I-Octane gets into carnival

Reggae sensation I-Octane will grace the stage of the LIME All-Island Carnival, when it reaches the town of Linstead on Sunday at the Tru-Juice Sports Complex.

The wildly popular singer joins soca star Oscar B and former Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall contestant, Tanto Blacks as the diet of live entertainment for the travelling soca fête.

The Clarendon-born I-Octane is undoubtedly one of the most popular and sought-after acts today, which drew the attention of Morgan and his team. He will bring with him his arsenal of chart-topping hit singles, such as Lose A Friend, Inna Dem, Min' Who You A Dis, Puff It, I Ah Cry, Study Yuh Fren and more.

The event is called 'Socawukup', and will also feature Kurt Riley, DJ Charm and the Urban Legend sound system.

Soca Warriors

Socawukup comes on the back of Soca Warriors, which was held in St Thomas last weekend.

Held at Colonel Cove in Morant Bay, the roving soca fête was led by the raspy-voiced DJ Cyclone on the turntables.

He got the fête moving with soca classics such as Swingin' Engine and Butterfly.

DJ Charm and DJ Jazzy joined in to lead the crowd with more recent soca hits such as Dead or Alive and Roll It Gal, much to the pleasure of the steadily growing crowd.

The All-Island girls on stage kept the crowd on its toes with high-energy and alluring dance moves.

Patrons happily indulged in the wide array of beverages offered by sponsors, Tru-Juice, Smirnoff, Grace and Pepsi, while they waved free LIME rags high and fast.

Later, Riley commandeered the turntables and brought a burst of energy to the fête, spinning hip-hop songs such as All I Do Is Win and Black and Yellow, among other genres.

By 12:30 a.m., the fête was in high gear as patrons filed in on rapid. DJ Kurt Riley played the current soca hit Palance much to the delight of the frenzied 'warriors'. At his urging, the patrons formed an impromptu 'train' which steadily grew as it moved through the venue. The soca mix was interspersed with dancehall hits such as Vybz Kartel's Like Christmas and Mavado's Stulla.

Tanto Blacks, former Magnum Kings and Queens contestant, brought the night to a fever pitch when he performed tracks including Anything and Ticklish Me.

He kept the attention of the patrons with his wild antics and entertaining stage performance.

The artiste left the stage on a high note and set the tone for the rest of the night.

Oscar B in command

Shortly after came the formidable Oscar B.

The crowd was very receptive when the famed soca artiste kicked off his set with the popular song Tay Lay Lay and even more so when he performed a rendition of Palance. He had the patrons 'palancing' in almost perfect unison at his command.

DJ Cyclone and DJ Charm took over the turntables after Oscar B's performance, and kept the crowd moving with more dancehall hits.

The LIME All-Island Carnival definitely did not disappoint the 'Soca Warriors' who came out in their numbers to revel.

The rolling fête has also been held in St Andrew and Portland, with events left to happen in Negril, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, May Pen and St Elizabeth.