The Ells’ Cape Town tour heads ‘Up the Creek’

The Ells are eagerly expanding their international footprint as their Cape Town tour hits its stride.

Fresh from gigs at The House of Machines and Sea Point’s Mojo Market, Namibia’s effervescent acoustic duo will be exporting their brand of brotherly love coupled with feel-good and original tunes to Up the Creek Music Festival this weekend.

The popular, outdoor music extravaganza was established in 1990 and takes place on the banks of the Breede River from 5 to 8 February replete with over 50 bands, four stages and festive floaties. The Ells are performing on 7 February and built their Cape Town tour around the event after debuting at the festival last year.

Ahead of ‘Up the Creek’, The Ells, which is Slickartie (Artwell Neusu) and Emmanuel Ndifon, recently performed at The House of Machines. Here, their crowd-rousing catalogue, energising drum beats and dynamic vocals earned them a room of new listeners.

The same can be said for their Sunday gig at Mojo Market which garnered an invitation to return to the vibrant venue.

“Playing at the two venues the feedback was actually really awesome,” says Ndifon. “When we first came to The House of the Machines, even the sound guy was wondering how a djembe, a guitar and two vocalists would carry but we did our thing, the place filled up and we got people singing.”

Describing the experience of captivating a Cape Town crowd as akin to being at home, Ndifon was thrilled to realise that the magic The Ells are able to create in Namibia isn’t lost in translation.

“We always try to have fun on stage and when you start having fun, people are intrigued, and they want to be part of it,” says Ndifon.

“Right now, our sets are covers and originals. We tend to put originals in-between the covers, so that you don’t have moments where there’s a loss of energy because you’re doing an unfamiliar song.”

A song that travels particularly well is The Ells’ 2025 single ‘Zambezi’ which recently hit over 32 000 streams.

“People love that song,” says Ndifon. “We teach them the chant and they always sing along.”

The Ells’ Cape Town offering is a four-gig excursion including a private engagement.

Meanwhile, the band’s trip to the windy city has largely been an exercise in finding new audiences, gauging performance potential and taking in the scenery.

“It’s a beautiful city, man. There’s so much to do. Frankly, there’s even too much to do and the sheer number of places to perform is quite nice,” says Ndifon. “Honestly, we want to perform in all the cities. Cape Town is currently the most accessible for us but we’re still doing our research.”

As for ‘Up the Creek’, The Ells are excited to play a selection of new and tried-and-tested original music.

“At this festival there are real music lovers and festival scouts who want to hear original music,” says Ndifon. “The Cape Town tour has given us some contacts so let’s see. We’re going to shoot our shot anyhow.”

Considering the year as whole, Ndifon says The Ells will be dropping a new album and have their sights set on the Namibian Annual Music Awards (Namas).

“We’re dropping what will be our first album. The last one was an EP and I think it’s gonna be quite powerful,” says Ndifon. “Also, The Namas are back and that is definitely something we want to be part of and hopefully win with the songs we’re going to be releasing.”

For now, The Ells are making the most of the Mother City and plan to rock their set at ‘Up the Creek’. Follow The Ells on social media for snaps of great gigs, seaside runs, ramen bowls and tunes on Table Mountain.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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