Port Elizabeth – A growing reggae culture in Nelson Mandela Bay is seeing local musicians create special platforms to support the growing demand for the peace-loving genre made popular by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
According to music advocates such as the Bay’s Rushay Booysen, the growing demand for the music was good news for local artists. Booysen is heading to Europe and the US in September in a bid to grow support abroad for the Eastern Cape music industry, which often loses its artists to established centres such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, or overseas.
The latest group to tune into the growing reggae culture is TwoTone, a production company headed by husband and wife team Gareth and Ulagh Williams. The couple, along with fellow group members, are ditching their usual cocktail attire for Rastafarian dress for their inaugural Reggae Night show at the Cash Store this Friday (May 30).
“Reggae has a very strong presence in Africa, and there is a widespread appeal of the music ranging from teenagers to pensioners,” said Ulagh, TwoTone musical director. “The show is quite a departure from what we are used to, but we have been wanting to do something fun like this for quite some time.”
The show comes after the increasingly popular reggae-themed One Blood Music Festival organised by Louis Devawrin, which celebrated its fifth year in March.
According to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University anthropologist David Bogopa, the reggae genre has been growing in popularity in the region and across the country.
“Reggae culture has grown over the years in the Eastern Cape, and I have observed a similar pattern in other provinces in the country, particularly in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape,” said Bogopa.
The peace-loving ideals which now play into South Africa’s democracy were once a chance during apartheid for reggae lovers to show their opposition to the oppressive regime, he said.
“People were influenced by the political messages they found in many songs by reggae musicians such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear. For example, during the 1980s when political movements such as the ANC and others were banned, people expressed their dissatisfaction by playing reggae music as a form of resistance, as well as playing for [their own] entertainment or pleasure,” Bogopa said.
TwoTone – which is also taking the show to St Francis Bay, Jeffreys Bay and the Garden Route – will feature some of the Bay’s most seasoned musicians on Friday, including Grant Allison (bass), Bevin Maschaka (drums), David Houghton and Khanyiso Williams (guitars) and horn players Joash Soobramoney (sax) and Lincoln Adams (trumpet). A powerful vocal line-up includes Brenton Krain and Miranda Ncwane.
“The show is a nod to reggae legends including Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, UB40, Big Mountain, Eddy Grant and Lucky Dube,” said Gareth.
Reggae Night will run for one night only at The Cash Store on May 30 at 8pm. Tickets cost R100. To book, call The Cash Store on (041) 366 1211.
Musicians performing in this Friday’s show Reggae Night, by Two Tone, are (from left) Khanyiso Williams, Grant Allison, Joash Soobramoney, David Houghton (front), Ulagh Williams, Jody Butler, Bevin Maschaka and Miranda Ncwane.
Alan Straton
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The line up looks great. We also need to give kudos to venues like the Cash Store (and others) who are giving local music a long needed platform for performances. Meanwhile, looking for overseas support? How will that keep our artists in P. E? Start with the basics: Fund equipment in live venues, and set up a central database so that we can see what’s on, with one search.
Running that central database will take a special person/institution. From my cynics point of view the jealousy/competition between rival artists and venues always tends to rear it’s ugly head.
The other question is who will fund the time and money to keep such an initiative on the boil day after day?
One can only put it out there and hope for good ideas to flow.