Not only was the audience at the Rhodes Theatre blown away by Swiss acapella group, The Glue, but the touring musicians were also pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of their audience.
Not only was the audience at the Rhodes Theatre blown away by Swiss acapella group, The Glue, but the touring musicians were also pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of their audience.
The group of five began singing to an unenthused and mostly quiet crowd on Sunday afternoon, but by the end of their 90 minutes on stage the throng was dancing, swaying and merrily singing along to The Glue's perfect harmonies.
They received a standing ovation following their stellar performance. The concert was organised to benefit the Village Scribe Association to raise funds for their ongoing work with their AwareNet project, although this performance was only one stop during a full two-week tour for the group.
Their South African tour manager, Verena Gauthier Furrer, said that The Glue's time here had been an amazing cultural exchange between them and the locals that they interacted with. She described the talent in some of the areas that they’ve worked, like Ntabankulu, as “jaw-dropping” and said that the kids “just need a chance to show the world.”
According to Furrer, the crowds back in Switzerland are quiet and dull, and only applaud and cheer politely. Fortunately, the same cannot be said of South African audiences, as she praised locals for their enthusiasm, volume and support on numerous occasions during the tour.
One group member, Jonas Göttin, was all smiles after the performance and said that they, “absolutely loved it,” at the Rhodes Theatre. He was also confident that they will make another trip to South Africa in the near future, perhaps even for an upcoming National Arts Festival in the next few years, he said.
The Glue consists of five men aged between 20 and 33 years, four of whom have already been singing together for over a decade in their home town of Basel, in Switzerland.
