By Lerato Matheka
MASERU—”I am overwhelmed.”
That’s how Bhudaza Mapefane described the rousing reception he got from the nearly 300 people who attended his Likhomo CD launch show at Cabanas on Saturday night.
“The crowd showed love and appreciation for my performance,” he said after the show.
The crowd seemed overwhelmed as well.
The absence of Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, who had been billed to feature, did not seem to bother the revellers as they danced to Bhudaza all night.
So inspiring was the reception that the SAMA award winner now says he is inspired to have more shows in Lesotho.
“The fans have boosted my confidence in wanting to organise more shows as a token of giving back to my country.
“The show has forced me to rethink,” Bhudaza said.
What made it sweeter, Bhudaza said, was that the show still attracted a good crowd despite the fact that the marketing had been done late.
“The show was so big, it was a surprise because the marketing was done late and I had doubts that it was going to be such a success,” he added.
He said the response and appreciation has given him confidence in Lesotho’s market.
He explained that the absence of Hotstix did not make “much difference because he was not going to perform as a solo artist but feature in my band”.
“So it really was not a big deal. I performed well alone though he could have added a spark to the show,” Mapefane said.
Young aspiring poets and a group of guitarists from Mantilatilane Productions were the opening acts that set the mood.
Stlofa, the former half of Lefate, put up an electrifying performance but — as usual — he arrived late.
People swarmed the dance floor as he belted his hit songs.
But the young artist is better advised to stay away from the bottle when he is performing: when the organisers wanted him on stage for the second time he was nowhere to be found.
And when they eventually caught up with him he was downing merry waters at a bar in the hotel.
He still managed to perform for the second time, though.
The crowd still loved it.
By the time Bhudaza finally took to the stage the crowd was in partying mood.
He did not disappoint.
He started with Jimmy Dludlu’s Wings of Change.
Bhudaza played two more jazz songs for “his friends in the music industry” before he got down to his own songs.
Then surprise, surprise: famo artist Mantša joined Bhudaza on the stage with his accordion.
The crowd went wild.
Combined, Bhudaza’s saxophone and Mantša stole the show.
Now we know how jazz sounds when mixed with famo.
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