One of Cape Town’s most popular musical festivals the KFM Samsung Galaxy K-Day returns this weekend and by the looks of it, this year will be just as epic as years prior.
The performances feature a star-studded line-up which includes familiar faces in the form of Zakes Bantwini, Emo Adams, Kurt Darren, Youngster CPT as well as the iconic group Mango Groove.
This year marks a milestone celebration for the legendary group as they are set to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
Regardless of the time or era that they find themselves in, Mango Groove has been able to create countless hits such as Special Star and Dance Some More, which have transcended time, catering to a wide variety of audiences.
In reflecting to what some of the biggest achievements of the last four decades were, one of the group’s longest standing members Claire Johnson told media house Primedia:
“There are so, so many but an immediate standout would definitely be the 1994 Inauguration of President Mandela.
“It was a time of so much hope where South Africa was finally a part of the world again and the concert was satellite-linked around the globe.”
Two other epic occasions were the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, as well as performing at the “legendary Montreux Jazz Festival which was presented by the great Quincy Jones where we were called back for three encores!” she explained.
Meanwhile, she is grateful for how the group has evolved from playing at student gigs and unpaid protest shows during the heart of apartheid to where they are now.
“As a concert band, I honestly believe Mango is better today than it has ever been, as we are so comfortable in our own skins now, and we are pretty much both friends and family simultaneously.”
After first making their debut at the concert in 2020, this year the group plans to set the stage on fire for the big 40.
“We plan on bringing 11-person high energy fun, tinged with nostalgia, where we are hoping everyone will sing and dance until they drop!”
Also see: HHP, TKZee and Mango Groove to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards
