As Thabo settled himself in front of a gently jostling, jam-packed Brudenell games room, he said, ‘I’m so excited to be back.  I’ve been preparing to be back.’.  When a member of the expectant crowd replied, ‘And we’ve been waiting for you to be back’, Thabo’s ear-to-ear smile was expression enough of his humility.  

This theme of genuine interaction was upheld by Thabo throughout the night, with various short and snappy-speaking interludes between songs, making it a night to remember simply for the unpretentious nature of the performance.  And it was during one such moment that Thabo himself appreciated how his music may be more current now than ever before, when gently singing, ‘You can say that.  You can say that.  You can say that and still be the President’.

Joined on stage with the trio of drums, electric guitar and keyboard composing The Real Deal, Thabo was introducing a new take on his soul-music roots with his ‘bare knuckle’ style.  The slowed down, heavier bass fit hand-in-glove with his morally-charged lyrics, shown through his performance of older tracks of ‘World War Free’ and ‘Sex Sells’ and new releases such as ‘More of That’ and ‘Run and Tell’.  The small setting somehow amplified the music and strengthened the message behind his lyrics.

But the night wasn’t just an intense overload of moral muses.  Thabo kept the perfect balance, and even included a Japanese-inspired take on a Michael Jackson impression, which was as unlikely and unpredictable as it sounds.  Despite the low-tempo nature of his music, the 90-minute set somehow flew by – yet made its impact and made your mind wander as it intended to.

Thabo’s insistence on speaking to his fans even carried on long after the huge rounds of cheers and claps had ceased.  Being able to speak with him, shake his hand and see just how appreciative he was for all his fans’ support for myself was my main reason for being glad to see him back.

Kitty Pandya

[image: pinterest.com]