When the Handsome Poets ‘shine’

 5 May, 2012

When north meets south you get an electric collaboration between a four-member band from the Netherlands, Handsome Poets, and our own renowned Alexio Kawara. 

Thursday night at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa), Telecel Main Stage brought in a fusion of dance, pop and old school music to get you out of your seat, giving you a taste of one big party in the Netherlands.

This dance indie pop band started off with tracks that immediately got the crowd dancing and singing along, promising a memorable party.

The party kicked in when Alexio Kawara came onto stage featuring in a single that got the crowd singing along, “We are on this road together — let’s get together.”

“I never saw myself performing rock music, but once we started it all came together,” Kawara said.

The lead singer in the band, Tim van Esch, highlighted that the essence of the song was to bring everyone together, involving the crowd in the songs as a sign of unity.

“I didn’t think Zimbabweans would like our style of music and dance to it. We saw Zimbabweans love to party and we enjoyed the show,” van Esch said. 

This performance built up as Kawara performed a different rendition of his hit Shaina with the band.
“It was good to collaborate with a Zimbabwean artist and we hope to collaborate with others in future,” Van Esch said.

The group later went on to perform other tracks like Silence is Sexy and tried to conclude with a singalong We are your friends; you will never be alone again.

The crowd started their own loud chants for “one more, one more, one more, one more . . .” and this brought Kawara back on stage.

Handsome Poets left the audience in a mood of unity and camadarie, giving an unforgettable, body-moving experience.

Earlier in the day the group had gone out to visit Harare Central Prison as well as an orphanage in Chitungwiza, reaching a wider group of Zimbabweans with their music.

According to a Hifa profile of the group, early in 2010 the group recorded their first single Blinded, which was immediately picked up by National Radio 3FM, and in a dazzling year they found themselves winning major awards and serious adoration from fans.