STAGE REVOLUTION: THE STORY OF SMALL-TOWN STARS

July 1, 2026 57 6

Owethunamandla Madhlala

@mandla_082

In recent years the genres of Gqom and Amapiano have dominated in the playlists of the South African youth. It seems as though the times are changing and a new dynasty of jazz music is slowly taking over. In Potchefstroom, this movement is being spearheaded by none other than Stage Revolution.

Stage Revolution (better known as “Stage Rev”) is a contemporary jazz band born and bred in Potchefstroom. Founded by Lebomosa Setle, lead guitarist and band manager of Stage Rev, the band strives to entertain students whilst keeping the band true to their musical culture and heritage. “The NWU School of Music is dominated by classical music (nothing wrong with that), and most of the students learnt music ‘informally’, mostly due to the lack of art institutions in most townships,” commented Setle.

He went on to explain how this led to many of the band members being taught guitar or piano by their grandfather or at church. Most of the time that means we were taught music by ear rather than the Western staff notation; for example, music was mostly taught using South African jazz and gospel. To Stage Rev, jazz was not only a music genre; it made up who they are as individuals. The formation of the band allowed them to bring a piece of home with them whilst adjusting to the realities of university and student life.

Lebomosa Setle is not the only member of this musical movement. He is joined by a cohort of talented students from the NWU School of Music, including Samuel Nku, Botlhale Nkutshweu and Bakang Mashimbye, who are the trumpeter, trombonist and saxophonist for the band, respectively. Mpho Ntsabelle and Ignatius Maphothoma fulfil the roles of keyboard player and drummer, respectively, with Ovayo Ntisa being the leading lady as the band’s vocalist.

Due to jazz’s personal ties with the group, it seemed to be a no-brainer that Stage Rev would focus on performing music within this genre. In an interview with Wapad, Ovayo Ntisa mentioned how the group’s performance of jazz was not only meant to bring the band members closer to their own culture but also to allow them to be centred in live performances and bring people together through music and shared experiences. Their performances have a greater mission, which is to facilitate the feeling of community among students from all over the country.

Stage Rev has indeed succeeded in creating a community amongst the students and has, in turn, created a strong fanbase for themselves. Samuel Nku also went on to share how absolutely amazing the band’s experience with Potchefstroom fans has been. He continues to describe the band’s repertoire as the missing puzzle within the city that is dominated by Afrikaans music and Amapiano.

Ever since the band’s inception, students have been flooding into their events to see them perform. The Winter Jam Session, which was held on 25 July 2025, is remembered by the band as their biggest event yet. At this performance, the band not only managed to attract the support of Potchefstroom locals but also attracted many from Johannesburg, Vaal, Klerksdorp and Sasolburg.

Even with the band’s growth in popularity, their mission has not changed. The heart of the band was perfectly summarised in the words of Setle: ‘The band’s mandate is to make music that gives hope, music that heals, music that tells a story, and music that entertains. We want to inspire the audience to be kinder to one another, become a better human, and be happy. When they feel like everything is going bad, we want to be that beacon of hope that everything will work out. We live by the words “Stop Existing and Start Living”, and we strive to get all that through our performances and our music. We basically just want to be a ray of sunshine in people’s lives. As much as we belong with each other in the band, we want our audience to also belong with us.’