Friends Band wow on debut ghetto gig

MASILELA Leisure Centre in Luveve suburb was brought to life at the weekend when Friends Band put up a spirited performance much to the excitement of revellers.

Friends Band took revellers down memory lane during a three-hour session where they performed old school tunes on Saturday afternoon.

The highlight of the day was when the band performed hit song Umoya Wami, originally done by Lovemore Majaivana. Some of the patrons ended up joining the band on stage as they reminisced about the good old days.

Lead vocalist Zinzile Majola said she was surprised by the response they got from revellers.

“The response was encouraging. I was really surprised by the engagement with the crowd as I wasn’t expecting this kind of response as people showed us that they loved our performance,” Majola said.

Ebbar Chitambo, the band’s manager, said this was their first time performing in the high density suburbs as they are used to performing at hotels in the city.

“We were motivated by the crowd at Masilela as they appreciated the type of music we performed. The atmosphere was good and the revellers really enjoyed the performance,” said Chitambo.

A reveller identified as Marufu said he was impressed by the songs performed by the band while Gabriel Nkomazana said bringing top bands like Friends Band was a good initiative which could be used to bring life to townships.

Masilela Leisure Centre manager, Princess Ncube, said the main aim of bringing the band was to liven up high density areas.

“People usually go to town to have fun, but we’re changing the system by bringing top bands to the people. We want the local people to enjoy their time in their own backyards,” said Ncube.

She said Masilela Leisure Centre would continue hosting top musical bands. — @Kiyaz_Cool