New band saves the day

The evening’s entertainment comprised DJ I.D and soulful house group MuzArt. “Soulful house” is a crass oversimplification of their music, which has layers of jazz, pop, gospel and soul as well. But it was DJ I.D who was tasked with creating a mood and identity for the gathering.

The spin technician seemed to be in a million places at once, starting off with some old school kwaito that, surprisingly, did not catch on, and then moving into early South African house before returning to his usual hip hop. He veered from underground gems to pop fluff, often not playing good songs in their entirety.

The stage seemed set for MuzArt to improve matters, but they were hamstrung by shoddy sound and, eventually stopped halfway through their first song. Some audience members retired to the bar outside, their hopes of a great night deflated. After that brief stutter, though, the band resumed their set with music that implored those who had lost interest to return.

Vocalist Rorisang Thandekiso was in fine form, lapping up the attention of the crowd and singing exquisitely. The band was in sync as well, and the crazy guitarist Sol Mosetle a standout performer, jumping around in enjoyment and getting the audience to follow his lead.

The song Oh Yeah was the crowd’s favourite on the night, prompting an encore.