Tamasha’s steady rise to the top

The Tamasha Band members performing at Moca Loca in Nakuru. PHOTO| SULEIMAN MBATIAH

What you need to know:

  • It was not easy to get gigs as some potential customers viewed Tamasha as a group of idle youth, and not a serious musical band.

  • “Then we got invited to perform at a wedding, and we were paid Sh5,000. To us, this was an exciting deal. Getting someone who believed in us,” says Riziki.

  • This was then followed by several other gigs, which helped market the Tamasha brand.

  • Then came their second obstacle — their parents.

It all started four years ago, when a group of 10 idle youth decided to pass time by forming a musical group and performing for children in their neighbourhood in Nakuru Town.

With only a guitar, a drum and other improvised instruments, the group would perform  every Friday evening in an open field in Kiratina Estate in Nakuru Town, lighting a lantern when it got too dark. They earned a nickname, ‘Tamasha Mtaani,’ from the lantern light.

As their popularity grew, their audience soon started increasing.

“We did not charge anything,” says Robert Mwambonu, the group’s lead guitarist. “We did it out of a passion. We played the songs that the children requested.

“Although we only had two guitars, children looked forward to our performance every Friday evening,” says Robert Riziki, the group’s drummer.

Fast forward five years down the line and Tamasha Band is now one of the most-sought-after musical groups in Nakuru Town, with gigs that earn members a decent sum of money every month.

The group decided to retain the name Tamasha as given to them by their fans.

Riziki attributes it all to  interaction with the audience and implementing the feedback they get.

Earlier on as they struggled, the group secured a loan of Sh220,000 from an NGO. They used the money to purchase their first set of musical equipment, albeit second hand.

It was not easy to get gigs as some potential customers viewed Tamasha as a group of idle youth, and not a serious musical band.

“Then we got invited to perform at a wedding, and we were paid Sh5,000. To us, this was an exciting deal. Getting someone who believed in us,” says Riziki.

This was then followed by several other gigs, which helped market the Tamasha brand.

Then came their second obstacle — their parents.

“It was very difficult to convince our parents that we were engaged in music as a full-time occupation,” adds Riziki. “They expected this to be a hobby that would die out with time, and that we would soon start looking for real jobs.”

The market by then was dominated by ethnic music, where all clubs in Nakuru played music based on specific communities.

“In the metropolitan region, we had to introduce our own style of music. We had to be unique to be noticed in the market,” he added.

Offshoots

Tamasha Band specialises in uptown music, he says.

Since its formation in 2011, the group has seen several offshoots emerge, including the Vits and Solinga bands.

From their hard work, Tamasha now have more than 20 shows a month in Nakuru and towns as far as Eldoret, Kisumu, Nairobi and Nyeri.

They perform in clubs, restaurants, weddings and at corporate events, with their charges varying according to the client.

“We keep our clients close by ensuring that we play fresh music  that has not been overplayed, and also by interacting with them,”  says Gideon Musyoka, who plays the keyboard.

One way of staying in touch is through their social media.

Tamasha have faced numerous challenges along the way, but keep going.

“The Kenyan entertainment calendar only has three seasons in a year — April, August and December — during school holidays,” says Musyoka.

His advice to fellow youth: “Success does not come overnight.”