Becket, Cover Drive, Soka Kartel headline Bequia Mount Gay Music Fest 2014!

It’s just one week to go before the Bequia Mount Gay Music Fest kicks off its 11th anniversary four-day music-filled weekend in Bequia.{{more}} Patrons from St Vincent and visitors to Bequia from all over the world will be treated to megawatt performances from Alston “Becket” Cyrus, who will close out the weekend on Sunday afternoon with the grand Mount Gay finale, plus UK chart-topping Cover Drive and 2014 Band of the Year Soka Kartel from Barbados, who will headline the Saturday night show at De Reef.

Opening honours for the Music Fest go to the Frangipani Hotel, where the fabulous 13-piece Elite Steel Orchestra from St Vincent will perform on Thursday, 23rd January from 9 p.m.

Thanks to Basil Charles, on Friday, 24th January, the Bequia Mount Gay Music Fest once again welcomes the Mustique Blues Festival to Bequia for one night only. Dana Gillespie and the London Blues Band and her guest artistes will guarantee another thrilling night’s entertainment, dedicated to the Blues at its very best. Headlining this year are stunning American electric blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland, “Best New Blues Artist” Zac Harmon from Jackson, Mississippi, British Blues guitar legend Ian Siegal, and the extraordinary Dino Baptiste on keyboard.

On Saturday 25th, from 12.30 p.m, the Bequia Beach Hotel in Friendship will be the venue for a hot and cool Afternoon Jam by the beach, featuring visiting and locally-based musicians from St Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s a chilled afternoon of music in the hotel’s beautiful gardens and, best of all, admission is free!

Saturday night is Music Fest fete night at De Reef. Debuting in Bequia this year, on a massive wave of anticipation, are not one, but two headlining bands – UK chart-topping Cover Drive, who opened for Rihanna in Barbados, and Barbados’ soca sensation Soka Kartel. Also performing is the extraordinarily gifted young band Nj30+ featuring Marius Charlemagne, guitar virtuoso Toby Armstrong, and Bequia’s own Infinity, who will open the Saturday night show.

The ever popular Music Fest Sunday by the beach will see the legendary Vincentian calypsonian Becket closing out the weekend at the massive Mount Gay Finale at De Reef in Lower Bay. Huge crowds are expected to come for Becket’s first performance in Bequia for nearly 20 years.

Also performing on Sunday afternoon will be the Bequia “Kids on Pan” Steel Orchestra, Bequia’s Country Relatives, Jazz, Blues and Rock by the Denzil Bacchus Blues Band, the Bequia Blues Band and other guest appearances.

Tickets for all shows are on sale at Quik Print in St Vincent, and in Bequia at the Bequia Tourism Office, Lina’s Delicatessen, De Reef, Bequia Beach Hotel, Bequia Technology Centre, Vintages and the Frangipani Hotel.

Tickets prices are EC$65 for advance single night tickets (EC$75 at the door). Tickets for Sunday afternoon are EC$20 (EC$25 at the door). An advance “weekender ticket” for all three ticketed events is available for a bargain EC$140. Admission is free to the Frangipani on Thursday and to the Jazz ‘n’ Blues Jam by the Beach on Saturday afternoon at the Bequia Beach Hotel.

The Bequia Mount Gay Music Fest is only possible because of the enthusiastic support it receives from local businesses. Apart from Title Sponsorship from Mount Gay Rum (Barbados), the event also receives Gold Sponsorship from LIME, the Bequia Beach Hotel, and SVG Ministry of Tourism/SVG Tourism Authority, Silver Sponsorship from the St Vincent Brewery, and additional sponsorship from Air Adelphi, Frangipani Hotel, De Reef, CRS Music & Media, (Barbados), Admiralty Transport Co Ltd, L’Auberge des Grenadines and Quik-Print (St Vincent); the Bequia Mount Gay Music Fest is also generously supported by Basil’s Bar Mustique, Nice Radio, Mountain Top Springs Water, Julie’s Guest House, Mac’s Pizzeria, Vintages Bequia (Agents for Mount Gay Rum), Doris’ Fresh Food, Bequia Technology Centre, WAG Service Station, Nichols Garage St Vincent, Compass Publishing and Outhouse Graphics.

For more information visit www.begos.com/bequiamusicfest and www.facebook.com/bequiamusicfest