D Krewe and Pulse 8 - Wekeend Recap

Back to back band launches kept the pace busy this weekend with D Krewe presenting the public launch of "Love Is" at the Hasley Crawford Stadium on Saturday and Pulse 8 unveiling "Marrakesh" on Sunday night at Zen.

D Krewe
I was looking forward to seeing the additional four sections that were not revealed at the VIP Fashion show held by the D Krewe in August so it was great anticipation that I made my way to the stadium. Once there the crowd was somewhat sedate, as if waiting for something to happen and soon enough Dil E Nadan took to the stage and the party got started! Dil E Nadan really impressed me with the range of material that they performed, delighting the crowd with soca, reggae, dancehall and even back in time classics. After a performance that woke up the crowd, the 19 sections were presented just after midnight.

It was interesting to note that some sections were revamped after the initial showing in August, TooToolbay for example added a frontline and removed the protrusions from the rear of the backline costume. The frontline headpiece for Fling was adapted and Music got a makeover. The costumes were much better for the upgrade and it shows that costume critiques were taken into consideration and instituted to make them better.



The most significant , and crowd pleasing, event was incorporating plus sized models in the launch who showed a realistic example of costume choices tailored to masqueraders who are not a size 4. My hats go out to the ladies who took to the stage alongside their skinnier counterparts and brought down the house as the crowd LOVED it, cheering every time one of the larger models took to the stage.



Of the new sections on show, Cloud Nine, Climax, Savage and Envy I like Cloud 9's frontline as well as the revamped Attraction and frontline Seduction are among my favourites. The one caveat with showing 19 sections, some of which I had seen before, is that it seemed like an endless parade of costumes and I was quite happy when it finally came to an end. Overall a good showing by D Krewe and I look forward to seeing them on the road, but catering to 350 per section it will be wise for other bands not to be stuck behind them!



D KREWE LAUNCH PICS CLICK HERE

Marrakech
If one thing Pulse 8 can boast is a very strong turn out for it's launch of Marrakech as parked cars stretched as far as the eye could see upon approaching Zen. I was somewhat skeptical about the return to Zen for the launch as last year the fog machine was a challenge to take proper photographs. This year the layout was similar but thankfully there was no fog ! The actual launch was slightly delayed but a tantalizing opening number by three belly dancers gave a stirring performance which was well received by patrons.



Although my personal opinion is that the costumes represented nothing of the theme with few exceptions, generally they were attractive for the most part. My peeve is that the theme Marrakech is such a great one for costume ideas and it is not difficult to infuse some Arabian and Moroccan design elements instead of using generic beads and feathers.



With that said I do like Berber Tribe, Aguadores and Henna Painters since I think those bright colours will really pop on the road. I will not reiterate my sentiments on Treasure Seekers but it would do detractors good to read some archives of a few weeks ago where another one of Peter's sections was put on blast as well.



The Pulse 8 Mas camp will be opened Monday to Friday from 4pm to 7:30Pm and 12 noon to 6PM on Saturdays. These opening hours are until November. December to February opening hours will be posted on the website.

PULSE 8 LAUNCH PICS HERE