Musicians play for one of their own

MBOMBELA – A group of local bands came together at The Pub on Saturday to host a benefit concert for one of their own, Andrew Kay.

Kay suffers from renal failure and is currently undergoing dialysis on a weekly basis. Although his medical expenses are being paid for, the family now has one less source of income to pay for household expenses and proceeds from the concert will help to ease the burden.

More than R20 000 was raised on Saturday through ticket sales and a live DVD of the various performances will also be available for sale soon. According to one of the organisers, Hennie Coetzee, Kay is an important figure in local music circles and his contribution to talent development is significant.

Coetzee said when he proposed the idea of The Benefit for Mr K on social networks, it received positive responses from musicians and the community at large.

Mr Kay, as most people affectionately referred to him throughout the night, plays with various bands in town and on Saturday he performed with Stonehenge.

Band member Trevor Thompson said it was a privilege to play in order to assist one of their own. “Andrew does a lot for music in the Lowveld and he has been working with us. It gives us peace of mind that we are contributing. We are glad to be part of this initiative,” Thompson said.

Kholeho Mosala was an unexpected but very welcome guest performer at the event. He hails from Cape Town and has been in the city for a week, visiting a friend. When he heard of the concert he was eager to perform. “I haven’t met Andrew in person but by the way everyone is talking about him I can tell that he is a great person. I saw it as a great thing to perform today,” said Mosala. He collaborated with a drummer from The Acoustics, Justin Behrendt. The two, who only met on Saturday for the first time, delivered a great performance.

According to Kay, the concert was an example of what people can do when they come together as one. “I am blessed to be surrounded by a caring community. I believe this is the start of a bigger project aimed at assisting those in need.”

He added that his family had been overwhelmed by the kindness of locals and he considered himself a lucky man. Kay extended his gratitude to all the bands and people who came to show their support.

Other bands that played were Kayleigh Wick’s Band, The Acoustics, Sound Dedication, Mike Average, Piksteel, Gibraltar, Space Cadets

and Goat n Hare.