Why catch a vibe with Funbi?

The question was answered last night at the amphitheatre in Freedom Park, Lagos.

The band for the night lugged their instruments into Freedom park around 6pm, the announced time for the concert gates to open. The band members spent some time rehearsing. The show didn’t start until a few minutes past 8pm, and by that time the amphitheatre was filled with guests, many of whom appeared to be coming straight from work.

The show was opened by performances from Jamal Swisss, Mitch Straaw, Deena Ade, Joyce Olong and Remi Baggins. Of the five, three gave the generous audience something to properly cheer. Straaw’s voice has the kind of character bound to enchant audiences someday; Ade sings with a folksy drawl similar to Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath; and Olong’s songwriting is already fully formed, as earnest on war as it is on the intimacies of romance.

There were long, awkward pauses in between sets, which the hosts tried to fill with humour. “You can tell we’re trying to waste time,” one said. “Just indulge me.”

Funbi eventually climbed the stage dressed in a white and black shirt, black slacks and brown dress shoes. He opened with a brief rendition of the chorus to King Wasiu Ayinde’s ‘Show Colour’ and dovetailed into an original that plays on the same theme the Fuji artist explored. “You don’t need to show your colour ki n to damo,” he sang, voice cutting through the latent sound of a typical Lagos evening spilling into the open-air venue from Broad Street.

Born and raised in Ilorin, Funbi made his name recording R&B covers, an activity that requires a decent voice, even in a musical culture that doesn’t require this of its singers. He was also part of The Collectiv3, a super group of alternative acts whose 2015 eponymous album remains one of the most inventive to come out of Nigeria in the past decade. ‘Forbidden fruit’, Funbi’s second song of the night, was from that album. He ended the first solo part of his set with a rendition of Wande Coal’s ‘Ololufe’, a fitting tribute to Nigerian pop’s premier male vocalist.

Rapper Chyn joined Funbi to perform his song ‘Find You’, and the short length of his microphone restricted his movement in ways that kept the spotlight on Funbi. Featured artist became front man—at lease for one night.

Funbi was eventually joined by fellow members of the Collectiv3: Nsikak on the acoustic guitar and Poe. With Poe, he performed ‘Adore Her’ from The Collectiv3 LP. While they moved on stage, an interloping juggler appeared in front of the crowd with bottles and a tray, ready to put on a show.

“This guy is stealing our shine,” said Poe, with a smile. The juggler was eventually led away from the stage as Poe and Funbi sang the yet-to-be-released single ‘Turn me Around’.

Show Dem Camp joined Funbi for a performance of ‘Up to You’ from their Palm Wine Music EP. The Show Dem Camp duo, Tec and Ghost, members, too, of The Collectiv3 and arguably the most accomplished of the group, performed with their usual bravura. They called Boj and Poe to join them for a rendition of the hit song ‘Feel Alright’ before leaving to applause. This sequence of performances represented the most anticipated part of the night, but most of the guests had departed. For an event occurring on a week night, Catch a Vibe with Funbi started too late.

Funbi came onstage one more time for a performance of the most definitive answer to why he deserves his own show. He sang a verse and chorus of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Halleujah’, which hyped up the crowd just enough for his performance of his own song of the same title.

Funbi sang with confidence and ease throughout. His oeuvre is yet too thin for a fully realised concert, but he has the charm and voice of a star. He also has an ear for the right collaborations and moves in the company of artists like Show Dem Camp who seem devoted to quality. These are some of the other reasons attending a show headlined by Funbi is worth it. But how satisfied you are with that answer depends on how patient you are with Nigerian lateness.