Bulawayo snubs Big Nuz

AFTER gathering strength to make the long trip to Zimbabwe from Durban, South Africa's Big Nuz member Mashesha failed to perform at both the Beitbridge and Bulawayo shows due to illness.

Big Nuz was in the country for a "Zerophobia Concert" on Friday in Beitbridge at Pagomba Café and on Saturday in Bulawayo at Large City Hall.

Mashesha, real name Sibusiso Khomo, who has been ill for some time, was nowhere near the venues as he was said to be resting in the hotel room they had been booked into.

Due to his illness group members, Mandla "Mampintsha" Maphumulo and Mzi "Danger" Tshomela have for the past three years been performing as a duo.

Responding to queries about Mashesha's health, Mampintsha said fans should not worry as Mashesha was on the road to full recovery and would be on stage with the duo in the near future.

"Mashesha is getting back to full recovery and people must understand that this man puts music first before everything and that's why he's here," said Mampintsha.

The shows recorded a low turnout with the Large City Hall almost empty. Mampintsha said it was great to be back in Bulawayo and to discover that people still remember Big Nuz even after their last show at the same venue five years ago.

"We performed in Beitbridge and in Bulawayo and we're happy to see that we're still relevant despite having last performed here five years ago. The crowd was phenomenal and had great energy which gave us the zeal to pump it up," said Mampintsha, whose outfit's last hit was Umlilo from their 2009 album Undisputed.

Big Nuz were supported by local acts such as Magesh Tornadoes who Mampintsha spoke highly of and even hinted that they could work with the dance group.

"There's a lot of talent in Bulawayo and I'm impressed by Magesh Tornadoes who're very athletic on the dance floor. When you see them dancing they're full of energy showing they put a lot of work into what they do. I'm sure in the near future we'll work with some artists from Zimbabwe. I don't see why that can't happen," said Mampintsha.

He said they were pleased that they performed tracks from their upcoming album and they were well received.

"The new songs seem to be accepted well by the crowd and that's great since we're looking forward to the release of our new album sometime in July. We've been working on the songs since last year and now it's time for us to give our fans something new," said Mampintsha.

Big Nuz entered the stage after midnight and began to churn out fan favourites like Magic Carpet and Seducer that got the crowd jumping and set the mood for the show.

As opening acts, Tear Dream Boiz, Keda Kwaito Star, Magesh Tornadoes and Harmonic Rhythm managed to showcase their worth on the stage.

Sandra Ndebele picked up from where Big Nuz had left off and performed songs from her new album Izenzo with her dancers making sure that the crowd had their eyes glued on the stage.

In the border town of Beitbridge, Big Nuz put up a good show at Pagomba where they performed in front of a crowd of just over 120. They shared the stage with local resident DJ Wallace and South African DJs Wandaful and Boonu.

Big Nuz went on the stage at midnight.

The Hawaii hit makers performed until the early hours of the morning as fans sang along to their favourite songs from the group.