The Contrabanditz deliver outstanding performance
Dumisani Ncube | Tuesday June 2, 2015 12:19
The band, which consists of: Mandisa Mabutho, Tebogo ‘Debbie with a T’, Sebabatso, Boski 'the percussionist' Senwelo, vocalist-cum-guitarist Tafadzwa ‘Tafnaz’ Nazare and rapper-cum-drummer, Japhala ‘Aether’ Gwangwa; gave an energetic performance that left revellers asking for more.
Jazz Xchange is well known to be an event that attracts an adult crowd but Sunday’s crowd was quite different with an audience that was a mix of generations.
Without wasting any time, the band went on the stage opening their set with a cover of Mark Ronson’s Valerie with Debbie with a T leading the vocals backed by Tafnaz and Mandiswa.
The young band added their own signature to the track as they fused its original sounds with their soulful funk.
They also performed tracks from various artists including; Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Audius Mtawarira and Nina Simone.
To add African flair to the songs, Mandisa sang some of the lyrics in Xhosa and added another dimension to her music by reciting some poetry. The Contrabanditz surprised the audience with a cover performance of Run DMC‘s It’s Like That in which Boski rapped, Tafnaz beat-boxed and Aether played the lead guitar producing a rock and roll sound.
Debbie with T showcased her powerful vocal ability, and Boski simply owned the percussions, while Tafnaz and Aether were on vocals and guitars.
Aether was also on the drums.
The versatile band also performed tracks from their upcoming album that is scheduled for release this year. The audience could not get enough of the band as demonstrated by the call for an encore when the group did their last piece Covering Ground.