Island Beats Issa Vibe: #CARIFESTAXIV

It was pure excitement and pandemonium last Saturday at the Island Beats Super Concert as the acts gave the most epic performances for CARIFESTA XIV. The Queen’s Park Savannah was filled with patrons coming from far and wide to see mega stars Machel Montano from Trinidad and Tobago and Shaggy from Jamaica and they did not disappoint.

The show opened with a range of other Caribbean artistes following through with the organisers’ vision to represent most music of the Caribbean with artists from different countries. Since Antigua and Barbuda will be hosting the next CARIFESTA in 2021 Ricardo Drue who sang Vagabond, Rum Again and The Teacher, represented Antigua/Barbuda as one of the acts.

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Other performers included Barbados soca Queen, Allison Hinds as well as Trinbagonians Blaxx – singer of the popular Hulk, Voice and  Nailah Blackman to represent the younger generation. Reigning Chutney Soca Monarch winners  Neval Chaitlal & Nishard M as well as soca Monarch veteran Rikki Jai also delivered exciting performances at the event. Chutney and soca chutney are not just popular in Trinidad and Tobago, but other Caribbean countries with East Indian populations such as Suriname and Guyana.

Calypso Rose, the first woman to win the Calypso Monarch, and dubbed the Queen of Calypso, represented calypso music and was the first to perform at the event.

There was also a performance from the world renowned Zouk Band Kasav. Zouk is a traditional French Caribbean folk music. With more than 20 albums, Kassav’ was formed in Guadeloupe in 1979, and helped introduce the world to fast-paced carnival zouk style music. Its current band members are Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Jean-Claude Naimro and Georges Décimus.

Source: CARICOM TODAY