5 Top Acts From Shoko Festival 2017

They came, they saw and they set ablaze Shoko Festival 2017. One of Africa’s biggest urban festivals was graced by the biggest names in local and international entertainment. The festival was a great way to enter summer with lots of activities and performances lined-up.

1.Headline Acts

Ever anticipated something for so long and then it lives up to your expectations? Well that’s what the main headline acts at Shoko festival gave unforgettable performances. While others were slightly lackluster, the likes of Tulk Munny, Cal Vin, Emtee, Ex Q and Souljah Love. The hip hop segment of Shoko saw a new crop of relatively new to the mainstream artists. Tulk Munny had the crowd singing along and dancing to his radio hits ‘Dakutsika Jive’ and ‘Uptown Tsotsi’ on the first night. However the guys from Bulawayo, Cal Vin and members of Kontrol Tribe lit up the stage and gave a thrilling set. Cal Vin gave an energetic performance and had the crowd jumping. South African hip hop act Emtee came onto the stage and had the crowd screaming. He performed his popular songs ‘Roll Up’, ‘We Up’ and Pearl Thusi as well as songs from his latest album ‘Manando’.

2. Sunset Acoustic

What happens when the sun is about to go down and you want to relax? The highlights of the Sunset Acoustic were Gemma Griffiths, Sylent Nqo and Probeatz. Gemma brought on her soulfulness as well as performing her famous covers including Winky D’s ‘Musarova Bigman’. Fans appreciated the combined talent of the guitar sangoma Sylent Nqo and beat boxer Probeatz who definitely vibe well together. They did several covers of popular hit songs and had the crowd on their feet. Another act,though slated prior to the main headline acts, Tripple D were pretty exciting. Comprised of singer Masa, producer Verseless and group Djembe Monks, Tripple D showed diversity, creativity and just pure entertainment.

3. Comedy line-up

Shoko festival would be nothing without a little laughter in between. While there was an entertaining line-up, certain comedians managed not to be generic in their material. The crowd favourites included, queen of Zimbabwean comedy Gonyeti. Gonyeti used self deprecation to tackle some of the year’s infamous scandals. Her last joke was tastefully put together and she had the crowd in stitches. Host for the comedy line up on the first night King Kandoro also managed to tactfully put together some humour. The crew from Zambezi News were all subliminal in plain sight but had the crowd in stitches too. Renowned South African comedian Mpho Popps was another highlight. He made the crowd literally roar with laughter and allowed crowd participation.

4. Summer Afternoon headliners

It’s summer and to keep turning the temperatures up were the summer afternoon headliners. To kick off the stage was the lovely and contemporary ShaSha. She was followed by super producer and artist, Simba Tagz who performed most of the crowd favourites. Takura made his Shoko festival debut and performed all his hits.

5. Peace In The Hood

The last day of Shoko was taken the neighborhoods of Chitungwiza. Chengeto Brown made a return to Shoko after performing alongside her sister Ammara last year. Fan favourite and Shoko festival regular was part of the line-up which also included Boom Beto, Sharky and Diamond Boys.