Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office John Williams speaking at the official opening of the 2004 Congaline festival at Dover Playing Field said “There have been a number of queries and rumours with respect to the festival – where it is going and what is likely to happen. As I said to you, it will continue to change and we will continue to develop it.

“But I can assure you one thing, and that is, the festival will live on. What name it will be given in the future, I really couldn’t say, but with certainty there will be a festival and the Congaline Festival will develop and grow,”

Friday night was ‘Reggae Night’ during Congaline 2004 and there was an impressive lineup of entertainers.

The young band ‘Tribal Roots’ opened the proceedings to a small but appreciative audience.

A lissome dancer set the stage for the entrance of…

Dwayne Morgan, the popular Canadian rhythm poet,

who made his well-received presentations to a reggae beat.

Third Stone, Barbados’ hottest new reggae band, then took the stage to provide backing for several artistes.

Third Stone’s resident singer, Melody Man, was next on stage, his incredible voice complemented by vibrant energy and flying locks.

Listen to the live recording of the band’s presentation of their original composition ‘Living in Corruption’

Brimstone gave a strong performance and his great smile is an uplifting asset to his performance.

Music of the Islands

Caribbean Holidays

Shakey Ranks followed, treating the audience to all their favourite tracks.

Last but not least, Biggie Irie was a big crowd pleaser, performing his hits from over the years.

All of the artistes that were backed by Third Stone also had the benefit of the excellent backing vocals of one of Barbados’ leading singers, Tamara Marshall.

Next to take the stage was Luciano’s band, featuring

Dean Frazer on sax

and on clarinet.

Mikey General was next, performing to a crowd that was able to sing along with their favourites

And then came the star of the show Luciano,

a powerhouse performer who definitely gave the capacity crowd good value for money.

His set was long, he performed all of his hits and the crowd received him ecstatically.

Last year marks the tenth anniversary of the inaugural Congaline Street Festival. Back in 1994, it was a week-long “mini-Carnival” with a jump up along the South Coast of the island featuring T-shirt bands, free concerts on Dover Playing Field each night, calypso releases and a beauty show among its attractions. That was then. Ten years later, the “Congaline Street Festival” has evolved into the “Congaline Music Festival”, a three-day series of concerts on Dover Playing Field whose profile has become so low that this year rumours were circulating about its demise. While the music festival idea is not a bad one, the increasingly low profile has made me wonder whether Congaline has much longer to live. < Read more >

BARBADOS