Review: Bachanal Mas Band Launch. Synopsis: Hot Like Gas!!!

A friend of mine asked me the question that if Tribe came to London, what would I think would happen? After last night’s launch, I would say “Tell Tribe to stay where they are yes!”, because in my humble opinion, they are auxiliary, not necessary, unneeded, redundant! BachanalMas exceeded itself on so many levels last night at the launch. Onwards and upwards!


Venue

I came from a house party earlier on in the evening from South London but the spot was not difficult to find at all. Literally a hop, skip and a jump from Aldgate Station or Tower Hill. The venue was Abbey Bar, a well heeled elegant venue in East Central London with a bar area on the top floor and a basement area downstairs. For those people who didn’t drive or who lived West it might have been tricky getting here but a definite step up from last year. The space was adequate and having the upper section galley allowed a sneak preview of the costumes before the fashion show. The bouncers were friendly and polite and the chap at the door was also very nice. No issues there, unlike a certain fete which shall remain unnamed. The price was right too for a launch – 10 squid at the door if you didn’t book in advance.

Ambience

I arrived at about 11 pm and there were lots of people milling around in the upstairs bar area and Paul and the rest of the team were busy preparing for the catwalk show that was to follow. The feeling of carnival permeated the air since you walked in because the individual costumes for each section (most of which are already booked) were on display and they were striking, hot, sexy and fabulous. Nuff rhinestones to rival Swarovski! Nuff braids and beadings that could rival ah Indian wedding. And plenty plenty plenty feathers. Ostrich feathers and plumes, duck feathers, goose feathers, peacock feathers- I sure I see yard fowl feathers and all decorated with some crystals! Feathers to suit every pocket!!! Upstairs, there were also ladies with nicely printed colourful registration forms who were enthusiastic and friendly about booking and registration. Service with a friendly Caribbean warm smile. A plus.

The theme was meant to be Mad Hatters and although I went with no hat, there were a few ladies and men with their millinery, decked out to the max, whilst others came with Carnival costume headpieces.

On the bottom floor, lots of people had not arrived yet, presumably waiting for the call to order. One subject of fascination were the flamboyantly dressed fabulous divos who were hatted out to the max some decked out in tights short shorts and already wining and grinding. I loved it!!! A friend I met at the party was not as amused and was not loving it but hey ho, to each his own!! We all inclusive!!!

The Costumes

One sentence. Costumes hot too rass!!!

I will only comment here on the options that were "modeled" as I want to leave the frontline for another post later on in the week- too much fabulosity for one post!

The presentation itself was done catwalk style. I would have probably preferred a running commentary of the costumes themselves and what exactly was Option A/Option B but this information could very easily be retrieved from the website.

The name of the presentation is Traditions and it is described as a modern portrayal of traditional elements of mas. I think the theme is very apt seeing as Traditional Mas is almost dead in the Caribbean. Making bikini mas into traditional Mas is ironic, as well as poignant and as such, I felt the presentation was a heady mix of McFarlanesque drama and storytelling with modern highlights.

Blue Devil

Blue Devil is the modern incarnation of Jab Jab and Jab Molassie. Blue Devils are traditionally covered in blue paint on Jourvert Morning and renders traditional jab jab more accessible and more contemporary so it was particularly apt that this was the first section.

The female frontline costume featured silver horned headgear complimented by a plethora of striking sea blue plumes that were crystal encrusted. The bra was very heavily decorated with a combination of large and small blue crystals but it was the belt that popped out at me. Very large gemstones!!! The footpieces were gladiator shield style and the costume also featured two large swathes of blue fabric for the real mas divas. The blue evoked the colour of blue used for blue devil mas so it was accurate, but were I on the design team I would have probably gone for a deeper shade of blue to give it a sense of horror and maybe some black crystals with the silver to enter into that realm of terror. It is a very very pretty costume to be a devil!!

I liked it very much (and the lady who portrayed this did it justice) but this costume was not my favourite only because of the large winged swathes of fabric. This could be cumbersome on the road and I am a backline babe. To be honest, they could just not to be worn because quite frankly the rest of the costume is fierce enough on its own.

The male version of the costume was equally as striking with actual wings, satin shorts that complemented the costume (not shorts that could be found in a sports shop), a cape, and a horned headpiece that featured more “manly” feathers.

Soucouyant

The soucouyant is the traditional bloodsucking woman. She should be sexy and bold, with an element of evil. Bachanalmas chose a combination of sunset orange and burnt yellow to represent the soucoyant- and the blend of colours was perfect in my opinion. Option A featured a humongous headpiece with dramatic red and orange plumes, Option B was slightly smaller but equally as magnificent.

What was ingenious here was the use of traditional Caribbean tie-dye fabric along with the beading and studding to create a costume that was majestic and still simple. Not overdecorated- the fabric did the talking. Tie dye fabric was set on a red base and decorated with red crystals over the bra. Fabric was interspersed with beading to create a belt that was light and fluid. Option A also featured a cape in the gorgeous tie-dye. I loved this costume- brilliant use of colours and textiles.

