By Chaos, Freelance WriterMEGAJAMZ' 'HENEKEIN Studio 98' took place at the Liguanea Club last Saturday night and, to all intents and purposes, it was a party with a difference.
As MC Spike reminded people throughout the night, the event was supposed to be a dance party and dance the people did. Although the Liguanea Club was never full, a fair-sized crowd was on hand to listen to the dance tracks laid down by deejay Squeeze and selectors on the Mega Skyy Disco, as well as to see the five ladies who all gave rather good live performances.
Slated for a 9 p.m. start, the first live performance on the night came from Chrissy D at 11:35 p.m. Taking the stage after a billow of smoke which preceded her entrance, she walked on singing a few lines of the Gloria Gaynor classic I Will Survive before segueing into her own song, Hot Gyal. She used the stage well and interacted with the audience at numerous moments in an effort to keep the energy going, efforts which were for a large part successful.
Earlier on, a stroll around the venue, which was literally littered with promotional material from the event's sponsors, saw a group in one corner enjoying some food, others gathered around the three bars present, a large plasma screen in one corner showing Heineken advertisements, which, truth be told, were as entertaining as the live acts, including one that showed the accidental birth of the 'lighter' phenomenon at shows and another that showed how the practice of 'scratching' came into being, both being beer-related.
'Heineken Studio 98' was billed as appealing to the 'more mature' crowd but those present ran the gamut from the young to the well-preserved young-at-heart. The deejays played dance tracks leading up to the first live performer and in between sets, sticking to a '70s and '80s theme. Songs from dancehall's earlier years such as Yellow Man's Zungo Zen were mixed with others such Matthew Wilder's Ain't Nothing Gonna Break My Stride with skill and to great effect.
A sexy Nadine Sutherland was next on-stage and she impressed. Shimmering in silver, she 'bubbled', danced, did the 'Butterfly' and sang her heart out over pre-recorded tracks, which she said was a new format for her.
Shannon, who is famous for songs such as Give Me Tonight, was impressive. The Washington D.C. resident declared her West Indian roots and tried to be as Jamaican as possible, bantering with the audience as she delivered hit after hit, dressed simply in a beige outfit and showing quite a number of dance moves to boot.
Marcia Griffiths, resplendent in red, also graced the stage and was the only person to use back-up singers, who were practically unheard, since Griffiths, as did all the performers, sang over tracks. She closed a short but decent set with her international hit Electric Boogie.
As good as everyone was last Saturday night, the last performer, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, showed how it really is done. She declared that the '70s were alive and well, and went on to demonstrate what she meant. With a powerful voice ringing out clarion clear, she gyrated, shook her posterior, danced, sang and entertained in a stint that at times bordered on the risqué. With songs such as her international hit Shame, she rolled back the years to everyone's enjoyment, bringing what had been both a trip down memory lane and a dance party to an end after two in the morning.
