They may have been first on and a supporting act for UB40 but Raging Fyah lit up Parc y Scarlets this evening, Saturday (Jun 10) with a fantastic set of reggae music. This five piece band line up of Anthony Watson, Kumar Bent, Courtland White, Demar Gayle and Delroy Hamilton are regarded as one of Jamaica’s most promising young acts. The band have been compared to Aswad and Third World and it is easy to see why as they took to the stage and brought Jamaican sunshine to a damp and overcast Llanelli. They have been described as one of the most talented and dynamic groups ever to hit the Jamaican music scene.
The follow on act was The Wailers (Yes! Of Bob Marley and the Wailers fame). If the crowd had been warmed up nicely by the talents of Raging Fyah they were in for severe sunburn as The Wailers belted out all the classic Bob Marley hits. The sole surviving member of the original Wailers line up Al Anderson played on Marley’s hits including; No Woman, No Cry, Dem Belly Full and Curfew (Three O’ Clock Road Block). He has also played with Peter Tosh, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, Steel Pulse, Aswad, Inner Circle, Traffic and Ben Harper. The reformed configuration includes Chet Samuel (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Omar Lopez (Bass Guitar), carrying forward the true spirit and realities of the original music and the message of “One Love”. With the crowd growing in number as the night rolled in The Wailers left them wanting more.
Enter Level 42 and the instantly recognisable Mark King still fronting the band who proved to be one of the biggest bands of the 1980’s. The band have a string of hit albums to date and have had worldwide success with 14 studio albums, 7 live albums, 6 compilation albums and 18 top 40 singles. With that kind of history there was bound to be something for everyone in the crowd. It wasn’t long before the Llanelli faithful got funky getting down to classics like; Lessons in Love, Something About You and Running in the Family.
The headline act for this Summer 2017 Grandslam Tour are UB40 Reunited. The original UB40 have been described as Britain’s greatest reggae artists. Their history spans over 30 years and the have sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Today’s line includes the trio from the original band, Campbell, Virtue, and Astro. The fans had come for the hits and that is what they got, including Kingston Town, I got You Babe and Cherry Oh Baby. As night fell the stage was lit up with multicolour lighting and the warmth of the music emanating from these seasoned musicians. Beer may have been the choice of beverage for the masses but it was vintage class they were handed out by way of Red, Red Wine at the end of the night. All in all this was a wonderful family event with something for everyone. The tour now rolls on to The Racecourse in Taunton. Tickets are available here
All images apart from those of the bands are available to view and download by visiting our password galleries section on this website. To view the images simply enter the password UB40
Images of Raging Fyah courtesy of Gary Shinner at Second Glance Photography
