‘Audience up on their feet and dancing in the aisles’ – Kasai Masai
Summer transports us to the far-away sounds of Kasai Masai as she saw them with Young Critics in Lichfield this month.
As the crowd took their seats in the sweltering Guildhall, lit by the light of the beautiful stained glass windows, Kasai Masai’s frontman Nickens Nkoso joked about how they had bought the hot weather with them. The traditional Congolese Soukous band arrived on stage at the packed venue to rapturous applause and as they launched into their first song the crowd were immediately transported to faraway places.
The band captured the audience’s attention during their Lichfield Festival performance with their mesmerising rhythms and melodies as they performed a selection of tracks, from their classic album ‘Sunshine Music’ along with other songs. The band specialise in Soukous, traditional Congolese folkloric music, famous for its infectious rhythms and intricate guitar driven melodies.
Although the band are used to much larger crowds, such as the Womad Festival, the intimate space seemed perfect for them to engage with the audience, for a more personal vibe. The group created a soundscape, involving complex, harmonic melodies that mesmerised the audience with each song building gradually until it was impossible to resist tapping your feet. While the lyrics, written in various languages including Swahili and Lingala, were lost on most of the audience, in some ways this helped us focus on the rhythms and melodies, and the dancing.
Highlights of the show included tracks such as ‘Fatou’, ‘Sunshine Music’ and ‘Se Ke Bien’ which hypnotised with their layered melodies. The minimalist stage production helped the audience to focus on the band and their rich music, while their singer Nickens Nkoso engaged with his dancing and rhythmic singing, not to mention his incredible colourful shirt. After a short interval, the band returned to play the final half of their set, featuring more upbeat songs, which got the once reserved audience up on their feet and dancing in the aisles. As the band left the stage, with the audience wanting more, their melodies echoed around the room, it was a truly unforgettable performance.
By Summer A
If you’re aged 11-18 and would like to be a festival reviewer, applications will open soon for Young Critics – find out more on our website https://lichfieldfestival.org/aspire/young-critics/