The last weekend of September saw the 19th edition of the Koroga Festival go down at the Carnivore Grounds. The line-up was pretty amazing with Noise On Demand (N.O.D), DJ Joe Mfalme, DJ Exclusive and DJ Slick for the Saturday show and the fabolously talented Fally Ipupa headlining the Sunday show, with opening acts the Prince of Benga, Dan Aceda, bad boys, The Kansoul and sultry girl band, Linda.

I did not attend the Saturday show but I hear from reliable sources that it was quite the party. It was also an opportunity for the 18-25 year olds who wanted to audition to hose the Capital FM Hits Not Homework show. The show has been a staple of Kenyan radio for as long as I can remember and the lucky one(s) who’ll get the opportunity will have some big shoes to fill as Amina and Solo exit.

So I made the Sunday show and was I glad I did! Yes, I was ready with my white handkerchief and wore a crop top and shorts to the show, because why not? There was terrible traffic on Mbagathi way all the way to Carnivore and I took over an hour to arrive. The line to get in was quite long but incredibly organized, which is something that Koroga excels at and I wish other events organizers would learn from them.

The setup was dope and I like that they’ve taken advantage of the bigger space at Carnivore to put up more stands and seating areas. I’m a Singleton lover so I headed to their bar first for some delicious and affordable cocktails (they go for Ksh 500). Then bought a 5litre wine box from Wines of the World because it was going for Ksh 3,000. My friend and I then looked for seating space. The only thing I did not like was the seats they had in the main tent as I feel they took up so much space and then were in odd places so blocked people who were seated on the ground. If there have to be seats, they should stay at the back so that there’s more space for us shuka seating people.

The opening act was Linda. I had watched their covers on YouTube but had never seen them live. They did a good job for a stage of that level and hopefully will get more opportunities to showcase and grow their talent. I would love for them to produce more orginal music but yes, the girl group scene needs more members and I think they have what it takes to fill the gap.

The DJ was really good and the music selection had us on our feet the entire time. Dan Aceda was next on stage and as always, the Prince of Benga delivered. Not only did he perform all his hits, he also took us on a nostalgic journey through Kenyan music and even gave a shout out to Kenyan women including Wangari Maathai and Scheara. I enjoyed the collaboration with the DJ, band and Dan’s vocals. That was a really dope set.

The boys of the year, Kansoul got on stage next and performed their hits including the mega hit, Bablas. They probably could use some live band practice to have a tighter set but I loved the energy and it was great to hear the songs with a band backing them up.

After an intermission with the DJ that took the party to a whole new level, Fally Ipupa got on stage. Listen, the man is deliciously good looking and his sultry voice and sexy moves had all the women in the place screaming. I don’t remember the last time I danced so much. He put on a show for over 2 hours and I kept thinking that this was worth every penny and if he wants more money I am willing to pay.

Koroga once again proved that they are one of the best events in Nairobi.

 

mwendeLifestyleCapital FM,Carnivore,Dan Aceda,Fally Ipupa,Koroga Festival,Linda,The Kansoul
The last weekend of September saw the 19th edition of the Koroga Festival go down at the Carnivore Grounds. The line-up was pretty amazing with Noise On Demand (N.O.D), DJ Joe Mfalme, DJ Exclusive and DJ Slick for the Saturday show and the fabolously talented Fally Ipupa headlining the...