Live Review: Sampa The Great, Puffy Pank

Local DJ Puffy Pank warmed up the crowd with a collection of tasty beats from Saweetie to Junglepussy. The upbeat, afrobeat and hip hop dance hits were the perfect warm-up for the crowd to move their limbs and get in the mood for Sampa Tembo’s mammoth set. 

Energy opened Sampa The Great’s performance at Hobart’s Republic Bar and she crashed onto the stage like a missile, knowing the crowd were ready to rumble, dancing, jumping and yelling, “I want you to feel free as we play. Be yourself.”

It's obvious that Tembo’s musical influences are varied and rich. Moving from steamy hip hop songs like Heaven, to R&B and soul-infused greats such as Freedom, Tembo maintained both her own energy and the energy from the crowd. This performance was a display of Tembo’s ability to move smoothly across genres. 

Tembo reminded the audience of her roots, celebrating the fact it was Zambian Independence Day before storming into Mwana, a song on which she sings in Bemba (Bantu language). Her latest album The Return is about searching for 'home' and self-identity, and it was beautiful to hear Tembo sing and celebrate her heritage.

Tembo’s sultry, smoky voice blended perfectly with the sweet but powerful voices of her back-up singers as showcased on Black Girl Magik. Tembo gave a special mention to the Black women in the crowd, saying, “I wrote the next song Black Girl Magik for my little sister, because I want her to define beauty for herself and not as what the world defines it as.”

Tembo closed the night by letting the crowd sink their teeth into her Black Power anthem Final Form. She is a powerful performer. Her stage presence was awe-inspiring, let alone the passion and power in her lyrics. Sampa truly is Great.