Kunonga, Sulumani in near-flawless performances

dancing to his subtle and high-instrumental songs for the better part of his three-hour slot.
Backed by his band, “Peace”, Victor went through his paces without difficulties and his music gradually rose into a crescendo as people warmly responded to his sound.
Blessed with a discerning eye, he was able to pick the response from the crowd — cold, warm, or very responsive — and he would respond to it with verve, something that most artistes ignore whenever they are on stage.
More often than not, several artistes go for hours playing boring songs, and fail to check the response from their fans, who would just be in limbo, wondering how much longer they will have to endure such a boring act.
But that was not the case with Victor who managed to ignite a revelling mood among fans.
The music that Victor plays conveys messages that are universal in any language.
A masterful storyteller and lyricist, Victor’s songs derive from a profound sense of dignity and social awareness, confronting issues of poverty, dispossession, and the rights of ordinary people.
Although many music fans where initially sceptical of his collaboration with dendera exponent Sulumani Chimbetu, it was an ideal set up, where both artistes used skill and experience to thrill the hodgepodge of fans, in attendance.
By time Sulumani got on stage at around 11pm, Victor had whipped fans into a revelling mood, and they were ready to boogey until the early hours of Friday.
Although I have on several occasions attended Sulu’s live performances, I must admit that this time around, the young Turk put up a good show.
Of course, many of his fans will never know where the finesse and agility is suddenly emanating coming from, for someone who was becoming complacent in both his act on and off the stage.
Has Sulu has been whipped into line by reports that his cousin Tryson is increasingly becoming the crowd’s favourite, or is it that his act, like wine, is getting better with each day?
But whatever it is, there is no doubt it is working wonders on Sulu, who seems to be rebranding his performances, and I can attest that his efforts are slowly being rewarded.
Soon after jumping on stage, Sulu kicked off the show, with one of his late father’s great hits, “Mwana Uye”, which got a good response from the crowd.
He wowed the crowd with both his songs and that of his late father until 4am.
Sulu continued with his act, on Friday where he thrilled fans at Holly’s Hotel in Harare.
With Peter Moyo in town, the show was explosive, as both artistes had the crowd a frenzy.
The revelling continued on Saturday, where the young dendera musician played for  a worthy cause at the St Giles Rehabilitation Centre Fundraising Day, held at Lake Chivero on Saturday night.