When the beat at the Hot Summer Groove gets going at the GrandWest Arena on Saturday

6 December, not many will realise that some of the stars featured have a history that binds

them since childhood.

 

Alistair Izobell, Ramaine Barreiro, Loukmaan and Emo Adams are no strangers to the stage

in South Africa. Their stories all have their roots in Mitchell’s Plain some time in the 1980s

with a drama group called Kinders vannie Ses (Children of District Six).

 

Barreiro remembers those times with fondness, especially the memory of the four of them

forming Nu Fancy. “Wow! What an exciting time for four laaities from the ‘Plain,” she says,

looking at a photo of the four of them at the time.

 

“I think I was about 12 -  basically a hundred years ago! We were all part of a local drama

group called Kinders vannie Ses [they are still running today]. From what I remember, the

Rockets called us in to record and before we knew it we were touring with them.”

 

Emo was only 12, Alistair was 14 and Loukmaan 15. “We were travelling all over South Africa,

Namibia, little halls in every dorpie and we used to rock Club Fame in Elsies River. I think

those times convinced us that it was what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives -  

and we’ve never looked back.”

 

Ramaine also reflects that being part of this group gave them a good foundation in the entertainment industry. “We were taught the old school way. Work hard and you’ll get what’s coming to you. Looking at where we all are is proof of that.”

 

Ramaine was living out of town for a few years but relocated back home about a year ago, starting her own management and production company. She takes another look at the photo with those young faces smiling at her, and remembers that none of it would have been possible without some fantastic support.

 

“We all had parents who supported what we do, we always had people around us who had already been doing this for years to learn from and we had each other,” she says fondly.

 

Getting back to 2014, she says she is very excited to be part of the show in December. While it might not be a reunion of the childhood group, Ramaine is adamant that the audience can expect to see some of the best entertainment the Western Cape has to offer.

 

Along with these four, People’s Post and sister publication TygerBurger have secured a killer line-up for the first-ever Hot Summer Groove. Joining them will be the popular all-female trio Blackbyrd and the backing band Take Note.

 

An added bonus is that we will be giving away a car at the show. Your ticket serves as your entry.

Up for grabs is a FAW V2 1.3 worth R100 000.

 

Since it’s the season of giving, we’ll also be donating R5 of each ticket to the Trauma Centre in Zonnebloem. Tickets for the Hot Summer Groove cost from R130 and are available from Computicket.

 

Courtesy of The People's Post