BlackByrd make Mandela Bay debut

CAPE Town girl band BlackByrd, who have enjoyed number one spots on radio stations in South Africa, performed for the first time in Port Elizabeth at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Monday.

BlackByrd consists of three members – Tarryn Lamb, Samantha Heldsinger and Tamsyn Maker. They were in the Bay to perform at a Momentum corporate function.

Their debut 14-track album, Strong, was released last week by EMI Music.

"We came here to introduce PE to our album. It is written about love perceptions and unreasonable emotions. It's about disappointments, enjoyments, fears and hopes. The message is positive. It's about acknowledging positives and moving forward," Lamb, who wrote 13 songs on the album, said.

The three met on Gumtree after Lamb placed an advert looking for dancers. After struggling to find a name for the band they settled on BlackByrd, a new spelling of the classic Beatles track.

"We would really love to come back and perform in PE," Heldsinger said.

Maker said they were inspired by British singing sensation Adele.

"It takes a lot to write about your life. We are all emotional, whether we admit it or not – we are all humans.

"So many people have been through a lot but don't want to talk about it. We are a body of women," she said.

"One day we are all going to die but the message will live on."

Lamb said their performances were very interactive.

"We are a band for the people and the shows are for the people," Lamb said.