Hot Water’s Show at Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
On the 28th of December 2014 mist like smoke rolled over Table Mountain. A human rainbow formed on the lawns facing the stage. The prospect of rain did not dampen the crowd’s spirit; instead, braais were ignited, South African flags were distributed and laughter was shared. Members of Hot Water and other contributing artists occupied […]
On the 28th of December 2014 mist like smoke rolled over Table Mountain. A human rainbow formed on the lawns facing the stage.
The prospect of rain did not dampen the crowd’s spirit; instead, braais were ignited, South African flags were distributed and laughter was shared. Members of Hot Water and other contributing artists occupied the stage while lead singer Donovan Copley ambushed the platform in a rush of energy and theatrics.
The performance – which started with a comical introduction by comedian Nik Robinowitz – as a whole was very much an experiential one.
The audience was encouraged to participate; to sing and dance, to join the band on stage, and to be a part of the musical process. The beautifully chaotic cacophony of sights, sounds and movements were a feast for the senses.
People were led into a Madiba dance which had everyone on their feet and moving to the music in the way former president Nelson Mandela did.
They bore witness to Copley scaling a tall speaker pylon that would surely have landed him in hot water with the venue’s security, but made for a good show as he stood metres above the ground with an ominous sky behind him, clutching a branch and ripping the leaves from it with his teeth.
The band spiced up the gig with storytelling, the marrying of seemingly discordant instruments and a lesson in toyi-toying, and ended it off with a characteristically Johnny Clegg kick.
Although their genre cannot be categorised, it is this in-between sound that illustrates their image and enables them to perform a South African identity.
It is a sound and character that is rooted in the past, yet uprooted by definition. It is music that draws on former and fellow musicians, but it is pioneering in the way in which it brings various influences and inspirations together.
Their songs are painted with South African colours; you can picture sapphire skies, the copper-red soil, rolling green hills, flashes of white lightning, and charcoaled hands that unearth grains of gold.
It is enough to make any South African proud and any expat homesick.
Summer Sunset Concerts: