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Entertainment Reporters—-
The two-day Sunset October Beer Festival that took place at the Sunset Arena over the weekend was an affair of mixed fortunes. The first day lived to its billing while the second day ended on a low note as urban grooves musicians that dominated the closing night could not attract the expected crowd. However, it was a commendable inaugural edition as the organisers ensured a smooth flow of events on and off the stage.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority boss Karikoga Kaseke, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe director Elvas Mari and the council’s provincial manager William Ndinde and Zimbabwe Music Rights Association board chairperson Albert Nyati graced the event.
Despite an announcement by the organisers that it would be a dancehall night, some sungura acts opened the first night and delighted audiences with surprise acts.
Peter Moyo and Jacob Moyana came and set the stage for dancehall acts after Progress Chipfumo had kick-started the festival with an outstanding act. Kireni Zulu also performed to set the pace for dancehall stars that lit the stage throughout the night.
Several dancehall musicians performed including Freeman who sampled a song that chronicles other artistes’ tracks.
Guspy Warrior had a good night in office as he belted out most of his hits and did the best on stage.
Kinnah also performed at the event much to the delight of the fans.
The musician called for peace among dancehall artistes and fans.
“Fellow artistes and fans let’s have peace so that the genre grows,” said the musician.
Seh Calaz who recently courted controversy after maintaining that he would sing violent lyrics before issuing an apology was also part of the line-up.
As artistes were taking turns to prove their ability on stage, fans were enjoying beer that was being sold at low prices.
Some of the merrymakers got drunk in the early stages of the event and others spent the better part of the night dead drunk.
However, fans felt short-changed after two top dancehall chanters Soul Jah Love and Tocky Vibes failed to perform as they had other commitments.
Organisers of the event said the artistes communicated their failure to perform and apologised.
On the second day, urban groovers that dominated the event did well on stage, but the attendance was poor.
Urban Grooves musicians Tererai Mugwadi and Pauline Gundidza were among the performers that did well. Dancers that include Zoey and Bev also performed on the second night while a number of rhumba groups also took to the stage.
Organisers said the whole fête was a success as people came in numbers to support the idea.
“This was the first festival and we are happy with the numbers. People supported us very well on Friday night and we believe the rain that fell on the second day affected attendance. Everything else went well and we are hopeful that next year’s edition will be bigger and better,” said the organisers.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter