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Dancing to the tunes of Barbed Wire Thong
Members of the band got the audience excited. PHOTO BY EDGAR R. BATTE
Only a few years ago, live music was not a big thing. Your favourite artiste would get on stage, tell the deejay to play his tracks one after another on a CD and even insult them for playing the track they had not asked for.
The stakes were low and the crowd seemed not to demand much. Those who knew what good music sounded like opted to go and watch Afrigo Band do their thing at Club Obligatto.
But fast forward, today, in the urbane corridors of new generation artistes, Maurice Kirya came up with a weekly offering, the Maurice Kirya Experience, a live and largely acoustic, sumptuous musical experience.
With Kirya’s transformation, it did not take long for the young crowd to be enlightened. Since then, an artiste worth his or her salt had to do it live or be judged as a non-starter.
Such experiences have taken our music a few strides and these were thoughts that gave me a smile as I watched Barbed Wire Thong perform at their inaugural night at Amnesia last Tuesday.
The band, which brings together friends from different walks of life but with a common interest in music and instrumentation, are an ideal midweek date. They will take you places around the world and back in times for a recollection of memories using their music.
Old timer Isaac Zimbe is on the drums, while Rude Boy Devoh, a reggae aficionado too, plays the percussions and also does the vocals, Kaggwa Seninde plays the keys, Buko Bright on the lead guitar, and Charles Busulwa, is on the bass guitar.
Every musician is welcome to be a guest performer. On the night I was there, Ras B. Ssali, a member of the former reggae group, Blood Brothers, was in attendance. When the band played a Bob Marley tune, he got the solo guitar and showed us that he can still play and can get the fans ululating. Harry Lwanga too played the pluck guitar and sang for the audience from the Boney M collection.
Barbed Wire Thong will also be playing for live television. “We are moving on to a greater platform on a live TV show on WBS every Monday after the 9pm news starting February 6t,” Shamim Asiimwe, the group’s publicist said.
You can also catch Barbed Wire Thong at Jazzville in Bugolobi every Wednesday and at Fatboys in Kisementi every Thursday.
