Wednesday 3 April, 2013
Hope Gardens, Kingston
JA$1500
I Love Soca has become a permanent fixture on the last week of carnival in Jamaica. This year the organizers opted to do a cooler fete which is becoming more popular in the local fete scene. With a full cooler, I got there around midnight which was a little late since it was supposed to end at 2am.
Like Dusk, DJ Riche Ras and Dei Musicale from T&T provided the music. As I said in a previous post, this has definitely been Richie's year. He's on point with his selections and does not play a standard 7 songs. Richie is clearly in tune with how to play soca and is far ahead of those who are still stuck in the mas camp vibe. Dei Musicale is always consistent and brings that piece of Trini to the Jamaican fete scene that we Trinbagonians miss. I also like that they know what to play for a Jamaican audience.
Hope Gardens was an adequate venue for this size crowd. There was sufficient parking and and just enough space for the patrons. The fete consisted of the usual Kingston soca crowd. I think at this point I can identify almost everyone who attends these sessions.
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| Pic taken from Sleek's fb page |
I had a great time with my friends and enjoyed the vibe so much that I didn't realize when 2am came upon us. At that point I regretted arriving so late because I needed like another hour or so. But it was over and sadly I left.
Although I didn't see that many coolers as it seemed that persons opted for bags or to share coolers, the concept is clearly doing well in Jamaica....
Sunrise Breakfast Party
Saturday 6 April, 2013
Constant Spring Golf Club
Ja$4500
At 5:30am on Saturday, I was on my way to the Sunrise Breakfast fete at Constant Spring Golf Club. I did not attend this fete last year but had heard great reviews so like most people, I knew that the crew had to check it out this year....
I‘m glad I got there early enough to get parking at the tax office near the venue. We got in quickly and immediately went for the food because at this point I was starving. On our way to the stations we gladly stopped for photo opps with Double M and JW. We were then quickly brought off the gladdist train when we saw the long line for the food stations. After an almost 25 minute wait, we were greeted with stewed chicken, potatoes, provisions, corned pork, bacon, vienna sausage and beans, festival, eggs, samosas, and doubles. Nothing about these dishes really stood out for me. There was also a bad dawg hot dog stand which was the easier option. The thing about a breakfast fete is that food is important. You have to remember that because of the early start, patrons would have usually left home without a meal so after a while, we tend to be starving...
Unlike the food station, it was very easy to get drinks from the bar and they kept flowing. To my dismay there was no Johnnie Walker but Dewars (blasphemy!), so I had to settle for Grey Goose and some shots of Cafe Patron...damn what a morning it was...
The Constant Spring Golf Club was an ideal choice for the venue. I liked the outdoor atmosphere and the layout. Although it is a huge space, the promoters narrowed it down to accommodate the medium sized crowd...
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| Another pic taken from Sleek's fb page |
For Ja$4500, we were treated to performances from Blaxx, JW and Machel. I love Blaxx's songs but he is not the best performer especially without his band. I couldn't believe he did the exact thing word for word that he did at all the fetes I saw him at earlier this year. Oh gosh man Blaxx, change it up a little bit nah...
Sunrise lived up to all the hype that was made about it. It had all the elements of a good breakfast fete although the food aspect wasn't that impressive. Kudos must be given to the patrons, especially those who came straight from J'ouvert with their paint and powder. It was evident that everyone had a great time. Who would have imagined that somewhere in uptown Kingston, mid morning on a Saturday, there would be a group of people, drinking, wining, and just feteing away...
For more pics check out Sleek
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