Blondie Bird takes King and Queen of the Bands titles
THE CARNIVAL mas camp of Blondie Bird and Friends has closed the 2024 Vincymas season with wins in the Queen of the Bands, King of the Bands, and Individual of the Band competitions.
The competitions were held last Sunday, August 11, 2024 at Carnival City, Victoria Park for the first time ever in August, after bad weather during Vincymas 2024 forced the postponement of the competitions which were originally scheduled for Dimanche Gras on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Blondie Bird and Friends won their seventh Winston “Samo” Samuel Band of Year title on Mardi Gras day Tuesday, July 9, with their portrayal “Motherland”.
On Sunday Night, “Yaa Asantewaa -Queen of the by Simone Richardson (ninth win), won the Queen of the Band title; while “African Arts & Craft” showcased by Jelani Niles (second win), was adjudged King of the Bands. “Yaa Asantewaa -Queen of the Ashanti” had 230 points, and also took the Individual of the Band title to the Blondie Bird and Friends mas camp.
The King of the Bands was designed and built by Sowondo “Osborne” Browne, while the Queen was designed by Band Leader, Garth Niles and built by Browne and costume designer, Ozzie Constance.
This is Blondie’s ninth Queen of the Bands title, and their 12th King of the Bands win.
Niles told SEARCHLIGHT on Monday, August 12, 2024, “when you win, it is great feeling especially when you win King and Queen, and Band of the Year.
“…is a great feeling because you coming up against people you learn from like Gideon “Giddy” Lockhart, and to beat your teacher is a great feeling, everyone learnt from people like Giddy,” Niles said.
Commenting, Browne, who has been involved in mas for 23 years, said he felt they had won even before the competition was held as he was very confident.
“It is a good achievement because we came up against big names. The competition seemed hard at first, but when I saw the competition
in park on the night, I knew we had won before the results,” Browne stated.
In second place in the King of the Bands Competition was Lynx Mas Band with “Jewel of the Seas-Docked at the SVG Cruise Ship Berth”, portrayed by Atiron Lockhart. There was a tie for third between Nelson Bloc’s “The Merry Maker of a Mad Symphony” portrayed by Chewalee Johnson, and SVG Players’ International Mas Band’s “Dragon Dancer – celebrating Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon”, portrayed by Kelvin Billinghurst.
Second place in the Queen of the Bands competition went to SVG Players International with “A look inside the NewYork Aquarium”, portrayed by Celina Clouden; while third went to Verlene Ralph and the Professionals and their Ateika Lockhart modelled costume, “Bling with the riches of the earth”.
Second in the Individual of the Bands competition was Nelson Bloc’s “The Merry Maker of a Mad Symphony” portrayed by Chewalee Johnson; and third was Lynx Mas Band with “Jewel of the Seas-Docked at the SVG Cruise Ship Berth” portrayed by Atiron Lockhart.
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