On the Saturday night before Carnival kicks off on Sunday, there is the Steel Pan championship "Panorama" in Emslie Horniman Pleasance park on the carnival route. The local bands practice here all week on the run up to it so you can come out and get a sense of what is to come! On the night, the participating bands line up in a que rehearsing their sequences before they each enter the judging panel. They have to physically pick up their drums to move them along the road as their turn comes closer. This is quite possibly the most physically challenging instrument of all time! The songs are epically long and the arm-work is fast and constant. The Ebony Mas Steel Band took this a stage further with a choreographed dance routine of spinning round inbetween chords. Here you can see a couple in their Fela Kuti Felabration t-shirts which inspired their theme for this year. Check out their incredible winning performance here. I wish so much that I could play, it looks SO MUCH FUN!
