Bongeziwe Mabandla & Sarsha Simone at Foundry 616
Two-time South African Music Award nominee Bongeziwe Mabandla will tour Australia for the first time this November, exclusively in Sydney at Foundry616 and also showcasing at the Southern Hemisphere’s premier roots industry conference the Australasian Worldwide Music Expo (AWME) in Melbourne and Mullumbimby Music Festival in Northern NSW.
2014 has been a big year for Bongeziwe Mabandla with his perfect blend of Urban-African folk, heartfelt lyrics and honest delivery, seeing him take to the stage in Germany at Africa Festival, at the renowned Primavera Sound Festival in Spain, at Sukiyaki Meets the World Festival in Japan. Shows in North Korea and also he is currently taking part in the One Beatprogram in the USA, an incubator for music-based social entrepreneurship where innovative musicians from around the world launch collaborative projects designed to make a positive impact on local and global communities. At home he has collaborated with Joss Stone and Vieux Farka Toure on their South African tours.
Bongeziwe has created a matchless Afro-folk sound, over which his soulful voice delivers in both Xhosa and English. Influenced by artists like Tracy Chapman, Simphiwe Dana, Jabu Khanyile and Oliver Mtukudzi, his sound has a rhythmically grass-roots vibe, while fusing elements of traditional Xhosa music, Mbaqanga, Soul, Hip-hop and Dub.
Bongeziwe will be joined by local soul singer Sarsha Simone for his debut show. Sarsha Simone’s name may be unfamiliar, but there’s warmth in her voice that feels like home. It could be the similarity to soul singers from the past, the echoes of the late, great Etta James, or perhaps the recently departed Amy Winehouse. Blessed with a unique vocal tone that has the ability to cut through the cold and embed itself in the listener’s soul, Simone honed her skills under the moniker ‘Roxie Ray’ with Dojo Cuts on their 2008 self-titled debut album.
As Sarsha Simone, this talented singer blends a vintage soul sound with a hip-hop sensibility to create a sound that is individual and intriguing. Adding to this musical style the use of fashion in her artistry as a form of self-expression and Simone effortlessly redefines what it means to be a music artist.Equipped with gutsy lyrical content and a ballsy voice, the enigmatic Sarsha Simone is more than ready to deliver her Vaughn meets West style and sound to the world.
Bongeziwe Mabandla and Sarsha Simone will perform Foundry 616, Sydney’s leading jazz venue on 616-620 Harris Street, Ultimo Thursday 20th November 2014
Who: Bongeziwe Mabandla and Sarsha Simone
Where: Foundry 616 – 616-620 Harris Street
When: 8:30 Thursday 20th November 2014
More Info: Book here