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Fresh from their United Kingdom tour, Orchestra Dendera Kings tonight are billed to perform at a welcome gig slated for Club Las Vegas in Southerton where they will meet their multitudes of fans alongside the duo of DJ Flabba and Dr Zobha.Led by “captain” Suluman Chimbetu, energy will be high on stage as the group performs at one of their favourite joints in the capital Harare.
The group’s publicist Joe “Local” Nyamungoma said while the UK tour could have been better, they were still in tip top form to rock their fans.
“We had good crowds in other cities but there was one on Sunday in Manchester which fell far short of expectations. We had a smaller crowd than the other two shows,” he said.
Asked where they got it wrong as promoters of their own show in the UK, Nyamungoma said they learnt a thing or two from their failures.
“We noted a number of issues and the first being that it was first time to host our own shows and we lacked so much in advertising and marketing. The second thing is that we have to partner other promoters for our next shows. This will make it easier to reach out to different part of the UK,” he said.
He, however, said people should not focus on the flops but that it was a learning curve for the group to promote its own shows.
“At this point I think as a group we are going in the right direction in promoting our shows. It takes time to get things right but eventually we will right all the wrongs,” he said.
He urged fans to com to Club Las Vegas where he promised new music for merry makers.
Like their previous shows at Club Las Vegas, tonight gig brings a lot of fond memories as the late Simon Chimbetu used to stage his welcome shows when he returns from overseas.
Suluman or Sulu in short commands a huge following which he inherited since the days of his late father Simon.
But Sulu no longer rides on his father’s coat tails but has built a firm fan base since he went solo.
Whenever Sulu takes to the stage fans are assured of a thrilling act from start to finish. His choreography and crowd control is amazing.
Every show is different and he is not as predictable as his critics say because he has plenty up his sleeves.
The four-time NAMA award winner has kept dendera music alive and perhaps will continue to be the torch bearer in the genre due to his levelheadedness.
However his critics say that Sulu’s collaborations with other musicians was digressing from the real dendera, a claim Nyamungoma vehemently denied.
“We have done a number of collaborations with a diverse artistes but that doesn’t mean we are not singing dendera.
Remember times are changing and if we stick to what Simon performed then it means we are not developing the genre. We also need to move with the ever changing times,” he said.
So far, the Orchestra Dendera Kings has been consistent since Sulu took over the reins and there is no end in endorsement deals coming their way. Added to this, Sulu is rated among the best performers at the moment.
For those who love old skool music, the joint will be blazing it up with the likes of Dr Zobha and Flabba on the decks from midday until late in the evening every weekend.
The combination of Dr Zobha and Flabba is one to watch out for as the two mean business behind the turntables.
Online Reporter