From about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 28^th, the skies over Nairobi opened up to torrents of rain. But, as birthday parties go, ours would carry on unabated. We’d taken over Kenya National Theatre, pitching a humongous tent at the theatre’s entrance and decking out the auditorium in graffiti-sprayed mabati sheets. The walls were strung with eight of our favourite magazine covers blown up to A0 size.

That’s wasn’t all. Thanks to our sponsors, Heineken and Absolut Vodka, there was enough food and drinks to last all through the night. Plus, packets of Urban Bites were on the hit list. A Heineken photo booth was set up in the lobby to allow revellers to take home fun and quirky pictures of themselves on mock UP covers.

See, for over a year now, UP has been all about Nairobi’s urban perspective. We’ve shared the tales of the arts, entertainment and culture happening in this cosmopolitan space. Hard-hitting investigative pieces on social issues; health, corruption, sexuality, city planning (or lack thereof) could also be found in the pages of our free, monthly magazine.

Now, it was party time!

Officially, the gates to UP Live! swung open at 6:00 p.m. with the first 100 guests entitled to a complimentary cocktail. And, as more party-goers braved the rain to enter our “urban space”, drummers Radi Cultural Group and obukano (traditional lyre) player, Grand Master Masese, broke into a fantastic acoustic jam session. A jam session twitter user, @Buggz79 described as: “If there's an African answer to Techno, then this would be it. #AfricanDrums #UPLive!”

Less than an hour later, the doors to the auditorium flung open to the sight of a stage dolled up with psychedelic LED lights; a backdrop of mabati panels riddled with matatu routes; hubcaps; curious faces and shapes; hand-painted signs similar to those popular across the city, such as tunauza kuku and a graffiti-sprayed UP logo.

In the days leading up to the concert, singers Maia von Lekow and Kevin Samuel had been working on a joint set. The smooth-voiced crooners brought a lovely “urban-soul” vibe to their performance as they welcomed guests into the auditorium. When Just A Band’s Blinky Bill, Mbithi and Daniel Muli got on stage, the partying mood was in full swing. Before Maia left the stage, she and Blinky Bill sang the single “Away" off the boys’ sophomore album, 82.

JAB had incorporated other musical talents, percussionist Daniel Mburu and saxophonist Jameri, to considerably— if that’s even possible—jazz up their set. They were a delight in a “retooled” version of the single “Hey” from JAB’s debut album, Scratch to Reveal, adding a simmering hip-hop feel.

Huddled behind the machines, Muli and Mbithi kept the beat going as Blinky Bill in an Indy fedora and a Chilli Mango lesso jacket, rapped and sang the night away. The crowd lapped it up. Jumping to their feet and thronging the front of the stage, party-goers danced, sang and shrieked for the duration of the hour-long performance.

When the crowd begged for an encore, JAB returned to end the concert on an unforgettable high with the cut “Forever People” off 82. But the party wasn’t over yet. DJ Zelalem took charge of the after-party at the Wasanii Bar upstairs. Described by one guest as “Nairobi’s most versatile DJ”, he kept the people dancing well into the wee hours of the morning.

Check out images from UP Live! — "The People" and "The Music"