On Saturday, March 6th, 2010, Canadian soca ambassador Dr. Jay along with his KOS family (The Kingdom of Soca) hosted their annual large scale event appropriately called “The Return Fete”, at Koolhaus in Toronto.This highly anticipated concert style party celebrates the “return” of Dr. Jay and all of the Trinidad Carnival attendees who made the trek to sunny and warm T and T to take in the seasonal festivities in February.The “return” to Canada also includes the appearance of several of the hottest acts in soca music right now, and on the heels of Carnival, this fete is often their first international performance since mashing up those stages.
Upon my arrival, it was clear that the years of refining this party was evident as several of the members of The Kingdom of Soca were already in place performing their roles such as: E-Man and Dirty Dez on the mics, Marxman on the 1’s and 2’s, and Original MP and Wayne Donawa behind the scenes.Jester of the X-Caliber Entourage (2009 Stylus Soca DJ of the Year) played the early set that put all of the fete-goers in the “palancing” mood.Young up-and -coming DJ 2 Touch “touched” the Serato as the anticipation grew for the artists to hit the stage, and shortly after 1:00 a.m. I witnessed the “flattening” of Koolhaus as KES the Band, Blaxx, Shal Marshall, Swappi and the 2010 Road March and Power Soca Monarch Champions JW and Blaze hit the stage for one of the most energetic shows I have ever witnessed at a Return Fete.
KES the Band, to the delight of the 2000+ patrons in the place, remained on stage the entire evening supporting the other performers and offering a few “covers” of several hot chunes from soca’s endless catalogue.I was able to spend some time with each of the artists both before and after their performances to capture just a pinch of what they were feeling as they took in the overwhelming love and response given by the City of Toronto.
Jay W: “This is our first trip to Canada. Dr. Jay is the first promoter to bring us to North America.”
When asked about musical influences:
Jay W: “Sparrow is Calypso. Big up Sparrow, a teacher.”
Shal Marshall: “Here is the place to be, so we came to work.” (wuk?)
Blaxx: “I’m ready to bring it!”
When asked about the origin of his name:
Swappi: “It’s an evolution of the word swanky.”
The Return Fete was a fete for the ages.Palancers came in droves to witness the first event of the year that can truly re-create the hype from Trinidad Carnival, right here in the still chilly Toronto.Rags, flags (Flag flag flag flag overload!) banners, t-shirts, you name it, adorned the crowd as we all know West Indian love to represent where they’re from.At the end of the day, we’re all coming from the same place, a shared love of soca music.
Highlights:
Cookie Monster’s appearance on stage with Jay W and Blaze for “Palance”
Female favourite Swappi brought 2 ladies on stage to demonstrate the “Swappi” dance
KES the Band gave a stellar performance and collaborated perfectly with the other artists
Koolhaus remains the best venue for this event as it is centrally located in the GTA
Many Toronto music industry figures not primarily from the soca scene came out to support and enjoy the great show (Wristpect (2009 Stylus DJ of the Year), The Kid Famous (Goddess Girl) and Kid Kut (The Voice of the Vibe).
Lowlights:
When Blaxx brought a woman on stage to sing a few lyrics from “Tusty”, her rendition (which for all intents and purposes may have been legitimately tone-deaf) reduced the crowd to *crickets*
It was widely known that last minute tickets were being scalped the day of the event for as much as $140.00 (actual ticket price was $35 or less).This practice, although inevitable, does rob true soca fans the opportunity to attend.
We never did quite confirm the identity of Cookie Monster, although the theory that it may have been Dr. Jay himself is quite entertaining.
Darling Nicky’s Final Thoughts:
While my heart was in Trinidad with all my friends and family during the Carnival season, my body was here in the frigid cold of Toronto. Thanks to The Kingdom of Soca who tirelessly put on this event every year, I was able to enjoy a slice of the festivities without getting on a plane. I had attended a friend’s birthday party the night before where Dr. Jay had also been spinning, and I can honestly say that over the last 48 hours, I am truly all “palanced” out. Until the next one.....
