The city is a beast. It swallows labourers in the morning, only to spit them out in the evening. On the streets, the madman drags his baggage of waste like a bag of sin, rodents and the homeless co-exist, and hawkers pimp unsaleable wares at traffic lights. Always busting with improvised sounds; a scratching tyre, a burping engine, and buildings in a race to touch the sky.
But not far from the city there is another city. TheCity. The Future Afro band has a long history and a long list of cities on their performance CV, starting with Cape Town, where they recently returned for a one-night-only performance at the Biscuit Mill.The core of TheCity has consistently been Bonj Mpanza alongside synth and keys player/music director, Clem Carr. They then added Ryan McArthur on bass.
And when they realised the need for a drummer, in came Ruby Crowie. Their meeting was in no way dictated by fate, with each member having a background that overlaps and intertwines with that of the other.
MUSIC COMES FIRST
As Carr says: "We share and shape ideas together, but ultimately what Bonj thinks is hip is what goes. So the name TheCity is the embodiment of a collective. Our way of learning and a place where Bonj can express herself without restriction.
"People often comment on the 'rainbow nation' aspect of the racial makeup of our band, and while we personally hate that term it has been an invaluable experience learning to deal with our inherent privileges, making sure to verbalise our problems and making sure the music always comes first."Carr, McArthur and Crowie thought themselves cool cats - until they teamed up with Mpanza. And she brought all of it: an eccentric image, her simple and well-controlled vocals and a signature artistic expression in her timbre.
The band released their self-titled debut EP in 2015, a solid offering of five numbers combining soul, funk and futuristic sounds with soft rock elements.
"We've had long emotional conversations about what it means to have a black woman directing our music in a patriarchal world and how to be supportive and empathetic while still bringing ourselves to the music.
"Ultimately the band is a microcosm of a society we'd like to see. Men have done enough damage to this world so learning and unlearning through music is a beautiful thing," says McArthur.
TIMELESS JAMS
There is nothing experimental about their sound, but with the freedom vested in them by their music abilities they deliver timeless jams, all pinned around the voices inside Mpanza's head. It is in their productions and live performances where they show their growth outside the greenhorn status.
There is already much talk about their highly-anticipated new EP.
LISTEN to Nguwe from TheCity's self-titled debut albumThe band has also spread its appeal beyond the cartographer's borders (they've toured Tanzania and Zanzibar), and enjoyed experiences that will grow them on their path to the international stage. The leading lady shares an anecdote from "magical" Stone Town.
"Most of the buildings are 200 to 300 years old. There's ancient plumbing and elevators are non-existent, so Murphy's Law was that the water would cut in the apartment we were staying in on the day of our performance and the venue across town was on the third floor.
"We carried our whole rig up, only to find the sound engineer was actually a DJ and had no idea how to patch their PA system. We eventually managed to get it working and performed in all day sweat-drenched clothes overlooking the Zanzibar sunset."
Earlier this year they loaded their wagon with all their belongings, hopes and bigger dreams for a permanent stay in the city of gold. It is said the grass has more chlorophyll in Johannesburg.CLEAR VISION
At their long-awaited Biscuit Mill performance (the band has a solid fan base in Cape Town), TheCity lived up to expectations. They brought the funk and their connection with the crowd was organic. Their repertoire, which included fresh material from their soon-to-be-released EP, dictated the mood and energy...