The downside of touring places like Nigeria is that, well, you’re touring places like Nigeria. Invisible frontman Dave Okumu has experienced firsthand the importance of proper OH&S after being electrocuted halfway through a set in Lagos overnight.
As reported by Nigerian publication TheNetng, Okumu was zapped by his bass guitar strings due to poor equipment setup resulting in the power source not being grounded. The sound engineer, known as Mr Emeka, has said that claims that the power supply was incorrectly set up weren’t true, but could not determine what the problem was at that time. The nightmare happened around 20 minutes into the set, which was apparently a roaring success despite the poor sound and the abrupt ending.
The British musician collapsed after letting out a scream. Okumu’s bandmates rushed to his aid, taking his guitar from him and helping him off stage, where he was rushed to a nearby hospital before being shipped back home. He is, however, recovering well, taking to Twitter to thank his fans for their well wishes:
Thanks4 all kind words.This has been one of the worst experiences but, as my mother taught me, it is possible to transcend all things with love X – @TheInvisible3
The band has cancelled all up-coming shows to give Okumu time to recover. It just goes to show how careful musicians need to be when setting up their gear.
