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Photos by Damian B./Damon H.
Carnival Tabanca 2008
Date: Saturday 1st March 2008
Location: Abacus. 24 Cornhill. London, EC3V 3ND
Promotions: Busspepper Promotions
Click on thumbnails to see the big picture/entire gallery
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After a fantastic Carnival in Trinidad I must admit I was hesitant to attend any Caribbean events in the UK. For some reason I felt that the Caribbean promoters in Britain could not provide anything that could match the exuberance, excitement and merriment that their colleagues in Trinidad had dished out prior to lent. Fortunately for the TJJ crew and the patrons that attended Busspepper's Carnival Tabanca, I was wrong.

We got down to Abacus about 11:00PM. Parking in the heart of the city is always difficult. So we had to circle around for about 15mins before we got a proper spot. As we approached the club there was a long queue. People were standing out in the cold anxiously waiting to get into the dance. The girls were all covered up with scarves, gloves and huge coats. As partygoers waited and chatted in the line, you could see the vapour from the warmth of their body as it precipitated on the cold air. We started thinking; we were earlier than we thought, as most peeps were still outside of the party. Nope, boy did we get a rude awakening!

As I left the upstairs area where people were sitting, enjoying the aromatic smelling food catered by expert Caribbean chef Hassan, having casual conversation, and enjoy drinks; I walked downstairs to the main dancehall where I went into shock seeing the place jam packed. The party was in full swing! People were not holding back ... they were getting down low and misbehaving. As we started capturing people’s exhilaration on camera there was no way to describe this as a depressing affair as the Trinidadian word, “Tabanca” conveys!

The word to describe this party was “HOTT!” - this was literally and figuratively. At first, we weren't sure if there were just too many people or if the air-con was not working. But soon we realized ... it was the people!! They were jumping, waving, wining and grinning sooooo much, that there was a heatwave in de place. We're not kidding ... check out the pics! Girls were breaking loose, so much so, that they were dripping with sweat. The guys were right behind them, keeping the pace. Down to the back of the dance floor was so hot and wet that we camera lens was fogging up!! Pressure!! Now some might think they would not be able to handle this kind of sweat box ...... but this was what made this party off the hook. People forgot the place and time, and they were just jamming hard .... "Jamishness"!! It was such a drastic contrast to the freezing cold that was outside the club doors.

There were at least 800 patrons in the club. Gladiators, DJ Markee and Kern Crosby (Hi Fidelity/Less Than Zero) kept the party pumping until 4:00AM. Busspepper has definitely established itself at the forefront of Trini events in the UK. To all peeps coming up on the 2 year visa, this is a must do along with the London Eye and Buckingham Palace!!

Benji for the TJJ Fam.

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Related Galleries
Carnival Tabanca 2007
Carnival Tabanca 2006