High energy at Beer Fest Day 2
Published:Wednesday | May 27, 2015 | 3:56 PMSadeke Brooks
Performances from No-Maddz and Dre Island formed the perfect cherry on top of an activity-filled day at Beer Festival which was held at Barbican Beach Bar in St Andrew, recently.
No-Maddz and Dre Island were the performers on day two of the three-day event held over the weekend, and they added a bit of energy to the day.
Although the event kicked off at 2 p.m., Dre Island took the stage as it neared 11 p.m., much to the delight of the audience. Despite not being a household name, he was able to captivate the audience with his style of militant-sounding reggae music. His voice was quite powerful as he started off with the dubstep number Respect The Life You Live. He followed with a smoother Don't You Cry My Lover, which was preferred by the females. But towards the end of his set, he got more persons involved as he did Way Up, which had patrons singing along.
Then it was time for No-Maddz.
"Approximately 400 kids are missing since the start of the year," group member Sheldon Shepherd said, while denouncing paedophilia in Nuh Guh Deh, which got a good response from the audience.
Shotta was also a favourite with Oniel Peart's voice getting the opportunity to shine. He would again take the spotlight with Romance, which was met with screams from the females.
Steps Dem Ordered got some 'forwards' from the attentive audience for the decent punchlines and strong instruments. Ska-inspired She Likes To Party had the audience dancing and Peart again worked for his share of the pay based on the intense drumming he did during the song.
No-Maddz remixed Third World's Now That We Found Love, substituting 'love' for 'herb' and their love for marijuana could not be overlooked at this point. In an energetic manner, they did Rise Above Profanity, which got the attention of the entire audience. But as expected, the night could not end without their signature Pukupoo.
Earlier in the evening, patrons took advantage of the food and beer on offer, as well as video and board games, pool and dominoes. They were also entertained by Kurt Riley, who played songs like Wayne Wonder's Bashment Girl, Sizzla's I Need You and Ding Dong's Holiday.