Presented by Mthakathi Productions
Reviewed 27 February 2017
The high energy performance by Africa Entsha, which means New Africa in Zulu, at The Garage International (North Adelaide Community Centre) flew by all too quickly. The group began their career as buskers, have gone on to win 3 awards at the Edinburgh Fringe and found a global audience when they performed at the World Cup opening ceremony in 2016.
The vocal harmonies of this acappella group from Soweto, South Africa are incredible. Their repertoire ran through pop songs, including Paul Simon’s Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes, gospel and songs in Zulu. However, the only song that was actually introduced was a tribute to Nelson Mandela and I would have liked to hear some introduction or explanation of the songs in Zulu, some of which appeared to be ‘working’ songs judging from their movements, which were as exuberant as the vocals.
Percussion was provided by hand claps, finger clicks and the stamping of bare feet which all added to the richness and depth of the singing, especially when the audience was encouraged to clap along too. I was blown away by the amazing range of sounds the human voice can produce shown in both the blending of harmonies in the Western tradition and the exhilarating ‘call and response’ tradition of African music.
I highly recommend that you catch Africa Entsha at one of the three Garage International venues and enjoy an exciting evening of acappella music. I only regret that the performance wasn’t at least twice as long.
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
Rating out of 5: 4.5
Venue: The Garage International
@NACC 176 Tynte St, North Adelaide @ Adelaide Town Hall @ Wheatsheaf Hotel
Season: 26 Feb, 4,5,11,12 March 28 Feb-3 Mar 14 -17 Mar 1-2 March
Duration: 50 mins
Tickets: $25.00
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/
https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/AfricaEntsha/
facebook.com/Mthakathi-Entertainment-1645321782386682/
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