Sometime in April … no this is not the Hutu and Tutsi Movie review … but literally, sometime in April last year, I got invited by Atoyebi, one very humble human behind Aprilcity entertainment, for “Coterie” with that edition tagged “Humour Unlimited”. The catch- ‘twas something new, ‘twas free (No, I don’t like ‘awoof’, I woulda still gone if I had to pay), ‘twas in a spot close by- Ozone, unilag campus’ extension. Oh Dear Ozone! … [Flashback] There was this classmate of mine, she practically went to ozone after almost every lecture. No need for extra planning – ride, time, etc, because proximity. Nice positioning I must say, to the people behind the location plan.
I am sorry for digressing… now, back to the topic- COTERIE!
So, I was already in Lagos for a wedding, and what better way to ease off the stress from the previous day than a night of laugh! And the weather was perfect, a lovely evening it was. Cool time to unwind with some of my favourite people in the world that I had invited. I should mention that being with them was the highlight for me.
Getting to Coterie, there were all kinds of artistes: comedians, musicians, spokenwordsmiths, etc. and even though it was tagged “Humour Unlimited” it was a complete package. I remember I learnt something during the spoken word renditions. You don’t clap when you’re feeling the Poet’s lines, you snap your fingers so he/she doesn’t forget his/her rhymes, I guess. Funny
The comedians were hilarious as anticipated. Every single comedian was on top of his game (yeah no female ones if I remember correctly so if you are an extreme feminist reading this, please don’t attack me, lol.), I must say, no shortcomings in this regard.
And the ambience? Like a chill zone slash Godly vibe type-thing – Perfect! The décor, even with the dimmed light, was cozy themed and the stage properly lit. Felt like a place where you could hashtag ‘comfort zone’ but not comfortable as to doze off while ‘twas on because act after act, there was something that kept us glued, something made our tummy muscles contract because too much laugh. ‘Twas a place that screamed ‘safe’, calmly and reverberated FUN.
Like a creative social hub- everyone was an artiste in different ways. Comedians, Musicians, Poets, DJs, Photographers, audience and probably stylists ‘cause everyone looked great!
‘Twas like going for some chill “Night Of A Million Laughs” but ‘clean’ enough to have your child come along (if your babysitter disappointed) without having to cover his/her ears because R18 content.
A place where you didn’t need alcohol to dance and loosen up, the groove found you.
A place where you didn’t have to get high on some substance but the love and friendliness in the air got you high enough.
A place where there was no pressure to try to be something you weren’t created to be.
A place where you could feel the love and not be worried about who was trying to take advantage of you
A place where you had met people that were working towards perfection in various aspect of their lives- spiritual, physical, career-wise, talent.
A place where you had an audience.
I can’t even remember the names of the acts for that night, but I remember how the event made me feel- Happy.
I also remember how the hand brake got stuck when we were set to leave. Thank God for the Security guy that helped us out, or it woulda totally frustrated the evening’s lit vibe.
So on the 2nd of August, 2015, there would be another Coterie Edition! Tagged RADIORAVE and from this my previous experience, I trust that this one would be on fleeeeeeeeek! So, here goes your invite:
“April city Entertainment in partnership with Praiseworld radio Presents Event: Coterie Title: Radio Rave Activities: Radio Show | Comedy | Music | Spoken Word Poetry | Games | Networking Venue: The Roots Club, 2nd Floor, SilverBird Galleria, V.I. Date: Aug 2, 2015 Time: 4:30 pm
Hosts: Spice on the Mic & Ayo Thompson OAPs: Tosyn Bucknor (Top Radio), BellaRose (City fm), Gozzim & Arthur (Holly Holla), Lolo (wazobia) Comedians: Emma oh my God Music: SoKleva, Ada Ehi, Viva, Provabs and many more”
Coterie is a ‘mobile movement’ (pun/tautology intended), I implore you come with your friends and make beautiful memories this Sunday.
Dhale
we came n even though we didn’t stay long… twas epic!!!!