This article was posted on upnairobi.com on the 9th of June 2014. We had the pleasure of hosting one of our former writers as a musical act at UP Live III. Ondi, one of the lead singers at Yellow Light Machine, was joined by LA Dave, Amar the Arkitekt Bhat, The Old Cambrian Band among many other delightful musicians. Gearing up for the 5th edition (and anniversary) of UP Live coming up this July, we decided to bring up this piece with an interesting take on the party.
As staff writer for UP Magazine and current lead singer of Yellow Light Machine (YLM) I can honestly say that one of the highlights of being a musician and a journalist is the privilege of attending sound-check. You can see YLM’s excitement from the grins on our faces as we listen to the sweet sounds of The Old Cambrian Band and the wildly talented antics of Aziz and his band when we enter the gate into Railways Museum.
The tents are coming up as Zelalem’s (DJ and Event Producer) team is working on the funky and cool bikes that will feature on the stage back drop. The food and street fair vendors arrive in color and style. Sandra Chege, (Event organiser) is running around, directing, listening and managing. Above, the clouds are looming but down here, by the old trains, it seems that a city is coming alive. An urban, artsy city filled with color, texture and sweet sounds. YLM is ecstatic to be a part of it.
Sound check is a breeze with the professional team setting up our sound. YLM was an eight piece band that day and we go through a couple of our songs as the crew proficiently arranges the stage to suit our eclectic sound. We are a pretty new band and the honor and exhilaration of being on such a fantastic stage and space doesn’t wear off as we meet vendors, artists, organisers and the general crew; people from all walks of live meeting on an auspicious occasion.
It’s around six when our turn arrives, we’ve spent the time in-between hanging off of trains, checking out the street fair and lounging on the grass to the hypnotic sounds of LA Dave and Amar the Arkitekt on the decks. We’re always nervous before a performance especially if we’re the first band on stage, but this time there was a definite plan. Sam the bassist starts a fat funk bass line and Sam the drummer joins in with the rest of the band as Mo and I (Ondi) sing “hips! Hips! Hips! Hips!”, into the mikes while slapping our thighs to the rhythm. It does the trick and we’re relaxed, grinning at our foolishness.
The set is 8 songs long with instrumental breaks, guitar solos, acapella endings, moving from reggae dub, to jazz, to bossa nova, mixed in with some lingala and afro funk. We have a lot of fun on stage as we always want to, thrilled about being on stage at such an epic event, with a crowd of responding happy faces before us at the beginning of this an amazing night. Thank you UP magazine and team. T’was an unforgettably exceptional day for us at YLM.
By Ondi Madete
