Afrikaans music heartthrob Kurt Darren – who will be in Port Elizabeth as a guest of the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens, PR Unlimited and Die Burger, sister publication of the PE Express – will wow local audiences on Saturday at the Grey School campus.

Having recently launched his new album, Voorwaarts Mars, Darren says he is keen to perform in front of his Eastern Cape fans and he promises one of the biggest bashes in the metro this festive season.

Afrikaans music heartthrob Kurt Darren – who will be in Port Elizabeth as a guest of the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens, PR Unlimited and Die Burger, sister publication of the PE Express – will wow local audiences on Saturday at the Grey School campus.

Having recently launched his new album, Voorwaarts Mars, Darren says he is keen to perform in front of his Eastern Cape fans and he promises one of the biggest bashes in the metro this festive season.

He has also set aside time for an autograph session in which fans can have their photo taken with him after the concert, which also features Watershed. A CD with all the images will be made available at R40 apiece, with the proceeds going to charity.

Family in the region and a big fan base ensure that he visits the Eastern Cape at least half a dozen times a year, most recently a few weeks ago when he was a guest at a private corporate function.

He says he is looking forward to his show at the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens rugby festival as it will be his only public performance in the province this holiday season.

“I can see why it’s called the Friendly City. I’ve had some of the best audiences one can ask for in Port Elizabeth,” says Darren. “My fans can once again expect a big party and I will be singing songs from my new CD.”

“Sevens is a very lively, active, fast and furious game and I will aim to offer the same to my fans who attend the festival.”

Voorwaarts Mars is the popular singer-songwriter’s 13th album. It was released early last month and has already reached platinum status with more than 50 000 albums sold.

Darren burst onto the Afrikaans music scene with his album Meisie Meisie in 2002. The title song remains a firm favourite during shows around the country.

He has released a number of albums that reached double platinum status with the popular Sê Net Ja going platimum three times. He was nominated for four South African Music Awards this year and won an award for the Best Afrikaans Dance Album with Lekker Lekker.

Darren performs up to 250 shows per year and has become the most popular Afrikaans pop music artist in the country. Twelve of his songs have also been translated into Dutch, Flemish and German.

When he is not on tour, he tries to relax by playing a bit of golf and catching up on movies, but he admits it does not happen often. Between Christmas and New Year he will be recording his new DVD that is due for release in April.

“Have an amazing Christmas, spend time with family and loved ones and thank you for your loyal support,” is Darren’s message for his Eastern Cape fans.

Apart from Darren and Watershed, spectators at the NMB Sevens can also look forward to concerts by NKD and Dawnay. Attendance is included in the ticket price for the rugby festival.

A weekend pass costs R150 for adults and R75 for children under 12. Tickets are available from Computicket.

For more information, visit www.nmbs.co.za, send an e-mail to 7s@nmbs.co.za or phone Laurence Finn at 084 507 3175.