Fierce 'J.A.M.Bush' fashion, warriors; tame experience

The Romans were out in the wee hours of Saturday morning getting on ‘bad’ in neon green fashion. Once the colours of the rainbow fell from the sky in splashes of yellow, green, blue and red, masqueraders were energised. This was the revelry of Caesar's Army.

I’m no first-timer warrior. In fact, as a certified soca junkie, this was my fourth time attending, so I was excited for this 'J.A.M.Bush' experience.

After years of chippin’ down the road in Lakes Pen, socaphiles were introduced to a brand-new undisclosed location. Patrons followed the directions through Caymanas and, just when some thought all hope was lost, they drove into the bright lights and followed the path into deep bushes.

Opening with Viking Ding Dong’s Drink and Party seemed like a clear indicator of greater things to come. By the time this popular soca song echoed on the open lawns, it was 3:06 a.m., later than the scheduled start but a delay which the deejay later apologised for as he welcomed soca warriors to the A.M.Bush.

Almost half an hour later, another advisory was declared. "We apologise for the start but we're 'gonna' make it up to you, I promise." By 5:06 a.m., a painted carnival army followed the truck as the heavy duty vehicle headed down a narrow road to the cane fields.

Revellers relished the early morning air though the narrowness of the route impeded the march. Some soca soldiers stayed behind to facilitate the efforts and only charged forward once the coast was clear.

During the march, DJ duos Matt Camps and Marlon Musique went on to save the show at sunrise, running a stellar performance on the 'road'. From there, the music baton was passed to Bloodline Franco and Brush 1 The Road Marshal, who struck gold for the event.

Overall, the mini march was welcomed excitement as, prior to the start of the event, fête goers were greeted by silence and sand flies, and the delay at the bar didn't help. But, once the soca tunes started pumping, the rum, in turn, started flowing. And there was no holding back the disc jockeys from delivering crowd favourites that had them chipping and ‘whining’ away.

While this j'ouvert didn't meet my expectations as a faithful warrior, the early morning musical stylings and fashion were sure highlights. I was particularly impressed by the pieces made from the Caesar’s Army shirts. Designers went to town ripping and stitching the fête uniform to fit their body types. And these hotties were here to play and slay in style!

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com