Really the Cavemen Are Not Your Average Duo

The Cavemen are a Nigerian , Lagos based highlife band consisting of sibling duo Kingsley Okorie- the younger brother , a bassist and Benjamin James, an energetic drummer. They are unafraid to bask in the knowledge that they are something special s they are on a mission to reintroduce highlife to a new generation. According to Kingsley in a recent publication , …“Highlife is back! And it is back on steroids,” . Kingsley and Benjamin Okorie are brothers – both under 30.  Benjamin is  heavily driven by the music whenever he is on stage while Kingsley is the singer, who leads the madness of ‘Osondu’ whenever this duo is on stage.

To understand The Cavemen you have to go way back. The spirit of highlife has always rested in the raw emotions of celebrating life’s complexities in times of joy or in moments of sorrow. The brothers discovered music as young boys at church. According to Kingsley , …..“We never really had instructors. While Benjamin stuck with the drums ,I learnt other instruments like the keyboard and bass. We were just hustling for ourselves but then my brother attended music school.” Kingsley, on the other hand, went off to study law in Kano State – a decision largely due to the expectations of stability that are often associated with being the first child.

Going off to study law , however, did not put a dent on their shared dream of one day becoming a band. As Kingsley would put it ……“I guess we were a band even during our church days. I mean we did – and still do everything together,” . “Making music with Benjamin is special. It’s surreal. We were teammates before we were bandmates. Our connection is so natural.” So fond of their bond, the Cavemen was later officially formed in March 2018 when the brothers reunited after their studies. Since then the duo has honed their sound by playing with established artists such as Asa, Bez, Onyeka Onwenu, and a favourite collaborator of theirs, alte star Lady Donli.

They are the first two of five children who all make music. Growing up as church boys and with a mother who is now a Bishop, Kingsley and Benjamin always made music. The first bits of money they made from music came of playing music in Church. In 2004, a man called, “Elder Prince” gave Kingsley N4,000 while for Benjamin, it was N100.

Despite the two-year age difference, they have always been like twins. They competed against each other, drove each other and respected each other.

Kingsley and Benjamin went with their dad while the three younger ones were with their mom.The weird thing is that even though these brothers sing in Igbo, Pidgin and Pure English, they can’t really speak Igbo. In fact, their Igbo is terrible.

These days though, Kingsley isn’t a Christian anymore, but he still believes in God. On the other hand, Benjamin still believes in God and still identifies as a Christian, but his attendance of Church is another discussion entirely. Moving on…

The Cavemen are still very niche, but they are building something great. Anybody who has seen them perform will testify. If regular bands are reduced to regular parties and street carnivals, The Cavemen are bringing the cool back to it.

Source – Naatal & Pulse