Chippa Legodimo
19 August 2008
Pantsula jive: black tunics and grey school socks with black shoes. That is how Rokas appeared on stage for the launch of their third album, Matipane Skotch, at Chez Ntemba on Saturday.
The all-girl trio looked more like school children participating in a popular dance competition with their neatly plaited hair.
On stage they were just fantastic to watch, perhaps guarding against any of the giants at the event stealing "their show". They are always an energetic lot and just like their mentor producer, Frank 'Franco' Lesokwane. To them, bigger crowds are only inspiring, but even without such a good attendance they still post a rock solid performance.
It is a little difficult to categorise the type of music these girls play, not even Franco himself can. Franco explained that they play a mixture of Kwaito kwasa and the fast-paced township disco.
Matipane Skotch is no different from the previous two offerings, both in terms of instrumentation and the lyrical arrangement. The girls are just having fun, not really concerned with burdening their fans with some messages and it seems to excite the followers.
On Saturday, they proved just how free spirited they are, covering all the corners of the stage. Their slender figures allowed them to engage in any kind of dance move, no matter how energy sapping. It was their day and they were not going to be outdone by anyone - not even Franco himself.
Franco believes that despite the changing faces of the group, the new members, who are only into their second album, are maturing fast, especially when it comes to stage performance.
"You can fault them for anything, but when it is time to dance these girls can turn heads around. They are showing so much confidence and they connect very well with the crowd. They make their fans feel part of the performance and that is what makes people come to their next shows," he said.
The line-up was just what any ardent music lover would call for. From Franco to Jeff Matheatau. From Odirile 'Vee' Sento to Shirley Mokokwe. It was not only the giants who got revellers grooving, the new comers like Manong Cultural group with tracks such as Matshidiso made people stand up and listen.
Mokokwe's best performance came with her 'sexy' track O Ntimile Selo. Male fans appeared particularly interested and she is steadily re-capturing her rhythm.
Franco's music empire is certainly growing and so are his business interests. Other than Afro Musica, the group he leads on stage, he has Rokas and the latest addition is a boy called The Animals.
They also had their chance to show the fans how gifted they were and by the way the crowd responded they have left a good impression at one of their few debut live performances. Their album is due for release in September and those who watched them at the weekend are already waiting anxiously.
Their boss said this about them: "I gave them this name Animals because when they perform, they are so reckless that they remind me of an animals chasing each other during summer when the grass is green. They are really passionate about music and so free in front of crowds," he said.
Afro Musica's performance was good despite the absence of veteran multi-talented, Tumelo Mafoko, who is reported to have parted company with Franco. Mafoko is so good with the drums and is equally efficient with an assortment of music instruments including the keyboard. However, the band did not seem to miss his contribution and gave the fans value for their money.
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