| 23 August 2011
Seeing Soweto Entsha perform is a truly uplifting experience for two reasons: firstly they are living proof that talent and dedication can get you anywhere, and secondly they are quite simply superb at what they do.
Stumbled across by sheer luck busking in Soweto in 2008, Morgan, Lwazi, Jabu and Zensele have in the following three years gone from strength to strength and reached a global audience, touring in France and performing at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. Now in Edinburgh, Soweto Entsha are ready to delight the Fringe audience with their slick, four-part a cappella that blends the exhilarating African spirit of their own tribal cultures with a more western take on the male vocal harmony tradition.
The individual vocals of these four are astounding and, when they are first combined, you cannot help but pick your jaw off the floor; the bass singer particularly has a voice that would make Barry White blush. The infectiously energetic delivery and compulsive beat, made from their hands and vocals alone, is a pleasure to behold. Their all-singing, all-dancing 1960s-soul-group presentation is charming and upbeat, though at times they lose their way, trading their unique identity for that of a schmaltzy boy band. The slick grey suits, superfluous vocal ornamentation, air grabs and catalogue poses taint their performance and feel like unnecessary and contrite packaging. That excluded, this is an exhilarating show that will have you brimming with energy and contentment as you leave.
Soweto Entsha, Pleasance Pasture, 3-29 Aug, 4.30 pm
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