1986 – The People: An African Rock Concert
Adrian Bekker – musical director, guitar & vocals
Paul Savage – keyboards & vocals
Davey Cathcart – guitar & vocals
Arnie Rawlings – guitar & vocals
Dee Void – vocals
Hylton Reiff – bass
Niall Bell – drums & vocals
plus more than 30 musicians, singers, dancers, African drummers and marimba players
Bringing Musicians and Cultures Together
The People was one of the most ambitious musical projects I was involved with during my years in Cape Town.
The idea came from Adrian Bekker and Paul Savage, who wanted to create a large theatrical concert built around original music. Adrian had been an extraordinarily prolific songwriter for many years, and the show became something of a celebration of his songwriting as well as an opportunity to bring together musicians and performers from very different backgrounds.
This was South Africa in 1986, still during the apartheid era, which gave the concept particular significance. The aim was to bring people of different cultures and backgrounds together through the common language of music and entertainment.
More Than a Rock Band
The production grew far beyond the size of a conventional band. More than 30 performers became involved, including rock musicians, vocalists, dancers, African drummers and marimba players.
Many came from our existing circle of Cape Town musicians. Others were drawn from different musical and cultural communities around the city. Among them were performers from the African groups Amaweto and Ntsikane, while dancers also became part of the production.
The result was an unusual mixture of rock, African rhythms, voices, percussion, dance and theatre.
Musicians and singers moved in and out of the arrangements depending on the song, making the show considerably more complicated than anything I had previously been involved with.
Preparing the Show
Putting something of this scale together required a huge amount of rehearsal.
We initially rehearsed at the Nico Malan Opera House, followed by further rehearsals at UCT's Yellow Level, before moving into the Baxter for the dress rehearsal and final performance.
Around 30 original songs were prepared for the production. The material covered subjects including social justice, friendship, crime, city life and the media.
I played bass as part of the core band, alongside musicians I had worked with on several other projects during this period.
The Baxter Concert – November 21, 1986
The People – An African Rock Concert was presented at the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town on November 21, 1986.
Fortunately, the concert was recorded and filmed, so some of the actual performance has survived. Looking back, the recordings and video capture not only the music but a remarkable gathering of Cape Town musicians and performers at a very particular moment in South African history.
