Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Members of of Live Wyya band celebrate after winning the Jamaican leg of Global Battle of the Bands, last November. - File

At the recent revival of Reggae Sunsplash, held at the Richmond Estate in Priory, St. Ann, the Live Wyya band did musical duties for quite a few performers on the seaside amphitheatre stage. However, they sang a song or two of their own before settling into support mode.

It is an indication of sorts of where the six-man unit, lead singer Errol Bonnick, bassist Carl Edwards, guitarist Michael Downer, and keyboard players Arnaldo Bolt and Tristan Richards, want to go.

"We are pulling away from being a backing band, slowly but surely, and becoming a showband. We have the album, the videos, people should look out for them," Bonnick told The Gleaner.

That album, the self-produced Solid Meditation, contains Hooked On You, Punchie Nella, Rude Boy, Ten Ton, Chatty Chatty and Baby It's True, among its 16 tracks. Hooked On Love, as well as the singles Nothing But Love (a cover of Peter Tosh, done with Nicky Burt) and The People's Cry, done for those with HIV, has got video treatment.

It was in showband mode that Live Wyya won first the Jamaican leg of the 2005 Global Battle of the Bands competition, last November, then went on to be Jamaica's first representative at the annual competition in England, coming eighth out of 25 entrants from different countries.

"To us we were the crowd's favourite. The whole place stand up and dance with we," Edwards said. Bonnick said, "They never expected reggae. It was a rock oriented competition."

First exposure

It was also their first exposure to the European market as a self-contained unit and out of that has come the strong possibility of a European tour. Since the competition they have been on tour, doing support duties in Japan, Hawaii, Mexico and the east and west coasts of the United States.

Being first is not new to Live Wyya, as they were also the first group and band to win the Red Stripe Big Break competition. At one point, the name was CO2 but, as Bonnick put it, "band members change and singers change till what it is now".

Bonnick said they had appeared as a self-contained unit at the Grogge Shoppe, Devon House, and did the Ritz-Carlton New Year's Eve Ball about two years ago. There were no tuxedos on the bandstand, though. "Straight Rastaman vibration we give them," Edwards said.

Still, after their last night at Sunsplash Live Wyya was headed to a show in Negril and then off on the One Love Tour in backing-band mode. "You put in what you get out. You do what is necessary for the growth of the band," Edwards said. In addition, "you have some shows that depend on us from year to year. You have certain shows locally that we will do because of the quality". Among those are East Fest and Rebel Salute.

And sometimes the backing band role "is not what we are contracted for, it just ketch we".

Edwards said, "We go place and rock the place. The people them want clean, upful music," Bonnick said. "A no boom boom boom a move the people."

There is some disappointment at the response in Jamaica, as Bonnick said, "how we see things now, any honour a go come from abroad and yard jump on." Edwards agreed. "The levels we expect to see in Jamaica, we no see it," he said.