OI AU WE has got to be one of the most covered iTaukei songs on the local music circuit.
Walk past any nightclub that has a live band and the chances are you will hear their version of the mega hit for the Australia-based band known as Takia.
If you’re a fan then bring out your Sunday best and sneak out a few coins from the piggy bank because Oi Au We will be brought to life when the group tours the country from May 14 to 30 this year.
Individually, the members of Australia-based Fijian band Takia have performed with some of the biggest names in music Down Under.
Some have even performed for heads of state and one member spent four years on the road with Pacific music superstar and Lautoka boy, Daniel Rae Costello.
However, being invited to perform at the FPRA 2015 Music Awards on May 16 at the majestic Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, according to the band, will be the highlight of their career.
“It’s a real honour for all of us because being invited to an event of this stature is nothing short of incredible for all of us who still regard Fiji as home,” said front-man and band co-founder Mansus Knight.
For Takia, the timing could not have been more perfect. The group had just finalised dates for their Fiji tour which begins next Thursday in the Sugar City when the Fiji Performing Rights Association approached them to headline Fiji’s mega music event.
Fiji Performing Rights Association stalwart and veteran musician Seru Serevi said having Takia perform as the main act would take the awards to the next level.
“One of the members of Takia is Mansus Knight and his father is none other than one of the pioneers of our music industry, George Knight, who will also be performing at the awards night,” Seru shared.
“We’ve got bands from Sydney like Kabani that have really set a new standard for the industry and now we have Takia.
“First and foremost, although they’re plying their trade in Australia, they are representing Fiji and this is something that we should be very proud of.
“People should also be aware of George Knight’s contribution to local music, he has done so much for the local industry. I can remember walking with my guitar all the way to Laucala Bay as a youngster to learn from him.
“I grew up listening to his music and I know the more mature music appreciators will take a walk down memory lane when he performs on May 16.”
George is regarded as Fiji’s first music pop star after composing and releasing Time will Heal The Pain in 1976. The song topped the Fiji Hit Parade on Radio Fiji (now FBC) at the time.
The Knight family’s involvement in music began in the ’60s and still continues until this day.
Mansus remembers being able to sing and dance to a beat long before he could string a sentence together.
Together with Tom Kaci, Mansus formed Takia in 2010 after a stellar career as the lead vocalist for some of Sydney’s premier reggae, rhythm and blues and soul music groups for more than three decades.
Mansus began his music career as a singer in Mataqali Music — a band formed by his uncle Joel Knight and renowned Australian drummer Cappy Cowan.
“Being so young and thrust into the limelight, I learnt very quickly how to use the stage as a platform for my creativity,” he shared.
“Mataqali Music was an amazing ensemble and I can confidently say I learnt all my chops as a singer and performer with a band that went to the top of the Australian music scene in the ’80s and is still spoken of with respect today.”
Before forming Takia, Mansus also fronted one of Australasia’s finest reggae outfits called Calabash from 1992 to 1996 before taking the captain’s seat with leading Sydney corporate band – Honeydripper Horns.
Tom Kaci, keyboard player and co-founder of Takia, is a well-known name in the local music scene.
The man from Oneata in Lau is no stranger to iTaukei music after releasing a song called Talevoni with the band Bulikula in 1996.
Composed by Tevita Uate, Talevoni was a huge hit in Fiji at the time.
After a successful stint with Bulikula, Tom formed a band called Pacific Sunset in Sydney in 2000.
It was during this time that he met up with Laisenia Tuedrea.
Lai came from a long and varied musical background.
His entry into the world of music began as a performer at resorts in the Mamanuca Group.
While performing at properties like Plantation Island Resort and Matamanoa, he discovered his natural flair for the stage.
His live music experience went up another level when he was invited to be part of local music legend Daniel Rae Costello’s band, The Cruzez.
“Four years on the road with Danny taught me how to take live performance out to the people and it is something I am very grateful for and something I want to share with the people of Fiji as a member of Takia,” he said.
Takia’s fourth member, Viliame Seru, grew up in Ba surrounded by music. His father had performed with a band called Dio Ni Baravi and his grandfather was Aca Small, songwriter for legendary iTaukei group Caucau Ni Delai Setura.
In the ’90s, Vili performed in a number of Australian reggae bands including Na Whom and Cool Runnings.
He also met Tom and Lai in Pacific Sunset before the trio hooked up with Mansus to form Takia in 2010.
While the band Takia is made up of the four vocalists – Mansus, Tom, Lai and Vili — the group that will tour the country this month also includes another local veteran in James Pramodh.
James has had a long an illustrious career and is regarded as Australia’s first reggae drummer.
Born in Fiji and well-known on the local music scene at the time, James quickly established himself as a drummer in the live and recording scene in Australia when he moved there in 1974.
Among the numerous groups he has performed with are Un Tabu – one of Australia’s premier reggae bands in the early ’80s.
Un Tabu played at the Tanelong Festival in 1981 – an event highly regarded in the annals of Australian music history and often labelled by writers as “ustralia’s Woodstock.”
A firm believer in equal rights and an advocate against discrimination in any shape or form — Un Tabu were the feature act at Rock Against Racism at the Sydney Town Hall in 1980 and 1981.
He also toured Fiji with Kabani when they played at the South Pacific Games in 2003 and Cool Runnings when they toured the country in 2007.
Playing bass guitar for Takia on their inaugural tour is Junichi Shiomi. The Japanese born Australian has played with the best — The Platters, Afro Moses, Salsa Kings, Banda Mundo and even the UB40 Australian cover band known as UB42. New Zealand saxophonist Tim Hopkins will also be a part of Takia’s tour.
Takia kick off their Fiji Tour on Thursday, May 14, at the South Seas Club in Lautoka. The band then moves to Nadi and will appear at the Nadi Farmers Club on Friday May 15.
On Saturday, May 16, Takia is the headline act at the FPRA 2015 Music Awards and on Sunday the band moves to Pacific Harbour to perform at the Uprising Beach Resort. Nausori fans will get their chance to see Takia live and direct at the Nausori Club on Friday May 22 and Suva fans on Saturday May 23 at the Royal Suva Yacht Club.
Fans in the Northern Division can see Takia live at the Hot Springs Hotel in Savusavu on Friday May 29 and at Subrail Park in Labasa on Saturday May 30.
The Fiji Times is a sponsor for the FPRA 2015 Music Awards.
