SOWETO … “where you usually get slapped if you act like a clown …”
Thankfully there weren’t any bozos running around and nobody got slapped this past Sunday at the Levi’s Vintage Sundays at the Backroom in Pimville, Soweto.
No it was filled with discerning grown folk who had come to listen to the soothing (well, maybe not really) sounds of that eclectic group of young artists called Kwani Experience.
Yes, folks, the Backroom is serious about its “upmarket” tag. It was my first time and I had heard lots of stories about the establishment: no sneakers (!), formal jackets for the guys and basically looking very cute for the girls. In Soweto? Once you get inside, you get to understand why. With plush couches the venue is deserving of its “upmarket” tag and so are the prices for drinks! Yikes! Yes, you gotta pay for “upmarket”.
Now partying or rather going out on a Sunday is an art. You have to deal with never-ending moans of “Oh but why does it have to be a Sunday” over and over and over … Restraint in terms of the alcohol consumed is also rather a task and I relied on the kindness of my friends to assist me on that one.
We got there rather late after an up-and-coming band with a rather forgettable name had performed. See, the thing about grown folk is that they don’t like standing up and choose to lounge rathern than getting with the programme and feeling the beat! This was one of the hindrances to my enjoyment of the show: people lounging around and looking mightily uninterested. (Why are you there in the first place? Oh, yes, to lounge around.) The Backroom is also billed as a lounge, I believe. But really now…
Despite all this I couldn’t really fault Kwani Experience on their perfomance. My feelings about the lounging situation simmered a bit, but were not forgotten, which was why I didn’t fully enjoy the show. Yes, Kwani gets the stamp of approval and the loungers don’t!
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