THE “rising tide” descended on Harare as afro-fusion group Mokoomba staged a remarkable collaborative gig with Selmor Mtukudzi at 7 Arts Theatre on Thursday night.
By Entertainment Reporter
The group, which has been making waves with their album Rising Tide on the international scene bagging several accolades including the Songlines Best Newcomer Award in the United Kingdom, last week gave their home fans a taste of international quality music.
Dubbed 100% Local Concert, the show was opened by Mtukudzi, who was nothing short of amazing, getting fans dancing throughout her performance.
To spice things up she jammed many of her father’s hits such as Handiende, Zuwerere and Tozeza Baba.
Mtukudzi was graceful on stage giving her fans a taste of both traditional and contemporary dances while delivering songs that tackle social issues that affect the day-to-day lives of ordinary people.
Halfway through her performance she disappeared backstage only to re-emerge donned in more contemporary urban wear.
The change of clothing also changed the mood altogether as she re-emerged with exceptional energy-dropping party songs.
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When one would think she could not do any better she called on stage her father-in-law Zex Manatsa to perform his early hits Tea Hobvu.
Manatsa rocked his audience who sang along to the tune before handing over the microphone to his son Tendai who also plays lead guitar for Mtukudzi.
Mtukudzi sealed her performance with her current hit Nguva Yangu which saw the audience storming the dance floor to dance to the tune.
When Mokoomba came on stage the audience was super charged and the group made sure the fire was sustained and even further boosted.
Their act was diverse, encompassing a bit of reggae, mbende, a capella and afro-fusion among other genres.
Their song Mvula drove the audience wild that one notable individual on crunches danced more than many able-bodied men.
The height of their performance was when their lead vocalist Mathius sampled Tuku’s early hit Chirimupoto.
The song saw Mtukudzi jumping on stage to take a lead in her father’s song while Tendai Manatsa took over the lead guitar only to showcase how gifted an instrumentalist he is.
100% Local Concert was an indicator that locals can do it alone, even better than many international acts that flock the country on daily basis.
The sound quality was exceptional while the level of organisation and professionalism was commendable.
