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Live Review: 35 Years Of Jamdown Vershun

25 February 2015 | 4:40 pm | Scott Aitken

Lovers of dancehall, reggae, dub and ska come together for event showcasing sounds of Jamaica.

The Budgie Smuggler, aka the tropical-themed twin brother of The Bakery set up for the Fringe festival, was the perfect setting for fans of dancehall, regaae, dub and ska to join together to celebrate 35 years of Jamdown Vershun on RTRFM.


Amid the inflatable sharks and beach balls hanging from the ceiling, punters gathered in the courtyard as the show began, grabbing a cheap can of Mexican cerveza (beer) to drink or some food from the pop up kiosk run by Lil’ Tortilla Boi.


DJ Upfront started off the show with an extended set of great Jamaican tunes before up-and-coming seven-piece Souljah Kaptivez took to the stage as the first live band of the night to perform an impressive set of originals mixed with covers of several Bob Marley tracks including Coming In From The Cold, One Drop and Lively Up Yourself.


Mumma Trees echoed some of the Marley love, dropping Could You Be Loved shortly after the band’s set ended and getting the dancefloor up and running before a large crowd gathered for the beginning of a live set from The Weapon Is Sound. Led by charismatic singer and guitarist Tayo Snowball, the band started off strong with Unknown Dub before Snowball enticed the audience to come closer to the stage. The band dedicated the melodica-heavy Stay Away to the Liberal National Party before closing out their set with the fiery shuffling rhythm of Willow Tree that brought the house down, with Benn Madz & Miss Eve getting on the decks to keep the party going as well as DJ Simba shortly after.

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Eight-piece The Isolites brought a heavy dose of ska, rocksteady, calypso and even some go-go dancers to the stage for their set, beginning with an explosive version of Shake It Up that got the crowd dancing along. After an impressive cover of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Tighten Up, the band finished things off with Marley’s Simmer Down.


Cera Kymarni & Lioness Movement provided the perfect ending to the night, showing off their beautiful harmonies together with great originals. The night culminated with the four-piece performing Kymami’s new single Island Breeze which got a great response from the crowd, as before Mama Trees stepped in and finished the night off with a collection of fine dancehall and reggae tunes.