A slow start to the evening which somewhat culminated in a frenzy of ‘Bucket’ water showering by the man himself….Swappi.

In a flattering moment, Poison UK’s Mas Band 2012 launch came with a visual trip to Venice, via Camden, North London. The launch of Carnevale De Venezia, came with elements of surprise and was presented through an array of colourful costumes, laced with jewels, Venetian masks, a short cinematic clip and intermittent performances from our very own  Nekeisha, Triniboi Jooci, Konata, the delectable Ms Desire and the trendsetter himself Swappi 4D!

With Trinidad celebrating its 50th anniversary of Independence and Poison UK’s 10th year at the Notting Hill Carnival, this night proved to be an interesting one, but nonetheless enjoyable.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE POISON UK BAND LAUNCH

The Venue: The Camden Centre – Grade II listed building in the heart of North London with a capacity for up to 900 people and a decent sound system.

Costume Parade: Held on a stage, the costume parade was presented in sections, all equally accompanied by a performance and an impressive cinematic clip which paid homage to the band members.

The Vibe: Despite Triniboi Jooci’s attempts at waking up the crowd and Ms Desire’s hyping up the crowd, the vibe remained mixed until Swappi’s arrival.

The Crowd: A lackluster atmosphere was evident at the beginning, however with the arrival of the man himself, Swappi , coupled with his first ever UK performance of ‘Bucket’ the crowd hyped up. It was evident that the crowd had come to see Swappi and based on the response that was given he did not fail to deliver.

In true form, Swappi used the bucket for its purpose and in a frenzy of excitment and hype at his performance, the audience were treated to not one, but a couple of shower sprays, this proved to excite the crowd even more. He performed a list of his current hits, which were thouroughly enjoyed by all.

All-in-all: A mixed bag of feelings. The current feeling of unity that has seen the UK Soca scene grow from strength to strength was not evident in the show, however with a new venue, great performances, nice costumes, Poison UK came and represented.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE POISON UK BAND LAUNCH