By Adesope Olajide
On the 20th of December 2014 , the highly anticipated concert by the instrumentalist band ”The Compozers’‘ who have previously backed some of the biggest Afrobeats stars in the world was cancelled allegedly by the London Police due to safety concerns. At that point, I like many fans of this London based band was hugely disappointed and social media messages of support soon followed. With over 200 retweets of the official message from the Compozers twitter handle and instagram playing a significant role in projecting the fans disappointment too. One could only imagine how the guys themselves and their team were feeling however, shortly after the disappointment came a ray of light as everyone’s spirits were soon lifted when news broke that the concert had now been rescheduled for the 2nd of January 2015 at the Dominion centre in Wood Green London.
On the 20th of December 2014 , the highly anticipated concert by the instrumentalist band ”The Compozers’‘ who have previously backed some of the biggest Afrobeats stars in the world was cancelled allegedly by the London Police due to safety concerns. At that point, I like many fans of this London based band was hugely disappointed and social media messages of support soon followed. With over 200 retweets of the official message from the Compozers twitter handle and instagram playing a significant role in projecting the fans disappointment too. One could only imagine how the guys themselves and their team were feeling however, shortly after the disappointment came a ray of light as everyone’s spirits were soon lifted when news broke that the concert had now been rescheduled for the 2nd of January 2015 at the Dominion centre in Wood Green London.
In case you didnt know, the
Compozers comprises of four close friends from London in Nana Pokes
(Bassist), Davide Melodee (Keyboard and keytar), Charlie Biggs (keyboard) and
last but not least Stephen (the uber talented drummer). The guys all of
Ghanaian heritage have gathered a huge following with footage of them playing
some of the most popular Afrobeats tunes being shared online as well as backing
the likes of Fuse Odg, Davido and most recently Wizkid. I had my doubts
attending a whole evening of music by a Live band including the knowledge that
the boys were going to be performing with a 20 piece band……. WHAT? the boys
surely have outdone themselves here. Even though it was the first Friday of
the year and a very cold night on top of that, I managed to go to the event
wanting to support my African brothers on this new form of entertainment I was
about to witness.
When I approached the North London
venue, I was blown away by the number of people standing outside waiting to get
in, for a second it felt like i was at a Wizkid , Sarkodie or Davido concert
with all the beautiful ladies standing at the door. Once I wiggled my way into
the venue, I was shocked by the number of people in attendance all dolled up
waiting eagerly to be entertained by The Compozers. The incredibly funny
man Eddie Kaddi was hosting the event warming up the crowd and ensuring the
fans were both laughing and dancing along with him in anticipation of the acts
. The night kicked off with the ever energetic and talented GOP Dancers and
other talented acts soon followed including crowd favourite Ldnc and singer/producer
Silvastone. The high level of entertainment set the tone for the night heaping
more pressure on the boys to deliver. Every act that thrilled the fans yet
making sure the night was about one act ”The Compozers” constantly
asking if we were ready for the boys ‘‘YES WE ARE” can you bring them
out already I shouted as my anticipation was reaching newer heights. I soon
noticed that the wait was part of the plan, the well lit and decorated venue
added to the anticipation of the group and the Dj’s selection of songs also
created a picture of the kind of night we were about to encounter. Well it was
now the time we had all been waiting for , the lights deemed , stage filled
with smoke and the boys were being announced on to the stage in a Las Vegas
boxing introduction mode by Eddie calling each one after the other and the guys
appearing from different entrances on the stage. The guys came on stage in
their black suits and tie quickly taking advantage of the screams by launching
into their set kicking off with some of the hottest hip-hop songs starting it
all with their rendition of Wiz Khalifa’s ”We dem boys” and ”oh my God” NOW I
get it. My fear of a night of drums, guitars and violins quickly disappeared as
I instantly realised that the guys didnt need individual singers on stage with
them as every individual audience member got a chance to become a superstar for
the night singing and rapping every lyric to the incredible Live instruments
being played……Genius. The band then took the audience on a musical journey playing
sets including R’n’B , Contemporary slow jams,TV Programme Jingles ,UK Grime
and ofcourse Afrobeats. Popular songs from artistes such as Beyonce, Usher,
Rick Ross, Krept’N”Konan, Giggs,Lethal Bizzle, Rihanna,Tv’s Fresh Prince of Bel
Air, Wizkid, Sarkodie and the Mavins set the show on fire. Each set had at
least 6 songs or more (I was too gassed to count and very busy dancing sorry)
and as you can tell due to the time spent on stage, the guys had to take three
short breaks each time changing their outfits and ending with a touch of
culture rocking black shirts on African print trousers.
A snap shot of the night included
everybody in the building standing up to dance and shout lyrics back to the
guys. The Compozers were not left out either as they fed off the crowd’s energy
and feedback , each member had their solo moments with Biggs singing his
version of Chris Brown ”No BS”, , David and Nana rocking the guitar and piano
and Stephen (The drummer) running riot on the drums displaying his 2011 Drummer
of the year award winning skills standing and talking back to the crowd and his
bandmates . This was the level of entertainment that was brought into the
Dominion centre by The Compozers, in no time the concert soon turned into a party
with everyone in the building getting in on the action and every song having an
audience member feeling like it was their time to shine.
When the night was finally over and
the guys had taken their bow to dropping confetti, the band received a standing
ovation from the thousand plus audience (even though we were already on our
feet dancing and sweating but we gave them an ovation all the same) and A
GREAT NIGHT in capital letters was written on everyones faces.
The Verdict : Although i’ve seen some big concerts in the UK over
last 12 months, i have to be honest and say that besides Seun Kuti’s mind
blowing show, A Night With The Compozers surely stands shoulder to shoulder
with any othe other top shows including Wizkid’s Indigo2, Tiwa Savage’s Brixton
Academy, Sarkodie’s Dominon centre and Fuse Odg’s Camden shows for
entertainment, audience participation and value for money (even though I got a
Free ticket shhhhhhh, I am part of the working press remember). I dont know how
part 1 went but A Night With The Compozers 2 receives a full 5 stars or 10 out
of 10 from me.
In closing I did like to say
welldone to The Compozers and their management team (Brian) , the Orchestra,the
support and ofcourse Eddie Kadi for one of my best ever concerts . The
Compozers have not only set the bar high for African concerts in the UK but for
entertainment in general and if you missed the gig on the 2nd of Janauary make
sure you follow @compozers for their next show date AND GET YOURSELF A TICKET,
it will be your best ever decision.
See pictures from the event here-
Watch video here-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bzAgfPaKHN8
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