The death of Zim bands

. Bruce Ndlovu
When one visits clubs and pubs in Zimbabwea��s major cities, especially those that cater for a a�?maturea�? crowd, they may be treated to the musical rich sounds of full bands delicately playing their instruments in hope of taking their audience to a musical nirvana.

In most clubs, however, be it in the high density suburbs or in high end joints either in or around the city centre, the bands that used to entertain revellers are nearly non-existent, with only a few bands hired once in a blue moon to play for revellers.

Imbibers and the outgoing are likely to have a good time whether the soundtrack of a night is supplied by a man cradling a guitar or a teen meshing together the latest chart toppers from his laptop.

The bands that usually play in gigs or nightspots are usually comprised of a group of young musicians who come together to mesh their musical talents to come with a more palatable all round musical product. The groups are usually greater than the sum of their parts, as there is no outstanding individual while the music they usually play is comprised of hits from other artistes.

Currently, despite the international exploits of the likes of Mokoomba, no bands command a big following in Zimbabwe or have hits on regular rotation either in clubs or the radio.

However, this was not always so, as in a bygone era the band reigned supreme in Zimbabwe. From the Four Brothers of Makorokoto fame who are regarded as perhaps the countrya��s most successful groups because of their local and international success to the Bhundu Boys whose jit took them all the way to a supporting slot for Madonna at Wembley, bands where not only prevalent but popular in the Zimbabwean music scene.

Perhaps one of the most potent groups to emerge from Zimbabwe was Ilanga,A�A� which at one point or another could count Comrade Chinx, Busi Ncube, Adam Chisvo, Keith Farquharson, Munya Brown, Andy Brown and Don Gumbo among its members.

These bands which later broke up were significant not only for their musical output but for the stars that they groomed for later solo success. Instead of a Busi Ncube finding her voice on her own or an Andy Brown struggling to impress hard to please crowds with his guitar skills, they learnt their craft among similarly gifted stars who would later on become stars in their own right.

The exact reason for the decline of bands is hard to pinpoint, but for some musicians, the cause is purely economically.

a�?I think it is tougher to maintain a band of talented individuals than a one man outfit because while music is our passion we expect some monetary gain from it. That is why young stars who feel overshadowed by bigger artistes who they back later on leave to make it on their own because they feel like they are not getting what they deserve,a�? said veteran musician Jeys Marabini.

Lungelo Ndlovu who forms part of local young city band The Harmonics, says the fault is with fans who worship the cult of personality, as people gravitate towards celebrities.

a�?A band is less glamorous than an individual star so I guess thata��s what draws people to certain acts. With DJs and other performers coming to the fore, there is less incentive to being in a band,a�? he said.