SMS launch debut album with high temp performance

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Monday May 9, 2011 00:00

 

The four-man group sings blues with a rock edge.  It has played at the Alliance Franaise's Fete de la Musique.

On Saturday, the band's front-man and lead vocalist, Nicholas Charalambides told the crowd that their most memorable performances have been at Georges Bar in Broadhurst.  Little wonder, the band has penned an ode to the bar in their Georges Bar Blues, with which they opened their performance on Saturday.

The song was well-received by the crowd like the other ones, which included Dirty Kiss and Tonkies (Gave You Roses). The band comprises of Charalambides who plays the harp and percussion besides being a vocalist.

Predrag Mijovic is on the guitar, Erik van Widenfelt is the drummer with Robert Beck on bass. A good part of the enthusiastic crowd was on the dance floor during the performance of the band, perhaps aided by glasses of hot red wine served as a welcome drink. The supporting acts had warmed up the crowd sufficiently before the performance by SMS.

The artist who had the hardest job warming up the crowd was folk artist, Ntirelang Berman who performed a short set of popular songs comprising of Mampudi, Motlalepula and Lobebe.  When performing for a multiracial crowd, artists are always at pains to explain and translate the nuances of their compositions.

The Stampore Trio's solution to this is to let lead singer and guitarist Stampore speak in Setswana, and have Solo B translate.  To comedic effect, Solo B opted to give literal translations. There was laughter when he translated the song Setlogolo Mpha Ditlhogo to 'Niece, give me heads'.  The supporting acts collaborated with SMS's Charalambides (on harmonica) on the song Ke Go Signetse.  Copies of Mud Hut Diaries are on sale on both soft-cover and hard-cover.