By ZIPO-ZENKOSI NCOKAZI
You have to acknowledge someone’s musical prowess if they can capture your heart and presence with just their voice and a guitar.
That is the musical genius of Port Elizabeth duo Umle Sounds, who had their opening performance at the National Arts Festival yesterday at the Thomas Pringle Hall.
Vocalists Siyabonga Radu and Siphamandla Fete, who also plays guitar, gave an intense performance that demonstrated not only their vocal abilities but their command of the stage.
It’s a difficult genre to define and even Radu said they were unable to describe their sound “but we like it that way”.
The duo’s performance was rich in acoustics, creativity and vibrancy, and it intensified even more when they were joined by their full band, which consists of instrumentalists Temba Ncetani, Edgar Kaye Muzah and Andile Nomjila, as well as back-up singers Nosipho Spakes Twani and Cwai Rula.
With song titles like Yimisebenzi Ethethela Indoda (Efforts that Defend a Man) and Umxhelo Wencwadi (What the Book Says) one quickly understands that these guys sing with a purpose, which is to “free the enslaved mind”.
Speaking about their material, Radu said they only aimed to be honest in their music.
“We can’t lie and sing about things we do not experience or things we do not know. Our material is things we have lived through and are living through, it’s things we see every day.
“We just tell the truth,” said Radu.
It is stance that they share – Fete adds: “Our music is our life story and our truth.”
Although their topics range from living on minimum wage, over black people’s living conditions to relationship struggles, one thing that is constant is that they are angry slaves, which is also the title of their latest single, Amakhoboka Anomsindo.
Fete said the song speaks about how we are all pressured to find employment and to work from Monday to Friday out of fear of not being able to make a living.
Despite being former Standard Bank Standing Ovation award winners at the festival, the duo said yesterday’s show was the biggest turnout they had ever seen.
Radu said: “This is our third performance at the fest but we were not expecting so many people.
“This has been a pleasant surprise but we never have expectations about audience numbers. I believe it just teaches us to focus on the craft.”
The duo, who both come from KwaDwesi, met in high school and officially formed their band in 2010.
With only two songs available on Soundcloud online, they said they were live performers but were considering on working on an album.
Audience member Mpilo Sigaba said this was his third Umle performance and that they hadn’t disappointed yet.
“Their music’s uplifting and their sound’s just beautiful. They both have such a good ear and that shines through to us, the audience. I really appreciate their art, and I believe that these guys will challenge all of us to rethink how we live our lives, and that is music with a purpose, I really cannot wait for their full album,” said Sigaba.
Another audience member, Litha Pemba, said the band was probably one of the biggest things to come out of the province.
“Their stage presence gave me the chills, and matched with their voices it’s just pure magic. I really appreciate their lyrical content – we cannot sing about parties and girls all the time, we need young people who speak truth.
“Big ups to them, they were amazing,” Pemba said.
l Umle is live on Saturday at 6pm and again on Sunday at 12pm.
The duo is also on the lineup for the Oppikoppi Festival next year. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
‘Uplifting’ pair sing their truth
You have to acknowledge someone’s musical prowess if they can capture your heart and presence with just their voice and a guitar.
That is the musical genius of Port Elizabeth duo Umle Sounds, who had their opening performance at the National Arts Festival yesterday at the Thomas Pringle Hall.
Vocalists Siyabonga Radu and Siphamandla Fete, who also plays guitar, gave an intense performance that demonstrated not only their vocal abilities but their command of the stage.
It’s a difficult genre to define and even Radu said they were unable to describe their sound “but we like it that way”.
The duo’s performance was rich in acoustics, creativity and vibrancy, and it intensified even more when they were joined by their full band, which consists of instrumentalists Temba Ncetani, Edgar Kaye Muzah and Andile Nomjila, as well as back-up singers Nosipho Spakes Twani and Cwai Rula.
With song titles like Yimisebenzi Ethethela Indoda (Efforts that Defend a Man) and Umxhelo Wencwadi (What the Book Says) one quickly understands that these guys sing with a purpose, which is to “free the enslaved mind”.
Speaking about their material, Radu said they only aimed to be honest in their music.
“We can’t lie and sing about things we do not experience or things we do not know. Our material is things we have lived through and are living through, it’s things we see every day.
“We just tell the truth,” said Radu.
It is stance that they share – Fete adds: “Our music is our life story and our truth.”
Although their topics range from living on minimum wage, over black people’s living conditions to relationship struggles, one thing that is constant is that they are angry slaves, which is also the title of their latest single, Amakhoboka Anomsindo.
Fete said the song speaks about how we are all pressured to find employment and to work from Monday to Friday out of fear of not being able to make a living.
Despite being former Standard Bank Standing Ovation award winners at the festival, the duo said yesterday’s show was the biggest turnout they had ever seen.
Radu said: “This is our third performance at the fest but we were not expecting so many people.
“This has been a pleasant surprise but we never have expectations about audience numbers. I believe it just teaches us to focus on the craft.”
The duo, who both come from KwaDwesi, met in high school and officially formed their band in 2010.
With only two songs available on Soundcloud online, they said they were live performers but were considering on working on an album.
Audience member Mpilo Sigaba said this was his third Umle performance and that they hadn’t disappointed yet.
“Their music’s uplifting and their sound’s just beautiful. They both have such a good ear and that shines through to us, the audience. I really appreciate their art, and I believe that these guys will challenge all of us to rethink how we live our lives, and that is music with a purpose, I really cannot wait for their full album,” said Sigaba.
Another audience member, Litha Pemba, said the band was probably one of the biggest things to come out of the province.
“Their stage presence gave me the chills, and matched with their voices it’s just pure magic. I really appreciate their lyrical content – we cannot sing about parties and girls all the time, we need young people who speak truth.
“Big ups to them, they were amazing,” Pemba said.
l Umle is live on Saturday at 6pm and again on Sunday at 12pm.
The duo is also on the lineup for the Oppikoppi Festival next year. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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