Soca, chutney acts set for UK’s CALO Festival

Machel Montano and HD, Roy Cape All Stars, Kes The Band and Dil-E-Nadan are all set to take the stage at the event, alongside Barbados’ Krosfyah. 3Canal will also share in the UK excitement.

The CALO Festival is non-stop fun and excitement Caribbean style, and runs from August 19- 21st. The festival celebrates all aspects of the Caribbean lifestyle and features several key activities that are unique to the region. The festival opens to the public on July 19 with the Soca Concert of the century with performances by Roy Cape All-stars, Bajan band Krosfyah, Lil Rick, Tallpree and 2011 International Groovy Soca Monarch Kees Dieffenthaller with his band Kes The Band. Day two will see rapso group 3Canal doing a full set complete with their band, together with 2011 Chutney Soca monarch Rikki Jai and Raymond Ramnarine from the band Dil E Nadan. Saturday evening culminates with a performance from Machel Montano HD. The show also includes appearances from some of the UK’s top soca performers, including Konata Alleyne, Nikisha and Soca Johnny.

There will also be something for the lovers of food, as the second day of the even will feature Worldfoods Caribbean Food, Drink and Lifestyle Extravaganza, followed up by a youth Grand Carnival Costume Splash. Montano has been having a busy international season since claiming the 2011 International Soca Monarch and Road March titles locally with his popular song “Advantage”.Dexter “Blaxx” Stewart, frontline singer with the Roy Cape All Stars, together with Rita Jones and Olatunji Yearwood, have also been kept busy. Since 1999, Blaxx and veteran bandleader Roy Cape have kept Roy Cape All Stars in the forefront of the soca music industry.

Ramnarine and Dil-E-Nadan say they are ready for the event, and plan a beautiful repertoire for the London concert. Ramnarine admitted they have had a hectic year to date but said it was all part of the business. “Music is my life. I can’t see myself doing anything else,” he said.

He said they were rehearsing hard to prepare before going before the expected huge audiences. “In order to keep up with this ever changing trend in music and also having to meet the needs of the fans we must sit and prepare,” he said.