30 bands play in Panorama Savannah Party

Come Sunday, thousands are expected to assemble at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, in support of their favourite band or bands at the National Panorama medium and large conventional bands semifinals.

Starting at 1 pm, the Savannah Party pan event will feature 14 medium bands and 16 large bands competing for a spot in the upcoming finals. While it is usually 14 large bands competing, the Pan Trinbago executive decided – in honour of its former president Patrick Arnold – to allow all large bands to the semifinals.

Republic Bank Exodus is heading the list into the semifinals having got 278 points playing the late Arrow’s 1984 hit, Long Time.

Ten-time Panorama winner Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra trails a close second with 274 points playing Olatunji’s popular 2024 song, Inventor.

Last year’s Panorama champs Bp Renegades tied for second place with All Stars also scoring 274 points playing Mical Teja’s popular 2024 song DNA. That song is a popular new choice among the large bands with four of them playing DNA. It is also the song of choice for Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps and RBC Redemption Sound Setters.

HADCO Phase II Pan Groove will play its 2024 song Gimme Everything done collaboratively with Kes and singer/producer Keshav.

Other bands are playing classics like Kitchener’s 1987 Pan In A Minor, the late Denyse Plummer’s 2009 Nah Leaving, Johnny King’s 1988 Wet Me Down and Christopher “Tambu” Herbert’s 1989 Road March Free Up.

At Pan Trinbago’s draw for positions on Wednesday, the executive also took the decision to have the bands scoring the least points (Harmonites and RBC Redemption Sound Setters) to play in the first and second spots at the semifinals.

Former medium band champions NGC Couva Joylanders leads the group in the medium bands with 271 points playing Byron Lee and the Dragonaires Soca Tatie.

Last year’s champions Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra was second with 267 points playing the late Merchant’s 1985 hit, Rock It.

Newer songs were not as popular among the medium bands with Olatunji’s 2023 hit Engine Room being among the latest.

Other songs being played are SuperBlue’s 1994 popular song Flag Party, Baron’s This Melody Sweet, the late Duke’s Is Thunder and Benjai’s Come Out to Play.

Here is a list of the bands, points heading into semifinals and songs (not in order of appearance):

Medium Bands

NGC Couva Joylanders, Soca Tatie – 271 points

Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, Rock It – 267 points

Pamberi Steel Orchestra, Carnival Jumbie – 265 points

Pan Elders Steel Orchestra, Come Out to Play – 265 points

Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille, Moving – 264 points

Curepe Scherzando Steel Orchestra, Darling – 264 points

Arima Angel Harps, Is Thunder – 261 points

NGC Steel Xplosion, Both Ah Them – 260 points

NGC La Brea Nightingales, Nah Leaving – 260 pointsTornado, Engine Room – 257 points

Sangre Grande Cordettes, Soca Baptist – 255 points

Dixieland Steel Orchestra, This Melody Sweet – 254 points

Valley Harps, Flag Party – 254 points

Tunapuna TIPICA Steel Orchestra, Rant and Rave – 254 points

Large Bands

Republic Bank Exodus, Long Time-278 points

Massy Trinidad All Stars, Inventor – 274 points

Bp Renegades, DNA – 274 points

Heritage Petroleum Skiffle , Inventor – 272 points

NLCB Fonclaire, This Party Is It – 272 points

Desperadoes, DNA – 270 points

Fist Citizens Supernovas, Wet Me Down – 270 points

T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps, DNA, 270 points

Shell Invaders, Free Up – 269 points

HADCO Phase II Pan Groove, Gimme Everything – 269 points

Nutrien Silver Stars, Inventor – 268 points

Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra, Pan In A Minor-Remastered – 265 points

Siparia Deltones, Nah Leaving – 265 points

NLCB Buccooneers Steel Orchestra, Fire Coming Down – 264 points

RBC Redemption Sound Setters, DNA –259 points

Harmonites, Jahaji Bhai – 255 points