BT parts ways with a decade in song
Zambia’s Organised Family combined forces with Malawi’s Symon and Kendall and Thomas Chibade to bid farewell to the past decade as they welcomed 2020 with explosive music at 20 Four 7 entertainment joint at Kameza Roundabout in Blantyre.
Chibade stopped performing at exactly five minutes to 12 midnight to allow Disciples Band, which backed all the artists, to sing a special song Tachilowanso Chaka China originally done by Peter Sambo. This was followed by another cover by Ivorian reggae icon Alpha Blondy called God is One.
Immediately after this track, Chibade resumed where he had left off. He stepped on stage to a thunderous welcome from fans who hailed him as their legend. He performed all his hits, including the famous a.e.i.o.u.
The night had promised to be full of musical fireworks when Misswell Binwell, lead vocalist for Disciples Band of Area 18 in Lilongwe, proved his versatility on vocals as he did covers of many local and international popular tracks. Among the tracks he did Manyasa’s local jazz track Up and Down The Shire.
They also did Princess Chitsulo’s Ndidzaimba Nyimbo, a reggae cover of Namoko’s Zonse Ndi Moyo, and Lucky Stars’ Chinafuna M’bale. They also played Sir Patricks and Busy Signal tracks which impressed the patrons.
The band’s drummer Robson Kapolo, lead guitarist Gilbert Kachepa and his brother on Keyboards James Kachepa, Isaac Sadzu on the other keyboard, bassist Ndozi Bonongwe and Jimmy Chimoto on backing vocals were a marvel to watch as they also stepped up to back Chibade as well as Symon and Kendall who went on stage at 12:35.
They started their 2020 musical offer with their Nyemba Nyemba that catapulted them to fame over 15 years ago when they started performing as a duo.
“This year means we have been performing as a duo for 15 years with Kendall which is a reason enough to thank God because it is not always the case that people can stick together this long,” said Symon Kamlaga.
They went on to perform all their famous tracks, including Chidindo Cha Jombo, Wani Tambala, before closing their set with fallen Balaka music star Paul Chaphuka’s Mavuto Tawaona.
In the middle of their performance, Kendall Kamwendo also dispelled a rumour that made rounds on the social media that one member of the group had died. He said much as one of them was indeed hospitalised, it was only people with ill motives that spread such rumours.
The Symon and Kendall set was punctuanted with comedy and jokes that left the patrons in stitches.
At one time the duo asked patrons to participate in a dancing competition, saying the winner would walk away with a smartphone, but they pulled a fast one on the winner when Kendall gave what later transpired to be his personal phone which he later demanded back.
“Take my phone and have it charged,” he said amid cheering fans that were enjoying themselves.
They exited the stage at such a high tempo when the Organised Family trio emerged from the back of the stage to a roaring sound of acknowledging fans who in the next two hours sang along each and every track that the Zambian outfit dished out.
Dressed to impress, the trio performed tracks such as Njota, Viwaya, Marcopolo, Konde Nkonde, Ziki Zaki, Koka Kola, Kabudula ka Njovu, Bopeni, Minga Mu Nsomba, among others.
The energy-exuding trio played to make the fans define what partying in a new year is all about. It was, therefore, not surprising when the fans, who at some points braved the rains protested the end of the show. Organised Family comprises Kent Singoyi, Rex Singoyi and Sylvester Masumba.
