Originally posted on the blog Sokah2Soca (www.sokah2soca.com). We bring you only the best new music, while Island Vybe Radio rocks it live on the air!
Finals night came, and 14 of the best small, conventional Steelbands competed for Pan Trinbago's Panorama Champions for Carnival 2025. There was a 'rain delay' that created difficulties for pan pushers getting the bands on stage on time because of muddy conditions. Then, as the sweet sounds of Steelband music filled the air, the rain began to recede. All fourteen exceptional Steebands with eye-popping musical arrangements ignited the stage.
From the start, the competition brought forth excellent music, with each performance intensifying the tension with each band's fans believing that they could win it all. Not even the rain that fell could have displaced the joy felt at Skinner Park tonight. Everyone had a chance to win it all, but in the end, the judges decisions, though not always popular, were final.
Those who emerged victorious celebrated with joyous abandon, while the losers, as is usually the case, cried, "They thief, they thief; we want to see the score sheet" (credit Maestro's song). The surprise came when the announcer said there was a tie for first place, and the top three bands were the last to be announced, with two of the three bands playing "Mih Lover!" When Southern Stars were announced as the second-place band, the crowd erupted with applause as South's own Vanessa Headley-Brewster emerged as the winner along with T&TEC New East Side Dimension in the tie for first place.
Now all we can do is reminisce, but better yet, let the music play on! Even so, we still struggle to fully capture the captivating sound of the Steelband during live performances. We do have recordings of tonight's performances to savor and celebrate now that the final performances are over. WeCapture is a stellar example; we have the top three performances posted below. Go ahead and relive last night's top three performances.
The second stage of Pan is currently underway. The Single Pan Bands and Small Conventional Bands finals have now concluded, and the focus now shifts to the Medium and Large Conventional Bands finals. As we look back, let's look for the beauty of these acoustic instruments; the music was amazing, the arrangers were phenomenal, and the playing was fantastic.
To conclude, we applaud all those involved in the production of last night's performances. We also must applaud WACK Visual Radio 90.1FM for live streaming the event with Pan Trinbago at a reasonable cost. The live streaming PPV page has some issues to work out, but in the end, these small hindrances did not take away from the fact that we were able to virtually 'be there' to enjoy our wonderful musical instruments. Now on to the next, and yes, let the music play on!
Here are the announced results:
14. Road Block Steel Orchestra (Soca Train arranged by Dejean Cain) 263
13. Panosonic Connection (Garlic Sauce arranged by Marclon Byron) 266
12. St Margaret's Super Stars (Rack Me, Rack Me, arr. by Sheldon Peters and Elijah Beckles) 267
11. Arima Golden Symphony (Gold arranged by Terrance "BJ" Marcelle) 268
09. First Citizens Tobago Panthers (Tiney Wey, arranged by Michael Toby) 269
09. TT Defence Force Steel Orchestra (Swing arranged by Shaquille Vincent) 269
05. Todd's Road Rhythem Raiders (Golo arranged by Danté Pantin ) 270
05. Tokyo Steel Orchestra (Cheers to Life, arranged by Carlton "Zanda" Alexander) 270
05. Uptown Fascinators (Doh Rock It So, arranged by Ojay Richards) 270
05. Fascinators Pan Symphony (Weakness arranged by Stefon West) 270
04. Fusion Steel (Bonnie and Clyde, arranged by Darren Sheppard) 271
03. Southern Stars Steel Orchestra (d'south band) (Mih Lover arranged by Duvone Stewart) 276
01. T&TEC New East Side Dimension (Rain-o-Rama arranged by Kersh Ramsey) 279
01. Golden Hands (Mih Lover, arranged by Vanessa Headley-Brewster) 279
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Event: Pan Trinbago's Small Conventional Bands Panorama Finals
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Genre: Steelband Music
Code: PTSCBF2025
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