Gig Review: D'Banj
I never thought that I'd be writing a gig review about D'Banj, but when in Australia I suppose haha. Whilst in Australia I attended a celebration for Nigerian Independence Day in October and it wasn't until I arrived that I found out that D'Banj had been scheduled to play. Growing up in a Nigerian household I had definitely heard some of his material before and have enjoyed it in the past but his probably most well known track would be "Oliver Twist". When I thought of that track, I knew it was just going to be one huge party.
First up supporting him was a singer called IYO. She hopped on stage with plenty of energy, a huge stage presence and an image to back it up. However, nothing about her set really held my attention - everything just sort of 'happened'. Although there weren't many stand out moments or distinctive songs that I thought were better than the last, I do however know that she got the crowd psyched up and had people actually discussing her performance afterwards. Something that not many people had done with some of the prior showcases earlier on in the night. I don't think I'd pay to see her again but overall it was an enjoyable set.
When D'Banj stepped on stage the crowd really lit up. There's no disputing the fact that his beats make you want to move. In terms of the set I don't think that there was anything professional to it or even organised, but it really was just one huge party. D'banj came out and just had fun on stage, got the crowd engaged and hyped and provided a good end to the festivities. Had he had a full band behind him - this really could've been a performance! However, backed by solely the instrumental track playing out of speakers, this dampened the potential. Finally of course, "Oliver Twist" was so hyped that he had to play it twice - and it was just as entertaining the second time. Overall it wasn't the most spectacular performance and the material wasn't especially intricate or varied but it was a fun night filled with good vibes.
Overall Rating - 6/10
Here are some pictures from the night...
First up supporting him was a singer called IYO. She hopped on stage with plenty of energy, a huge stage presence and an image to back it up. However, nothing about her set really held my attention - everything just sort of 'happened'. Although there weren't many stand out moments or distinctive songs that I thought were better than the last, I do however know that she got the crowd psyched up and had people actually discussing her performance afterwards. Something that not many people had done with some of the prior showcases earlier on in the night. I don't think I'd pay to see her again but overall it was an enjoyable set.
When D'Banj stepped on stage the crowd really lit up. There's no disputing the fact that his beats make you want to move. In terms of the set I don't think that there was anything professional to it or even organised, but it really was just one huge party. D'banj came out and just had fun on stage, got the crowd engaged and hyped and provided a good end to the festivities. Had he had a full band behind him - this really could've been a performance! However, backed by solely the instrumental track playing out of speakers, this dampened the potential. Finally of course, "Oliver Twist" was so hyped that he had to play it twice - and it was just as entertaining the second time. Overall it wasn't the most spectacular performance and the material wasn't especially intricate or varied but it was a fun night filled with good vibes.
Overall Rating - 6/10
Here are some pictures from the night...
