Mac Farlane’s ‘Earth’ shakes townBy ROXANNE STAPLETON-WHYMS Wednesday, February 6 2008
REIGNING King of Carnival mas Brian Mac Farlane’s band “Earth; Cries of Despair, Wings of Hope”, dazzled the crowd at the Queen’s Park Savannah yesterday – Carnival Tuesday – as he mounted a spectacular defence of his crown.
Trini Revellers’ “Que Viva Mexico” also garnered steady applause and the roar of spectators’ approval at the main judging points around Port-of-Spain yesterday.
As the festival reached fever-pitch, it climaxed in an array of earth-tones and the perennial colourful beads, bikinis and feathers.
Mac Farlane’s environmentally friendly, “Earth: Cries of Despair, Wings of Hope” did not come charging at you with the majestic flash of colour, resplendent in Trini Revellers’ “Que Viva Mexico” or Hart’s “Lights, Camera, Action — A tribute to Hollywood”.
However, his presentation was rich, raw and trapped all of earth’s elements, capturing the state of decay, but not letting go of hope for the future.
It left several echoing that his work has definitely followed in the lineage of the legendary mas-makers, such as Peter Minshall, Wayne Berkeley and the Lee Heungs. His band’s theatrics on the “big stage” left many in awe and some close to tears. Mac Farlane’s presentation simply looked awesome.
Mac Farlane, who is the defending Band of the Year Champion, drew attention to his towering wings, intricate shapes and attachments, with several onlookers, in deep conversation as to what he was depicting.
Boasting the new King of Carnival Jhawhan Thomas with “Pandemic Rage”, Mac Farlane once again created quite a stir in the crowd with his tassa drummers’ elaborately designed individual costumes, while co-ordinated masqueraders threw potpourri at spectators.
Mac Farlane caught the splendorous effects of dawn at the Queen’s Park Savannah East, with confetti strewn in the evening sky resembling that of Sahara Dust. “He (Mac Farlane), will be hard to beat this year,” a spectator said yesterday.
“Earth Cries of Despair Wings of Hope” made its way “behind the bridge” at about 3.30 pm.
The crowd went silent as they watched Mac Farlane’s presentation to the judges with one woman saying, “this man knows what true mas is about.”
D’Boss Fancy Sailors from Belmont, brought St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain to life, as several of the band’s revellers, donned their ornate designs and resurrected the statement that you cannot “play mas and fraid powder.”
One of the sailors said he has played this type of mas for years, with his genesis in sailor depictions taking root with great mas-man, Jason Griffith. Masquerade’s “Caribbean Splendour” was awash in tropical hues, with folkloric characters such as Papa Bois and garden creatures inclusive of butterflies and lizards.
Drawing several local celebrities were Island People’s “Animal Instincts” and Tribe’s “Myths and Magic”, with ministers including Hazel Manning and Jerry Narace and President Max Richards and his wife, Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards, being revellers in the latter.
Former West Indies Cricket captain, Brian Lara, who was a prominent masquerader with Island People, took a call on his cellphone and held it in the air, giving the listener an earful of what Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival had to offer this year, with his former team-mate, Merv Dillon close by.
“Animal Instincts” also took on a more earth toned finish, opting away from the tonnes of flashy beads and contrasting colours, in its presentations of years gone by.
Mac Farlane’s band included members of the Rosalind Gabriel’s children’s band who portrayed the Wings of Hope while the adult masqueraders paraded as the Cries of Despair. — Additional reporting by Denise Balgobin and Darcel Choy.
