Dimetrio Molotov Bash, one of the founders of Something Different Live Sessions (SDLS), is clear about why the next edition matters.

On September 26, at Headquarters in The Reeds, Tlamama in Tembisa, the platform will host Something Colorful – a live music afternoon that puts Tembisa talent front and centre. “The gap was simple: Tembisa had talent but no stage that belonged to us. To perform, you had to leave – go to Braam, Maboneng, or Soweto – pay transport, pay a ticket, and still perform on someone else’s terms,” Bash said.

SDLS started in 2025 with one mic in a tavern and 40 people. “The original vision was access. The current vision is ownership – Tembisa owning its sound and selling it to SA on our terms,” he said.

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The event runs under a strict rule. “Kasi first, genre second. We don’t curate by genre, we curate by story. Every line-up must answer three questions: Is this artist from Tembisa or the East Rand or deeply connected? Are they bringing something we haven’t heard before? Will my gogo and my 19-year-old cousin both feel something?”

Something Colorful is more than a theme. “Tembisa is often filmed in grey – dust, struggle stats. Something Colorful is a refusal. Colour equals visibility, joy and pride in kasi. When you wear your brightest fit to a Sunday chisa nyana, that’s resistance. Each colour tells a story: yellow for our mothers who sell at the corner, blue for the sky we rarely look up to see, red for the love we fight for. The strict dress code forces everyone to be part of the art. When you walk into Headquarters on September 26, you’re not an audience; you’re the installation,” Bash said.

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The bill features Boy Wonder, Lucky Music Production, Thabiso Modikoe (The MD) and Tony Dangler, mixed with emerging local voices. “A total of 70% of slots are emerging local talent who get travel and content. 30% are established names who bring the crowd. We also don’t pay in exposure. Even if it’s R300, every artist gets paid within seven days,” he added.

Tickets are R65 pre-sale, R80 early bird and R100 at the door. The show starts at 15:00 with food, drinks and vibes part of the package.

Bash wants guests to leave with a specific feeling. “We want them to feel late to something beautiful, like they’ve been missing out and now they’re home. By the time they leave Headquarters, we want them to understand: SDLS is not an event; it’s a movement that says Tembisa is not waiting to be discovered. We’re already here, already colourful, already world-class. You just needed to walk in,” he said.

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