plus helping improve the Club’s work riders and imparting his vast knowledge and experience wherever it’s needed.
Daughter Kat Coetzee, on the other hand, has her sights set on making her presence felt in music. And last Wednesday night at Happy Valley Racecourse, she brought the venue Adrenaline alive by guesting on a couple of sets with her brand of Funk Rock. She certainly passed the audition.
While the always professional and, at least to this writer, the best singer in Hong Kong- Jennifer Palor- took a break and watched from the sidelines, Kat Coetzee, backed by the venue’s resident band including guitarzan Jay and guest drummer Steve O from the States, turned things up a notch with a performance of Rock and Funk classics that brought to mind Suzi Quatro, Joan Jett, Deborah Harry and someone going places.
Kat Coetzee will definitely be returning for other Happy Wednesday nights. In fact, it was a no-brained to have her perform at the Beer Garden next Wednesday at the first of three All-Aussie Boomerang promotions. While back in Hong Kong where she grew up, she’s out gigging and getting her music heard by playing venues like The Wanch, and getting up onstage at any open mic sessions.
One of the most fun was taking her and three former school friends to a popular club for a mature audience more into sashaying to the Mambo and Cha Cha and waking up the neighbourhood by jamming with the shell-shocked resident band more at home backing guest singers crooning oldies by Engelbert Humperdinck and Connie France. It was a surreal evening.
Maybe the next time Kat performs at a Happy Wednesday, Felix Coetzee will be in the audience to watch his daughter not content to be a passive silent witness, but a young girl who’s making herself heard- and will soon make herself heard even louder with her original material. She’s definitely heading in the right direction.
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