MALKERNS – South African music duo, Liquideep’s performance at the second day of Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival was nothing but exceptional.
The vocalist from the duo, Ziyon said that they were happy to be performing in the country. “Music is very impactful and we’re just happy to be involved. We need more spaces like this where people can express and have a platform in their music house,” he said.
He also said that every country should know that their creatives are all together. “We are all together in one thing. One thing that brings us together is love, peace and unity. And we need more of it, especially right now. There’s more that we can do together than apart. And in spaces like this, we can see that where the love is, is more important than all,” he ended.
Liquideep debuts new single at Luju
MBABANE – The curtain came down on the Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival in spectacular fashion on Sunday, capped by a main-stage performance from South African soulful House duo Liquideep, who surprised the crowd by debuting a brand-new single live in Eswatini.
Titled ‘For the night’ , the duo took centre stage deafening cheers from a sea of smartphones capturing the moment, the duo, comprising singer Jonathan ‘Ziyon’ Hamilton and DJ and producer Thabo ‘Ryzor’ Shokgolo, delivered an infectious rhythm that resonated with the audience.
During their performance, Liquideep revealed to the audience that the newly-debuted single had officially dropped just days earlier, on July 31.
The pair effortlessly commanded the festival’s final evening, delivering a masterclass in nostalgia. Patrons were locked in unison, singing along word-for-word to timeless anthems like ‘Fairytale’ and ‘Till Time Stands Still’ alongside a string of their classic hits that kept the energy high throughout their set. Another highlight of the closing evening was South Africa’s Grammy Award-winning star, Zakes Bantwini. The House music maestro delivered a performance captivating the arena with tracks including ‘Osama,’ ‘Imali,’ and ‘Thula Mama.’ The crowd sang every lyric back to him in full voice.
In a closing moment just before stepping off the stage, Bantwini paused to connect directly with the audience. He shared light-hearted well-wishes for patrons celebrating birthdays or anniversaries, wished good luck to anyone who had sparked a new romance at the festival and cheekily advised those who had managed to exchange phone numbers over the weekend to ‘use them wisely’.
The evening’s headliners provided a climax to the final day across the festival’s various stages. Earlier in the day, festivalgoers were treated to multi-genre performances that set the tone for the finale: Maleh from South Africa brought her vocals to the stage, Thando Zide from South Africa delivered a performance blending modern textures with traditional roots and The Masekela Band honoured a musical heritage, keeping the crowd on their feet.
By Neliswa Sibiya and Takhona Sithole
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