Arawaks

Arawaks were the original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. They are the indigenous tribe, and I expected the costume portraying Awaraks to be elegant yet still earthy. I was not disappointed.

The colour palette was not bright and so was inkeeping with the tones of nativeness. The female belt featured a skirt made of a mixture of caramel brown and black feathers with muted crystals in the waist band area in speckled owl-brown and orange. The bright gold of the bra is sexily hidden with matching feathers and the braiding on the arm bands (bedecked with feathers) remind me of cowrie shells. The headpiece (in cream/brown/yellow) was the standout feature of this costume. The bright yellow fanned out sun-like from its base and as such the neutral palette of the rest of the costume complemented it brilliantly.

I liked this costume because it was not typical bling bling show girl although I felt that something should have enlivened it! Shells, indigenous fabric maybe? The frontline asymmetric option (one embellished and one feathered) was also a brilliant touch. In terms of creativity A plus.

Jab Molassie

This was one of the favourite costumes of the night. I could hear the oohs and aahs of the divos behind me and my friend thought that this was THE section. The richness of the colour, the balance of the accessorial pieces and the innovation with the feathering were fantastic. I would not have associated bright orange with Jab Molassie but hey ho as I always say... is Mas!

The female bra was elegantly and gently beaded, with just a touch of braiding and a few touches of crystals. The belt was pure rhinestones but the sheer beauty of the section lay in the theatrical, almost daisy-beautiful feathers of the headpieces and armbands. Because feathers are the most indigenous accessory, I felt that they were a perfect complement. The female headpiece was chieftainesque in style and the combination of plumes and boa fab gave the costume the edge to catapult it to the forefront of sexy with an S.

I found the male costume had a lot of pieces- there were orange shorts, a belt, a waistcoat and a heavy headpiece. I didn’t feel that the pieces went together as well as the female section but in terms of quantity of items it was value for money.

Midnight Robbers

This was my personal favourite section. A black costume needs to be executed with precision. It needs to sparkle without being over the top. It can’t be too dull. Midnight Robbers are one of the most feared creatures in old mas. It is meant to represent death as the ultimate king of the masquerade of life- Peter Minshall did it with perfection in the 80's.

Option A was the winner of the night. Jet black mega plumes accented with a silver crown that fanned around the head. A fully crystal encrusted black bra with a few strategically placed red green and blue and purple rhinestones that all combined together and complemented the sheen of the black. The belt was not sensational but it shimmered in all the right places- but the true beauty was the plumes that extended from feet to waist, mimicking sudden flight- the real midnight robber! This, I felt was innovative and contemporary and added lots of hi-drama. Option B though sexy, looked positively ordinary beside it.

The male costume also made a solid impact. Instead of a feathered headpiece, it featured a hat in sombrero style which was veiled- giving the impact of a silent attack. This is the traditional hat of the Midnight Robber. The braces and the wings were the only accoutrements that were needed- they were executed with finesse. Males- A plus!

Pierrot Grenade

This was not a favourite of the group I was with, but I am an eccentric soI loved the concept of this costume and the way it was given lots of thought! I loved the reference to authenticity with the use of the mask (reference to literature and the arts of the Pierrot- loved it) but with a modern touch (not on the face, but mounted on the headpiece) and the use of ribbons on the hands and belt instead of feathers to add drama and a sense of pretty.

I loved the tricolore colour palette of pastel blue and pink set on white. Very this season. The beading was also not over the top- which to me said a lot about the attention to detail. It is very easy to over embellish. The most thoughtful costume of the night- the bras were perfect but I would have added a bit more ribbons to the belt to get more of a feel of Pierrot.


Fancy Indian

This finished off the sections with a big bang!! A crazy colour combination of fluorescent green and mauve/purple that would not seem to have worked on paper (although it looked okay in the sketches) exploded in person with magnificent result. Although the design of belt was simple, the fluorescent fringing throughout with just a touch a sparkle and a mammoth priestess style headpiece was just overpowering, resulting in a truly splendid costume. This was complemented by blue symbolic designs. The male costume was just as good- the headpiece was a chieftain style and there was lots of regalia- a fully decorated belt, footpieces, handpieces and a cape which all looked manly and not too “pretty” as some of the men fear.

Conclusion

I left the band launch sated. I was thrilled with the choices. It would have been nice to see the costume I intended to play with before the launch (Fancy Sailor)- ah wonder what happen? That costume was at the pre launch if I am not mistaken! Also it would have been great to see some of the kiddies' sections (Imp and Baby Doll).The prices were just right- male costumes ranged from 110-135 and female from 125-160. I asked how registration was going and most of the frontline costumes were sold out, with only 3 or 4 costumes remaining in some sections, so all yuh better book early else yuh will get left! I consider these costumes an absolute bargain at the prices they are offered as they are definitely Trinidad quality and the designs are sexy sexy sexy hot hot hot!!!

Next week we liming at Burrokeets!