It was a soca pandemonium of thrills and excitement on Boxing Day at the UWI Bowl, as the Caribbean’s Premier Soca Cooler Festival – iLove Soca, delivered another spectacular year-end banger for a Christmas treat in Mona, Kingston, on Thursday.
The retro Mario World gameplay-styled theme aesthetic which was already an immediate pull for patrons upon their arrival, who took full advantage of the photo ops.
Despite the animated theme, no games were being played with the musical selections, which were excellently curated by some of the region’s finest.
The dynamic duo- Bursh1 and Bloodline Franco had the crowd in line with soca specials with fellow heavy hitter Richie Ras and Copper Cyclone keeping the tempo high, along with young guns- Dj Tyler and Dj Mental maintin the energy.
“The Ultimate” Chromatic sound also added some versatility with its usual high-impact dancehall and hip-hop in an excellent entertainment relay of world-class juggling, creative mixing, and crowd engagement at the event.
The headline acts, Lyrkial and Lady Lava, delivered a potent combination of soca hits and performance engagement at the festival.
Lyrikal, showed why he was a crowd-puller with a commanding catalogue of hits mixed with stagecraft and had the iLove Soca crowd hyped throughout his set, which was a clinic on how to deliver a soca performance for the audience.
Soca sensation Lady Lava underscored that identity following a scorching performance at the UWI Bowl as she had the packed venue fully intuned and locked in during her set.
The singer showcased her star quality with versatility, lyricism and strong engagement with the patrons.
The Trinidadian is said to have delivered the female anthem for her hit the single ring with voracious roars to the track’s performances from the large, predominantly female patrons affirming that notion.
Rising Jamaican soca act Dwayne Stewart also provided some heat for his home crowd with the performance of his single “Push Back” to a solid reception, showing that jamaicans music inclination remains a multi-faced trait.
Overall, the 2024 staging of Love Soca- “Soca World” edition delivered and, in many cases, exceeded its world-class entertainment package in Kingston, making for an exciting year-end wrap and New Year and Soca season prelude.
Love Soca- “Soca World” was undoubtedly a certified sleek event.
