Music, dance, food and drink defined the event. From Sunday afternoon till late in the night, Blantyre fun seekers thronged Chilembwe Road behind Livingstone Towers and Chibisa House for fun.
This was a special occasion as First Capital Bank (FCB) celebrated its sponsorship of FCB Nyasa Bullets Football Club.
Musicians such as Black Missionaries Band, Anthony Makondetsa, Moda Fumulani, Khozie Masimbe, Zeze Kingstone, Gibo Pearson, Mafo and Eli Njuchi took turns to entertain the patrons.
The bash, which started two hours after its scheduled time, was well-patronised by mainly FCB Nyasa Big Bullets supporters. During the show, the patrons also had the opportunity to open bank accounts with FCB, buy replica jerseys and register as the club’s supporters.
At exactly 4pm, the stage was set for Mafo to open the show before paving the way to the artist of the moment, Zeze Kingtone of Alamu Anu fame. He was followed by Gibo Pearson.
Eli Njuchi, who is also FCB Nyasa Bullets Club brand ambassador, took to the stage with an energetic performance that sent patrons onto the street-turned dance floor.
After a 30-minute break for sound check, it was time for the Chileka crew comprising Black Missionaries Band, Anthony Makondetsa, Khozie Masimbe and Moda Fumulani to entertain the patrons, most of whom wore FCB Nyasa Bullets replica jerseys.
First was Moda Fumulani, who jumped on stage to perform his late brother Gift Fumulani’s songs. Khozie Masimbe took over from Fumulani with his energetic presence, performing his popular songs, including Salale Yanga with patrons singing along and almost outdoing him.
Anthony Makondetsa proved he is an evergreen artist when he took over from Masimbe as patrons warmly welcomed him by dancing to his every song, most of which were cut short, probably to save time.
He punctuated his performance with jokes and teased his fans with additional lyrics, mainly encouraging them to open bank accounts with FCB as well as celebrating music promoter Jai Banda.
Finally, Black Missionaries Band, led by Anjiru Fumulani, took over to wind up the performances on the main stage.
They performed their songs as well as those by their founder Evison Matafale.
In an interview, one of the patrons Madalitso Wasiri, who travelled from Chileka, said the street bash was epic.
He said: “This is one of the greatest shows FCB has ever organised. It has brought Malawians together. The country is struggling economically, but they have managed to organise a good free show. We appreciate them.”
In a post-performance interview, musician Gibo Pearson thanked FCB for organising the street bash, saying apart from celebrating their sponsorship, the bank has also helped artists expose their talent to FCB supporters.
“The bash was a great idea. Our fans, even those that had never seen us on stage before, have enjoyed watching us live. I hope FCB will continue to organise these types of events in future which also promote talent as well as tourism,” he said.
On his part, Eli Njuchi said the bash was amazing, disclosing that it was his first time to perform at street bash.
“It was an amazing experience performing to an amazing crowd that had so much energy,” he said.
“As an artist, I am so grateful that I have been part of this. We need these bashes. They have an opportunity that not everyone can get, but very crucial in allowing people have a great time from both me as an artist and people who love my music and I would like to appreciate to Maule family. We had a great time and surely looking forward to many of these.”
Chifundo James, who supports FCB Nyasa Bullets Football Club, said he thought it wise to open an account at FCB to appreciate the bank for sponsoring the team and also welcoming the bank to the team.
In an earlier interview, FCB head of marketing and communication Twikale Chirwa said the event was meant to unveil their sponsorship of FCB Nyasa Bullets to the bank’s staff and supporters of the team
