Images By: Al Nicoll Photography
The Time & Place
This years MTV Base Africa concert was hosted in the Umlazi Township in Durban, South Africa. South African brand Klipdrift Brandy were the main sponsors for the event, which of course meant a party was about to happen.
The Fans
I don’t know who were more excited the artists, the fans or the fantastic Master of Ceremonies Sandile Ntshingila?
Big name’s in the South African music industry like Kwesta, Big Nuz, Bucie, and #SwayInTheMorning star Cassper Nyovest all performed. Faces in the VIP lounge, were a collection of die hard fans, competition winners, performing artists and artists in the industry who were attending the concert, much like the famous Kyle Deutsch.
The Dance:
The hype was starting to build and the electricity in the air started to spark. Bartenders were running around, stocking up their bars, press personnel were checking their batteries, and the fans were eagerly awaiting for the gates to open.
At one stage loud cheering began to emit from the middle of the crowd. Slowly the circle opened up and inside were four male fans dancing in sync to the beat. The energy was ecstatic, fans were running into the circle to try and join the dance and bust their best moves.
The Ladies:
I have always loved explaining to my friends overseas that Durban locals always seem to have their own sense of style.And the ladies at the #KlipdriftGoldenBeats did not disappoint! I love walking through the middle of the city and just observing the dress code if you will. We are such a diverse city with so many various influences it show’s in the way we dress.
The Artists:
So with the crowd ready to dance, party and get down. The artists backstage waiting to do what they do best, the #KlipdriftGoldenBeats kicked off! Gold Double Album star KWESTA! kicked off the show.
Kwesta came, he sang and he left the stage hotter than when he stepped on it! Shortly followed by sexy, sassy and soulful Bucie Nqwiliso. Let’s get one thing very clear. This lady is a force to be reckoned with. She took the crowd through all the emotions in her set through her music and amazing voice. One minute we were dancing the next we were tearing up but every single song, word, sound was spectacular!
By this stage you’re not quite sure if you can handle any more great talent. And then you realize that its only about to get better. We are such a talented and creative country. Shows and events like this one, truly showcase exactly the level of heat that we can bring to the kitchen. Hip Hop and Kwaito Twins DJ’s Major League entertained the crowds which brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Not to fall short of amazing DJ’s, DJ Tira had the crowd in a buzz when he came on stage an let he’s fingers do the talking. Tira had smiles and time for everyone on the evening which I think should be pointed out.Often once people reach a certain level of fame they are either too tired or not bothered to talk too and greet their fans and press personnel. DJ Tira was not like that at all, so congrats to him on that,
The night was still young and we all knew what was coming. The recent #SwayInTheMorning star Cassper Nyovest was about to come on stage! Cassper Nyovest who made recent international news when he appeared as the first South African on the US Radio show. Watching him perform was a look back at how long he has been working, how far he has come and how far he is going to go as a South African in the music industry.
The Portraits:
One of the bonuses of working media events and concerts is that you really do get to connect with the artists one on on backstage. For a writer this is great it means I can actually tap into the true character of the person not just their stage persona. And for a photographer it is a crucial process of shooting an event. Being able to get up and close with a performer and trying to bring out their character through an image, well its simply engaging.
Lucky we had Al Nicoll on our team. Al who is not only one of Durban’s most talented photographers but also my business partner. I am never in any doubt of the range of his skill. So with Al on your team how can you go wrong? You can’t really.
Bucie
Big Nuz
Kwesta
Major League Twins
Caspper Nyovest
The Conclusion
So a huge thank you as always to Klipdrift Brandy and MTVBaseAfrica for having us on on board and for hosting an amazing show. Thank you to the artists who all brought nothing less than their A-Game to the concert and who all had a smile and time for their fans and press personnel.
Thank you to the team behind the scenes who are and were responsible for running the event on the ground.
Thank you to Al Nicoll the man with the camera in he’s hand almost 24/7. To Julian Carleson for assisting on the event. Who are we? Where did we come from? More importantly, where are we going next?
If you’d like to hire us for your event please be sure to contact us via the following means.
And As Always…
You can find Al Nicoll & CeecesTravel on all our social media platforms: Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram at @Alnicoll and @ceecestravel
#LoveAndTravelHugs©
Cee
Looks like it was a fun event! And amazing photos!!
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