Rebellion band to target road march spectators

Despite the presence of carnival bands like Bacchanal Jamaica, Xaymaca and Xodus, soca monarchs Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin from Trinidad plan to introduce Jamaicans to a new band called Rebellion, which they say will target the road march spectators.

Speaking with THE STAR, Lyons said: "We have played with a couple bands over the years where tons of people are always observed flooding the streets, and the thought of how we can get the people involved crossed our minds."

T-shirt options

The Block The Road singer said that after playing with the idea for some time, it was decided that the band would target the masses by having more T-shirt options.

The T-shirt section is an element that has lost its popularity over the years, but Rebellion has plans to revive it.

"The persons that line the streets are involved in creating the entire spirit of carnival, and

it would be great to see the masses that cannot or choose not to spend on costumes come out and purchase T-shirts that come with accessories like a hat and a mug," she said.

Each T-shirt design will be unique to the theme. A sneak peek of one design called 'Mangalay' was shown on social media. It incorporates the abstract image of a head with a spectrum of colours forming the hair. "The idea is to have a variety of colours and graphics (similar to the costumes) for persons to choose from," she shared.

Rebellion, which has adopted the theme 'Revolt', will launch on Saturday, December 8 - weeks after Xaymaca, Xodus and Bacchanal Jamaica will have introduced their costumes to the public.

This lateness is not a cause for concern for Lyons, though.

Togetherness

"The intention is to bring our product and put on a good show. Carnival is not about kicking everybody, but togetherness. Instead of standing on the sideline to spectate, persons can have access to the bands, identify as part of the band, and enjoy carnival like all the other revellers," she said.

The singer said that she would like to see the inclusion of all to make carnival 2019 "one big phenomenal integration of culture where the growth of each band sees carnival in Jamaica become bigger and better annually".

The two soca monarchs have partnered with Solid Agency and M7 Events, the promoters of SPF Weekend, to ensure that they properly execute the event for the Jamaican audience.