Germaine Smith, Staff Reporter
TOK performs at Teenfest Show, held at Ranny Williams Centre, Hope Road, St. Andrew on Saturday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AS FAR as summer sessions go, Teenfest at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Saturday night was not the block-buster smash-hit party that everybody will talk about, but at the same time, those absent missed some interesting things.
The crowd associated with summer 'teeny' events was not there, with half-filled stands remaining through the night. The event itself however, was dotted with wild bouts of entertainment at times, plus other moments which bordered on the bizarre.
TECHNICAL GLITCHES
Technical glitches almost crashed the final segment of the show, giving TOK, KB, surprise act Beenie Man, and others a warm time with the fading microphone. Outside of that, the show was a display of who could unleash rapid lyrics as fast as possible to an impatient and dance-crazy young audience.
The energetic juggling of the sound systems took enough care of their dancing needs earlier in the night. In fact, at times, the outdoor complex resembled an oversized aerobics class as the hundreds of teens 'Willie Bounced' and dipped to every tune.
For the most part, the show segment was entertaining. It blasted off innocently with acts like Schoolboy, Maurice, Mr Pepper, Sugar Roy and Conrad Crystal and the tiny 10-year-old QQ getting the first bouts of whistles and approval shouts from the audience. Others received a solid wall of silence, while a handful received the dreaded 'leave the stage' whistle.
MAINTAINING THE ENERGY
Later on, TOK maintained the energy with quick renditions, before being joined by Leftside and Esco, a.k.a. 'Dr Evil' and Esco. The Monster Twins then crowned themselves the Twins of Dancehall before being joined by the Twins of Twins.
They chatted up quite a storm, creatively avoiding the no cursing rules of the event in their tracks like tI Need Vagina, and using the stern voice of Mutabaruka to attack careless parents, the prison system, and the laws against indecent language.
UPCOMING ACTS
Just as they were about to overstay their limited time, they introduced Aidonia who led a rather special segment. Some would call it the 'next generation' segment, as it was packed with upcoming acts who the dancehalls are just warming up to.
Aidonia slid the microphone to Hollow Point, and the remaining Gangbang crew of Platinum Kid, Problem Child, and Einstein said their piece.
Shane O stepped out and in his seasoned deejay style laced rapid lyrics that had the teens hungrily lapping his words up. KB grabbed his share of the light as well, and Desperado followed to catch his share of the sunshine. These new contenders it seemed had the ears of the young public.
Wrapping up was a laid-back Beenie Man, a saucy Macka Diamond and an energetic Black-er.
