Capital Hotel Marquee was the date place on Friday night and Kenya’s all-boy band Sauti Sol was in town.
Castel Malawi was launching its lager beer brand and top on the menu was music and pint due to arguably dry throats, a blend that created lots of fun.
The newly refurbished marquee was jam-packed with revellers from all walks of life, ready for an enchanting night.
The female merrymakers outclassed each other with their interpretation of the African print theme as they adorned themselves with chic, edgy and ready to wear outfits. While some men also wore African shirts, mostly it was the the women who were show-stoppers as at times, the place seemed like a fashion show.
But before the main meal was ready, fans were treated to a top class starter courtesy of Edgar ndi Davis, the duo known for its acoustic prowess as well as witty punch lines.
As the duet went deeper into a journey of acoustic vibes, they changed up the tempo and dished out some gyrating and whining much to the appreciation of the fans.
Minutes later, the duo reappeared with octogenarian legend, Gidess Chalamanda.
Despite being frail, the old man still wowed fans and once again proved that at the age of 89, he has not lost the magical wand.
Meanwhile, the wait for the Kenyans started and almost 20 minutes later, fans started chanting ‘Sauti Sol’ as a means of calling the award winning outfit on stage.
Arguably, the longest wait for the excited fans was over when Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano, Savara Mudigi and Polycarp Otieno, the four young men that make up Sauti Sol, took to the stage.
Shake Yo Bam Bam set the wheels of grooving in motion and sent the audience into dance before Live and Die in Afrika picked up the rhythm.
However, the fun was cut short due to a technical glitch that brought the performance to an abrupt halt.
After apologising to the fans, for the next 55 minutes, they went straight to Africa, their collaboration with Nigeria’s fierce voice Yemi Alade, before moving to gospel song Kuliko Jana and then love song Sura Yako.
The band then lowered the tempo with another love tune, Isabella.
“Can we have one lady on stage to be our Isabella,” screamed Baraza before a woman joined them on stage.
As he danced with the lady, he sent fans into stitches of laughter when he said “No guys, I just got engaged. Chimano should do this, as he doesn’t have a woman.”
His colleague obliged and took up the honours of praising and adoring the Isabella of the day, before the group sang Short ‘n’ Sweet.
In an apparent ploy of saving the best for last, the group performed the hit that almost everyone was looking forward to, Melanin.
As the band left the stage, some fans looked in disbelief as they seemingly wanted more of Sauti Sol’s magic. n
