by Lucia Malanga
Backyard Stories is a music show that was established in 2017 and features rising artists in Botswana.
Recently, they hosted a jam session that encompassed two music genres: Splash and Neo-Soul. Their motto is “unforgettable shared moments.” And the show was indeed unforgettable; it left me speechless.
The organisers added mystery to the performance, having advertised the show as being held at a secret location. Creating a sense of exclusivity, immediately made me intrigued.
Curious too? The night was held at an art and history exhibition center, a perfect location for the music genres that were going to be sung by the artists. The attendees got to listen to the heartfelt performances under the starry sky with a community of people that filled the space with love and warmth.
As I entered the area, my ears were welcomed with soulful, timeless, and heartfelt music that was being played while they waited for the attendees. The atmosphere was very intimate and had an inviting feeling, with the bands performance being absolutely amazing from the get-go.
The artists that were performing took the stage together and harmonised so well that it sounded ethereal and filled the air with so much serenity. I was completely mesmerized.
An incredible introduction to the live performances, one of the artists, Tsholo, sang “Strange” by Celeste, and the audience were visibly captivated.
Another of the artists that managed to enchant the crowd was Ayanda; her voice carried so much emotion and passion.
Not one to usually listen to the splash genre, after the show, I became a Splash fan.
Splash is a type of music encompassing elements of folk, soul, and pop. The artists did the genre justice, managing to get the audience standing and dancing to each song, and certainly made me fall in love with it.
One of the artists, a sister duo, Lemo x Gole, sadly had vocal issues, and they couldn’t sing the song they intended to.
Changing their performance at the last minute, the audience sang along and harmonised with them, creating a truly sweet and beautiful moment both to witness and hear.
There wasn’t a minute I was bored; each performance was outstanding, the band played perfectly, and the atmosphere was so peaceful. They managed to merge two genres beautifully, with me leaving a fan of both, and I cannot wait to see what else they have planned.
Edited by Emily Duff