Marvelous night for Marvelous Deeds

Tom Sangala June 12, 2017

349 2 minutes read

Marvelous Deeds were on Saturday skeptical about how their first concert at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe would turn out.

This is a venue which has held performances of several international acts and, just the previous night it hosted renowned South African group Mafikizolo, who shared the stage with Tay Grin.

And dubbed Marvelous Night, the show is said to have been marvelous and historical for the three member group which has in the past been holding shows at other venues.

While some quarters felt the venue was too big for the group, Marvelous Deeds walked out of the venue after the concert on Saturday with their heads held high.

They managed to raise close to K3.5 million through cash and pledges for their latest album Back to Sender.

“Let me be frank with you we had fears but sometimes you have to test the waters and take a risk and this is what we did. There is a very big change. We have gone completely corporate and we will be organising such shows,” said group member Sanena.

Marvelous Deeds is made up of Sanena, Francis Phiri and Weston Chapwaila and the trio has been together for more than 10 years.

Sanena said they want to launch the album at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre.

“A different audience attended this show and I can tell you that people were satisfied. Let me also say that we invested a lot to put up this show but we have managed to sort out everything and we also have remained with some change,” he said.

The concert saw Marvelous Deeds as the headliners with The Great Angels Choir, Patience Namadingo and United For Worship Choir as curtainraisers.

“Through this show, we want to bring out something different to gospel shows and not the usual ones where you have a long line up and artists only perform a few songs each,” Sanena said.

The concert saw United For Worship open the stage with a 45-minute set before Great Angels also offered a 45-minute performance.

Marvelous Deeds, as headliners, performed for close to an hour before auction and thereafter Namadingo took over the stage with Marvelous Deeds coming back to close the night.

The show is also said to have attracted several high profile people including Dr Ben Phiri, who was the guest of honour and got a CD at K500,000 during auction.

The other people who got the CD at K500,000 and above included former Cabinet minister Ken Kandodo and Bishop Abraham Simama.

“We were actually challenged by the guest of honour, Dr Ben Phiri, that we should be thinking of turning Marvelous Deeds into a company,” Sanena said.

The group’s fourth album Back to Sender, which was recorded at One Heart Studios in Lilongwe by producer and musician Lloyd Phiri and Studio 88 by Evans Meleka is enjoying airplay in most local radio stations.

It has 10 songs which include ‘Ndiyambilenso’, ‘Fulumilani’, ‘Akupanga Za Ine’, and ‘Lero Langa Si Mawa’.

Their previous albums are Sanathane Nane, Matamando and Muli Nane Cholinga.