Pirates and playgrounds

Puff of Colour X (POC) silenced the critics this year with their tenth-anniversary celebrations.

A new location coupled with a new structure equalled nothing but good vibes for the hundreds who partied until 6 a.m. at Ellesmere Plantation, St George. The numbers were noticeably fewer than last year but it didn’t matter as the patrons comfortably partied until sunrise.

Last year, the event which was held in a quarry at Searles Plantation, Christ Church, was shrouded in controversy after three incidents occurred after the fete. Gunshots were heard, cars were broken into and property was vandalized. However, the weight of the law could be seen. There was a notable increase in police presence and security at the entrance-exit points.

Patrons were welcomed to the POC’s new “home” by a tuk band and a complimentary shot before entering. The adult amusement playground concept also returned this year, with a jumping tent and a pirate ship. The pirate ship was clearly a crowd favourite as the screams of feters echoed throughout the venue as they were swung into the air.

Throughout the night, the crowd was kept entertained by popular deejays such as Scott Le Roc and Mali Fresh, Daddy Bubbles and Evolution, DJ Blank, Vibe Nation, Flems and Levell Vibes.

The set by Levell Vibes was one of the most interesting and unique choices for a soca fete. The popular deejay played a range of soca from the ‘80s to present – most hits of that era have not been played in a while. He opened with the Mighty Gabby’s Emmerton which the crowd belted at the top of their voices. His performance was for the young and young at heart as he had them chipping with Boots by Gabby and crooning to John King’s How Many More. He kicked up the party a notch when he played Bashment Ship by Captain Sawyer.

The organizers also implemented a sound clash as part of their tenth-anniversary celebrations. DJ Indian and Chris Gayle went head to head with Fullklip’s Chicken and Davy in the deejay sound clash.

For the first time in its history, Puff of Colour featured live performances from local artistes.

Lil Rick opened the show with a brilliant firework spectacle just after 2 a.m. He performed tunes like Can’t Style Me, Sugar Lump, Hard Wine, Mudda Sally and the rising popular It Ain’t Me before giving way to his deejaying set with Frog.

Also performing to the delight of the audience was De Daddy Mole. The raunchy bashment soca artiste had the crowd begging for more after his performance of Wukless Brute, Do It Fuh Daddy and Bring My Glide. He also performed last year’s hit Aye with Bruce lee Almightee before closing with his most recent release Breathe which was in high demand for another performance.

After Mole’s set, around 4:20 a.m., Hypasounds sweetened patrons with the Bajan-Lucian fusion, Fair Sa, followed by Dip and How She Like It. Upon his arrival, he was doused with yellow paint after he told the audience it was his first time attending the event and he wanted to lose his “POC virginity”.

The crowd continued to party and enjoy themselves until 6 a.m. when DJ Flems cut the party short after seeing the beginnings of a brawl. Flems quickly nipped it in the bud, warning feters that their actions were making it difficult for promoters. He urged them to party in peace and practice self-control before announcing the event over. (KK)