THABANG Tabane is the heir to the father and founder of the Malombo music, Dr. Philip Tabane, who has gained international reputation for being the leader of legendary Malombo for over four decades.

He learned to play drums by watching his uncle Mabi Thobejane, the co-founder of Malombo in the 60s. No wonder then that at an early age, Thabang became the sideman in his dad’s band. He has toured places such as Russia, Sweden, Togo, London, and the United States with Malombo and Thandiswa Mazwayi.

And you can catch him live at U- The Space, 146 Minnaar Street, Bosman (Central), City of Tshwane (Old Fire Station) at 6 pm on Saturday, July 2. Tickets R60.

In 2002 Thabang joined his uncle Mabi Thobejane and some of the finest acoustic musicians in his home country to record an album produced by Ben Amato. It was at the same time that he joined the percussion group PedXulu for a number of concerts including one at the Cape Town North Sea Jazz Festival and the Arts Alive Festival in Johannesburg.

PedXulu featured Amampondo members, Mabi Thobejane, Ricky Randimbarison from Madagascar and Byron Wallen from the United Kingdom.

Thabang is now leading a worldclass band from his township Mamelodi working hand in hand with Given Mphago, Zakhele Ntuli and at times they collaborate with Dr Philip. Thabang is an individual who is dedicated to excellence and has a deep understanding of music in general and that makes him and his band cultural emissaries.

This performance by Thabang Tabane at U – The Space is part of the Concerts SA Venue Circuit which aims to foster a love and support for live music in our communities, as well as anchor small and medium sized venues in urban and rural Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.

U – The Space is a multi-disciplinary art venue that prides itself in supporting the arts and artists both locally and internationally. We excel in showcasing artists that are doing great work in the arts sector.

Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed within the SAMRO Foundation. Concerts SA receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAMRO, the SAMRO Foundation and Concerts Norway.