Musicians go loud in Limpopo

There is seldom much imagination going into the planning of festivals targeted at the “urban” market, so it is often the people in attendance who define the event. As far as artists go, every promoter and their cousin is bound to book Dr Malinga, Khuli Chana, Donald, Mafikizolo and a slew of DJs at their events this year.

The beautiful people of Limpopo, however, took the opportunity to kick out the remnants of an especially long winter, regardless of the predictability of the line-up. August is really a month in transition, nestled somewhere in between winter and spring: sunny and warm during the day and slightly nippy in the evenings. Given this situation, some Polokwane folks decided to ignore the cold and dressed for the sun.

It seemed that this event was a chance to yank summer into the reckoning before its natural time with some upbeat performances.

Although not all the members of the audience were necessarily into the music, some just came to get a glimpse of their favourite stars. Idols winner Khaya gave an impassioned performance, but it was hard for him to get a genuine crowd response, with most punters just happy to see the Durban-born lad in their neck of the woods. However, the singer did well with his first single Move and his take on Otis Redding’s Try A Little Tenderness was superb.

Picture: Nigel Sibanda.

Moneoa then made up for her lack of big status by keeping in touch with her audience and including a crazy dance routine.

The button-pushing DJs did their thing on the night as well with DJ Jawz, DJ Zintle, DJ Tira, Oskido and Vetkuk and Mahoota all contributing to the event. DJ Jawz still has some way to go, as he played the cool songs, but his mixing didn’t flow seamlessly. Khuli Chana, on the other hand, was a revelation, surprising many with his unexpectedly sizeable catalogue of hits.

Dr Malinga was his usual energetic self, jumping around on stage and even climbing onto a pillar that anchored the stage lighting. This was a great way to set the tone for the festival as a whole.