The Brother Moves On is a very African band making very big waves in Europe

24 July 2016 - 02:00 By Bonginkosi Tiwane
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From left Simphiwe Tshabalala, Siyabonga Mthembu, Ayanda Zalekile, Zelizwe Mthembu.
From left Simphiwe Tshabalala, Siyabonga Mthembu, Ayanda Zalekile, Zelizwe Mthembu.
Image: TSELISO MONAHENG

Bonginkosi Tiwane spoke to the homegrown musos ahead of their tour to France, Germany and England

While the who's who and headline-hoggers went to watch horses at the Durban July, the likes of Nathi Louw, Innocent Mukheli and a bunch of Joburg's cool kids packed Goodluck Bar to bid farewell to local band The Brother Moves On before their European Oorkant tour, where they will play France, Germany and England.

Since their debut six-track EP The Golden Wake in 2009, TBMO have moved on from being just another alternative band to becoming a noteworthy voice in the cluttered music industry at home and abroad.

They're too audacious and politically astute to be compared to The Muffinz, and too conscious and spiritual to be juxtaposed with John Wizards.

Aden Frost, who moved to South Africa from London five years ago, was in the Goodluck Bar audience. "I was with them when they did Oppikoppi, Rocking the Daisies, Bushfire and pretty much everywhere they've played," he said.

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" I like how, despite their individual personalities, they are comfortable letting themselves go, being vulnerable. They tackle any issue - sexuality, masculinity - and their performance has a way of intersecting everything."

TBMO's sound gains assertiveness with each release. After their debut, they released another EP titled ETA and in 2013 a full-length album, A New Myth. Last year they released the two-track EP Shiyanomayini.

TBMO is made up of lead vocalist Siyabonga Mthembu, his cousin Zelizwe Mthembu, Ayanda Zalekile, Simphiwe Tshabalala and Itai Hakim. The band's name alludes to the notion that members come and go.

Speaking of the departure of guitarist Raytheon Moorvan last year, Siyabonga says: "One of the differences now is that we're five black males who fully understand that we're talking about big things when we sing Ubiziwe. Our former guitarist was very good sonically, but it took away from what the song was saying because he couldn't fully understand the lyrics."

Each member is a capable vocalist who also contributes in songwriting. On the recent EP, guitarist Zelizwe penned the hard-hitting title track - shiyanomayini means to leave whatever you have.

This is not their first tour of Europe. Last year they played in Switzerland, France and the UK. "Our shows in the UK were sold out," says Siyabonga. "Imagine filling a place on a Monday night?"

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He says more and more bookings are coming in.

"We want to play everywhere. It's when you only want to be at Pitchfork or at Macufe all the time, where the problem comes. Don't you think someone at Macufe can enjoy Radiohead, or that someone at Pitchfork can enjoy Big Nuz?

"Our art and expression resonates beyond these borders and speaks to universal issues impacting us as Africans and as youth who are globally connected."

He is concerned about the local-music quota on SABC.

"It becomes corrupt from the get-go. The music compiler is friends with the majors, who get about 70% of the airplay.

"The indies who are also well connected get about 10%, while the rest of us have to fight for what's remaining. I don't think it's about us hearing too much American music - we're just being played shitty American music.

"We're also tired of the SABC playing us shitty South African music. It's an issue of quality."

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