By Estelle Shirbon
PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters Life!) - They may be paralysed from the waist down, but Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili are bringing crowds to their feet all over Europe with their unique blend of sounds straight from the streets of Kinshasa.
Wrapping up a sell-out tour of seven countries, the eight-man band including four in wheelchairs and one on crutches were at the Cafe de la Danse in the party district of Bastille in Paris on Sunday night, bringing the house down as usual.
"Our tour has gone very, very well. Everyone dances at all the concerts," said singer, guitarist and songwriter Coco Ngambali, in an interview with Reuters hours before the concert.
He wasn't exaggerating. The music, a fast-paced mix of Afro-Cuban rumba and 1970s funk with a smattering of blues and reggae, is not compatible with sitting down. Halfway through the first song, seats were empty and hips were swaying.
The band's energy belied their disabilities. Stylishly dressed in suits and hats -- and in one case, a red beret paired with aviator sunglasses -- the paraplegic musicians soon had the audience forget the four wheelchairs at the front of the stage.
Their guitars looked shabby and the drum kit appeared to include two tin cans and a plank of wood, but the quality of the sound did not suffer.
Most extraordinary was the "satongue", a metallic-sounding harp fashioned from a coffee can, a wooden arc and a single guitar string. Its inventor and sole player is Roger Landu, a former street child who is the youngest member of the band.
LOOK BEYOND APPEARANCES
The story of Staff Benda Bilili, which Ngambali translated as "look beyond appearances", is the stuff of legend.
Struck by polio in childhood, confined to rickety motorised tricycles, eking a living by trafficking cigarettes across the River Congo, the band's founders launched their musical careers from the parking lot outside a restaurant.
Spotted by a French film-making duo, produced by a Belgian record label, they recorded their first album in the grounds of Kinshasa's dilapidated zoo. It is called "Tres Tres Fort" which means "very, very loud" or "very, very strong" in French.
The lyrics broach a wide range of subjects, from the vicissitudes of life on the streets to the sadness of living apart from loved ones. One song, entitled "Polio", encourages mothers to have their children vaccinated against the disease.
Since they began their tour in October, Staff Benda Bilili have packed concert venues in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Britain. And a documentary film about them is due to come out later this year.
Success does not seem to be going to the men's heads though.
"All our lives we have struggled to find work. Now we have lots of work lined up, it's good. We want to work, work, work so that we can support our families," said Ngambali, who is in his 50s and has seven children.
He did concede that life had improved, however.
"Being in this band is better than trafficking cigarettes."
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