Battle of the bands - GenXs takes j'ouvert crown but don't count out Bacchanal

On Friday night stretching into late Saturday morning, Kingston City was embroiled in a battle of the bands to be crowned 2024 j'ouvert champion. Contending for the title this year was carnival veterans Bacchanal and Xodus with Bacchanal J'ouvert Paint Rave and the previously triumphant newbie, GenXs, with Immortal’s J'ouvert.

Seemingly nabbing the title for a second time around, GenXs edged out the competition with the quantity and diversity of their paint, powder, water and foam, as well as their goodie bags and the sheer unabashed nature of its patrons.

GOODY BAG

As is typical for the carnival Goliath, Bacchanal, the goodie bag presented at the gate carried all the necessary essentials to ensure a fun and safe j'ouvert experience. Including, a waterproof phone case, a rag, a cup, a whistle and a pack of wet wipes, the band could be satisfied in their offerings. GenXs edged them out, however, with their attention to detail. Providing the bag ahead of the event, patrons could get accustomed to the waterproof phone case, cup, a head covering, a toothbrush and shampoo. The inclusions tipping the scales, however, were the shirts and bodysuits provided for patrons to wear to the event and the breakfast provided mid-fête.

THE MIX

At GenXs Immortals, the mix was sublime. While throwing it back every now and then, the deejays paid keen attention to 2024 soca, giving patrons the opportunity to form core carnival memories with the songs. The sound, however, was often too low for some patrons to hear, likely the result of the few speakers provided. The main downfall at Bacchanal were the deejays insistence on speaking through the songs. Barely allowing the songs to play, fast transitions were the order of the evening until well into the morning when paint began to fly and the music settled. Notably, Bacchanal had an extensive section for both dancehall and bouyon.

PAINT AND POWDER

In the paint and powder category, GenXs was the clear winner. Not only did they provide far more paint and powder, as soon as patrons entered the venue they were doused in the coloured substances. Also adding to the mess was the foam and water house that were constantly turned onto the crowd. With no shortage of material, all GenXs fêters left being doused in the entire rainbow. Alternatively, Bacchanal once again suffered from a lack of paint and powder. Not only were the materials scarce but at one point, guest performer Fay-Ann Lyons incited the chant “Pass the powder, pass the paint!”. The crowd was also so massive that parts of the audience barely even experienced a splash as the crowd was just too thick to get the products through.

PERFORMANCES

Though Machel Montano gave his usually energetic set at Immortal’s J'ouvert, patrons were too worn out by the time he emerged atop a truck. Though half the crowd was with him, a notably few had seemingly prioritised making it back to the start point of the mini road march in time for breakfast. Alternatively, it seems as if Bacchanal’s J'ouvert did not truly start until Bunji Garlin took the stage with Lyons. The husband and wife duo performed very well for an hour and were solely responsible for the start of the ‘mess’ as well as maintaining a steady mood with the music. With no shortage of hits to pull from, Bacchanal quickly became the Bunji Garlin show, in the best way possible.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Though GenXs has won the crown for best j'ouvert experience once again, Bacchanal cannot be left out of the running.

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com