SUNDAY 27th AUGUST 2006:
I woke up just as dawn was breaking. Strange that, I never knew that dawn was such a fragile girl.
Today was the start the mega weekend. We had to be on site before 09:00 or the police cordons would not have let us through.
This coupled with the edict that if you were allocated slots for both days for carnival, you had to fulfill your obligations or next year you would not get a slot at all.
So the Lioness and I were on the road heading for Notting Hill at 07:30.
We arrived at 08:45, found a place to park and then walked the short distance to Southern Row.
As we walked down Southern row I could see the truck, but a distinct lack of activity.
When we finally got to the pitch, all became clear.
Apart from Aba, Aba's son Benji, Marcus (The Field Marshall, no partial), his daughter and her friend, there were no one else.
Weh de man dem? Where was the usual crew? Tucked up sweetly in their beds most likely. Aba did not look amused at the situation!
So with the help of the girls we started to set up the sound. Original girl power. We were joined later by Marco and Lucca and between us we set up the stacks.
Come 11:30 we were all set up and ready to go, as the curious started gathering and asking us who we were, as we looked like Aba Shanti, but we couldn't be as Aba Shanti does not play on the Sunday.

After assuring them that we were Aba Shanti and that we were going to be playing, the next question was when?

The funny thing was that the police had set up their HQ in the school adjacent to where we normally set up one of the stacks and that made it a bit difficult to correctly set out our speakers. I remarked to Aba that once we started playing I don't think that they will think that they have made the right choice. For when the street is packed how were they going to deploy their units by van when they could n't get out of the school yard?

But see yah, that was going to be their problem.

Due to the rain that we had the previous few days and the predicated showers for today, we set about putting plastic sheeting over the speakers stacks to protect them, just in case the heavens did open up.

By midday there was quite a few people milling around waiting for us to start and still not quite believing that were going to be playing. Well their fears were dispelled as come 12:15 the boxes came to life as we tested the set. This started a flurry of people making mobile phone calls to tell their bredrins that Aba Shanti-I was playing at the usual spot of East Row and Southern Row even though this was the Sunday and Aba Shanti normally only plays on the Monday.

The usual coup for the carnival weekend is that people go and check out Channel One on the Sunday and come to listen to us on the Monday. Well their plans had been upset by the carnival committee's edict.

By 12:30 the set had been tested and music was running. The sound of the music started to pull people in. Some were curious as to who we were making all this noise. Some were going elsewhere, but decided to park up by us and some had read this web site and knew that we were playing both days and had to come tune in to 2 days of Aba Shanti, rather than the usual one.

The amount of people who were making phone calls and even taking and transmitting pictures with their camera phones to prove that we were there and playing just goes to show how people can become conditioned to something and when a curve ball is thrown they are at a loss, as it messes up all their plans.

The Lion cub turned up at 13:00 and first things first, went in search of food. Bwoy life inna de jungle ruff, you know.
He came back with his jerk chicken, went and sat down on one of the wire boxes and tucked into it with relish. Well no he didn't put relish on it, he actually put some more pepper sauce, but you know what I mean.

By 13:15 the place was filling up nicely and when the police inspector came along with the health and safety people to check out our installation, he remarked on that fact.
A little later he was in shock when he saw the amount of people that had gathered this being 'Children's Day' and all.

Aba had decided that the Sunday was going to be revival day and he was going to be playing 'Roots & Culture' tunes from way back inna de day. Long before most of the people present had ever heard of Robert Nesta Marley.
To this end he had brought out of retirement his father's old sound system record box, which was full of righteous plastic.

His father Alan having had a seriously good little sound, (Count Alan) and records to boot, that man and man would come and beg to borrow tune when they had a 'Run Off' now called a 'Sound Clash' to play.
The soundman back in the day had a pride in their sound system and the artwork on the boxes bore testimony to this. Also their record boxes were made of some solid wood or thick marine ply, with compartments for 7 inch, 12 inch and for wax. Properly finished, so their prized records would not get damaged in transit.
Not like now! Where man ah bring in shopping bag and mash up cardboard boxes with their tunes and dubs in. (Aba take note).

