In 2003 the cultural mish mash that makes up Gloucester's music scene produced a truly explosive band - when a Congolese guitar virtuoso and his south African wife joined forces with a city raised rock drummer and Rasta percussionist. They played everywhere last summer - pubs, clubs and outdoor festivals throughout Gloucestershire and beyond to Bristol and Herefordshire - Explosive intoxicated their audiences. young and old, black and white, everyone was fired up by their uplifting soukouss and reggae sounds. Whether they played in the afternoon sunshine or in the dark recess of a hall, people felt the irresitable urge to move their bodies.

This would never have happened if Daniel Vita Isakongo picked up a gun - like most of his peer group - instead of a guitar. Born into poverty, with no chance of a proper education , he was destined to back breaking manual labour, unemployment, or joining a local militia. But when he turned 16 he began hanging out in many of Kinshasas' dance clubs, where the music played was a heady mix of traditional Congo rhythms, Rumba and Salsa. For two years, for legal reasons he has to perform clandestinely, and then he officially joined as fourth guitarist as an apprentice. It took him two years to rise through the ranks, to lead guitarist.

He was ambitious and was soon poached by a travelling talent scout and joined the band Super Coba. It was a 12-piece band with four dancers and they played all over Angola, Congo and Gabon. They played concerts for presidents and were played live on radio stations regularly. He was then bribed to set up a new band by a bar owner in Kabinda. This lasted for four years, but the war was getting so bad that their concerts would be attacked and touring became treacherous. The band then moved to Namibia and this proved to be more successful, financially. However there was a lot of jealousy among the bands and immigration officers - who had their own band - tried everything in the book to expel them from the country and finally succeeded. The only other choice was jail so Daniel arrived at Cape Town, penniless, looking for a job door to door.

The proprietor of a bar in Cape Towns music strip came up trumps and Daniel became the bar;'s resident solo performer. This is where he met his future wife Phely. But in 1998, a new centrist political party, made him an offer he couldn't refuse which involved writing and performing propaganda songs at rallies. Political tensions grew and he found himself the target of opposing parties. Some of Daniel's neighbours had been shot and closed friends murdered. He decided to flee, when he heard that gun men were after him.

He and Phely jumped onto a flight to Heathrow seeking aslym. Their passports were confiscated and they were put on a coach to a B & B in Denmark Road, Gloucester.

Four years on, after several false starts, Daniel is doing what he loves and injecting a much needed African blast into the music scene. With Phely on bass, Laurence Ash - a sessionist, producer and former member of numerous bands including Dream City Film Club - on drums and Ropert McKenzie - the city's leading exponent of African Caribbean arts and music - on percussion, Explosive Nzakomba are now funking up the masses and no crowd has been unmoved by Explosive's joyous melodies and infectious, cheerful, hip-shaking rhythms. Daniel says "Audiences are truly bombed - and they always want more. And we'll give them more".

Owen Adams, Oct 2003.