Morgan, Lwazi, Jabu and Zensele, four guys from Soweto (the biggest township of South Africa), the children of Soweto are the messengers of hope, they are communicating with happiness their love of Africa to the audience.
The Africa Entsha (new Africa in Zulu language) performance is from the South Africa oral tradition, sung a capella in Gospel style. Their repertoire includes a wide variety of songs, sung in Zulu and some in English, such as their very personal version of Shakira's "Waka Waka". But at the very heart of the show are the Zulu songs, full of rhythm, style and spirit that deeply belong to this ethnic group. Hands, feet and the entire body give the rhythm and create the choreography with a crescendo of feelings and joy. From the very first moments of their performances, the quartet completely captivate their audience who by end of the show are left breathless, often deeply moved.
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Africa Entsha, a smart, slick a cappella five-piece who reached a global audience last year performing at the World Cup opening ceremony, are distinct from the other African music shows that have stormed the Fringe in recent years in that they freely blend western pop elements of the male vocal harmony tradition into their performance, making for a diverse set which draws on the vibrancy of 1950s doo-wop, the all-singing, all-dancing presentation of the 1960s soul groups and the more saccharine tendencies of the modern R&B outfits as much as the soft, healing invocations and exhilarating spirit of their own tribal cultures.
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When they perform a gumboots dance, it is minus the boots - these gents are all kitted out in sober grey suits and crisp white shirts. A couple of the schmaltzier numbers take them right into Boyz II Men territory, complete with beseeching hand gestures, superfluous vocal ornamentation, "inspirational" spoken word interludes, the mandatory key change and the fixed smiles and catalogue poses into which the band freeze-frame after each song. But these lapses into sentimentality are contrasted with physical humour and South African song-and-dance numbers brimful of vitality. |
In any case, their four-part singing is simply exquisite. Some context regarding their repertoire would have been nice though. If their English language songs are any barometer, Africa Entsha are big on heart-swelling messages of solidarity and spirituality. What could have been a soppy number dedicated to "all the mothers" acquires greater poignancy coming from a country which has been ravaged by Aids. A song "for the pretty ladies" is as cheesy as its introduction might suggest but the relish with which the bass singer delivers the line "oh yeah baby" is something to behold. There is no particular need for them to finish with a cover of Adele's Rolling In The Deep but, like everything else in their set, it is delivered with utter sincerity, a warm depth of tone and a whole lot of soul.
Africa Entsha headlined The Middlewich Folk and Boat festival in June and are set to head up World Music Day at Britain's biggest and best Free family festival - Godiva Festival in July 2012 and both the Llangollen Fringe,Edinburgh Fringe and Windsor Fringe festivals in the 2012 summer.
Together with story teller and percussionist Usifu Jalloh from Sierra Leone, Africa Entsha are helping to raise money for local children from Winsford to visit and offer aid in Kenya with performances in Winsford on the 14th and 15th July. Since hearing of the sad loss of Brian Hibbard, front man of 80's band The Flying Picket's, within a day the boys learned, performed and recorded the no.1 hit 'Only You', as a tribute to Britain's most successful a capella band
Together with story teller and percussionist Usifu Jalloh from Sierra Leone, Africa Entsha are helping to raise money for local children from Winsford to visit and offer aid in Kenya with performances in Winsford on the 14th and 15th July. Since hearing of the sad loss of Brian Hibbard, front man of 80's band The Flying Picket's, within a day the boys learned, performed and recorded the no.1 hit 'Only You', as a tribute to Britain's most successful a capella band
