Sauti Sol, Swahili Nation impress at Serena concert
Sauti Sol on stage at Serena Hotel. Photo by Edgar R. Batte
Revellers had to wait for Sauti Sol up to midnight. It was worth the wait even if revellers lost their cool and stopped at nothing to express their anger. They yelled at the emcees as they wasted time, with endless announcements.
“We want Sauti Sol,” they chanted. When the MTV award-winning group stepped on stage, they rallied the crowd into dance. Revellers left their seats and got to the dancefloor to the band’s authentic African sounds, deeply rooted in Kenya, both in language and influence.
The four musicians took turns at singing and complemented each other as the band of instrumentalists held their fort. They had a good connection with the crowd in an entertaining manner.
“We have always prayed that we perform in Uganda. Give a round of applause to Tusker Lite. Thanks for bringing us here. Mwebale nyo Uganda,” Bien-Aimé Baraza, one of the group’s members said.
Baraza particularly outdid himself on stage. At some point, he invited a female reveller and requested her to help him unbutton his shirt, exposing his fairly chiselled body.
Adoring fans took out their phones and captured the performances of Sauti Sol members, who were enjoying every moment of their stage presence.
Later on, Baraza invited former Big Brother Africa contestant and former Miss Uganda, Stella Nantumbwe, for a dance session on stage. This dude had a time of his life and his subsequent utterances cannot be reproduced here. He meant it when he said he always looked forward to performing in Kampala.
From the moment Sauti Sol stepped on stage to when they said adieu, it was an energetic delivery. But the night had more gems in the name of Swahili Nation who put up an awesomely impressive performance, of rich vocal abilities, stage presence and enviable collaboration.
Their talent got the crowd screaming and singing along and this did not spare fellow musicians in the crowd. Charlie King, Ken Kayongo and Andrew Muturi have still got a rare spark that still eludes your favourite artistes. They sang both their newly-released songs as well as old jams.
Also on stage were performances by Nutty Neithan, Allan Toniks, Michael Ross, Maurice Kirya and Tabu Flo dancers.
