The Sunday Mail
Leisure Reporters
SOLOMON’S Lifestyle Cafe relaunched with a bang last Friday as it hosted celebrities, socialites and other entertainment stakeholders.
Dubbed “Solo’s Lifestyle Cafe Experience Refusion Launch Party”, the shindig lived up to its billing, impressing in all aspects from the red carpet activities to excellent service.
The five-star chisanyama joint, which is now under new management, officially opened its doors in January 2018 but has continued on a self-renewal trajectory, which saw it upping its game through a relaunch party five days ago.
The star-studded event gave new life to the place, its programmes and services.
“Our main focus, from the launch going forward, is to give clients a real chisanyama experience matching current trends in the region and globally. Those in attendance had an opportunity to have an insight on some of the exciting weekly programmes we have in store for our patrons. Guests received VIP hosting from our highly trained staff,” said the joint’s management representative, Good Child.
Entertainment was provided by fast rising Harare DJs – Switch, Arz and P Nut.
Mbeu
Afro-fusion singer Mbeu, real name Ashton Nyahora, was out to prove a point when he held his solo show at Theatre in the Park in Harare last weekend.
Still smarting from massive criticism following his decision to lead the late Dr Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi’s band, The Black Spirits, at the Cape Town Jazz Festival in South Africa on March 30 this year – Mbeu came fired up.
His playlist and composure on-and-off the stage somewhat confirmed his earlier assertion in an interview with this publication. He kicked off the gig with popular tracks taken from his albums “Hatizvimirire” and “Hatikendenge”.
The songs namely “Ziso”, “Wakakosha”, “Handina Kuziva”, “Hatizvimirire”, “Jecha”, “Huya” and “Nhaurirano” have helped shape the rising star’s music career.
He strummed the tracks with finesse on the day in question. That he is a gifted guitarist, composer and singer is not a subject for debate. However, a sizeable number of his fans that attended the gig still requested that he plays one or two tracks from the late Tuku. Mbeu resisted a bit, but later gave in as the calls got louder. He only sampled a few tracks as he was folding his set.
Varsity Connect
Hip-Hop, dancehall and Afro-pop fans were in for a treat on Saturday as numerous artistes set the stage alight at Club Connect. The club was hosting the second edition of Varsity Connect, a monthly soiree, which provides college students from various institutions in the capital with a platform to mix and mingle.
The success of the first edition might have been the reason why the event was oversubscribed, with patrons packing up both the upper and lower decks of the venue. A star-studded line-up comprising of Stunner, Nutty O, Crooger, Kikky Badass, Tehn Diamond and Coco to name a few, did a great job in keeping revellers on their toes.
The DJs were also relentless, dropping hot numbers, which in turn created an electric atmosphere on the dancefloor. While the line-up was dominated by male performers, it was Kikky Badass’s set that really brought the house down. The rapper’s stage presence combined with her jaw dropping physicality gave her set a mesmeric effect. Despite being a hip-hop artiste, she sent the crowd into a frenzy when she dropped her song “One One” which is on the Wannabe Riddim.
Another performer who added flair to the affair was Scara the Drummer, whose combination with MC Tatts created an explosive semi-live set.
The Cookout
On Sunday all roads led to Baraza Pavilion for this month’s edition of popular outdoor event, The Cookout. Being a picnic event, the place was packed by 3pm.
While numbers were a bit lower than the last edition, the laid back atmosphere created an even better experience for those that came through. A combination of camp chairs, cooler boxes and beverages ranging from expensive to the ordinary, and smoke bellowing from both shisha pipes and braai stands, brought out a picturesque scene.
Although music is not at the core of the affair, DJ Dolla Bill and DJ Naida managed to add energy to an already electric mood. While patrons were just sitting around and enjoying their food and drinks in the afternoon, the arrival of darkness saw the party going up a notch as people started dancing to the music. The event ran into the late hours of the night and by the time the music was cut off, the venue had morphed into a full blown party.