Some sound record boxes were so heavy, that 4 man had to carry them in, and when they entered the hall it was like Moses and the 'Ark Of The Covenant'. People would look on in awe as they speculated as to what my man had in his box. Some of the really big sounds had 2 or 3 boxes. One or two for the plastic and one for the waxes. Coxsone, Wasifa, Quaker, Mafiatone, Neville, Duke Reid, V Rocket, Shelly, Shaka, amongst others were in this category, and when man would put down the lid of the plastic box and open the lid for the wax box, there was expectation from their followers present in the dance. But I digress, back to the report.

Aba was playing some wicked old tune that brought back memories for me I can tell you.
Back to the days of 'Four Aces', 'Night Angel', 'Cubies', 'Swan', 'Caxton', 'Whisky A Go Go', 'Providence', 'Roaring Twenties', 'Bluesville', 'Fisherman's Net', 'Georgian', 'Lansdown' and nuff 'sound run' off all over the country. Bwoy I digress again, but it is good to remember and not as the Lion cub states, "You're just getting old, dad". When I think of the alternative, getting old is not that bad.

The time was now 14:30 and there was a roadblock as more and more people came to 'kutch pon we corner'. Ari Upp and Bev of the 'Slits' fame came over to check us out and were seen skanking up until they had to leave at 18:10 to go and do their gig.

By 16:00 the vibe was electric has the crowd got seriously into the groove. The old tunes were bringing back memories for the assembled as I watched nuff of them sing the lyrics to tunes long since pass.
The rain held off and the sun was beating down and one reveller, Samira from France; who was right at the front was feeling the heat. She looked forlornly at me as I drank my ice cold drink. Did I offer her any, weh you think? My momma didn't bring up me to look down on those that have not, especially when you have. So I poured some into a plastic cup and offered it to her, which she accepted thankfully.

Long time bredrins Martine, Chaim and son Tovey came to see us. Martine and family have left these shores and are now residing pon the Dark Continent. It was nice to see them and try to have a chat over the loud music.
The Japanese woman with the Falasha T-shirt who was taking pictures of Aba as I was taking photos of the crowd and I had a little a smile at each other as she then turned the camera on me.
How do I know she was from Japan? Simple the T-shirt she was wearing was only for sale in Japan in 2005 as it was part of that tour's merchandise.

18:00: De place was rocking dread and the smiles on the people's faces was a blessing fi true as the Father bless up the place with the sun.
18:45 and the police inspector came over to us to tell us we only had 15 minutes to go before shutdown.
I had been keeping a strict monitor on the time, so I knew that we only had 15 minutes. I went and told Aba as the police took up prime position in case of trouble. As if!
Aba informed the crowd that he was winding down and that there was only 15 minutes to go and they made it quite plain by their cheering, whistling and calling that they wanted the session to continue, this made the police very digi, very digi indeed. The look he gave me was not one of peace, you get me!
Aba stopped playing music at 18:55 and thanked the assembled for coming and telling them to return tomorrow for part two. He also explained that if he continued to play music beyond the official shutdown time there would be no tomorrow and they would stop us from ever playing carnival again. So the people who had come to listen to us are not stupid and are law abiding people, they obeyed the curfew and the tension went out of the police inspector's faces to be replaced with a smile and a nod in my direction.
He came and thanked us for obeying the curfew as the crowd were dispersing and remarked on the size of the crowd. I smiled as I thought you wait until tomorrow.
We broke down the set and packed it away in the truck and by the time we had finished it was 21:45.
It had been a long long day!
I bade farewell to Aba and the Lioness and I departed for parts nearer home, for tomorrow I would be back without the Lioness to do the whole thing over again.
Bless up to Mark, his daughter and her friend, Marco and Lucca, Sweet T (Wha happen, you over sleep), Alan for their energy and help. Martine, Chaim & Tovey, Sanifa, De Lioness, De Lion Cub, Sista Millie and crew and to all the assembled........One Love!

One Love
                The Humble Lion  
Monday

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