Courts Babonneau Steel Orchestra does it again!

With at least five other activities on Events Saint Lucia’s Calendar of Events for Friday July 12, the National Panorama Competition still managed to draw a modest crowd to Vigie playing field. Seven orchestras—Lucelec Pantime Steel, St. Lucy Steel Pan, Pantastic Muzik, Caribbean Grains Laborie Steel Pan, Soufcan Steel, two-time defending champions Courts Babonneau Steel and West Coast Survivors—competed for the title.

Performing first, Lucelec Pantime Steel Orchestra came out with a bang, with Victim Story by former Calypso Monarch the Mighty Pep. The group seemed determined to unseat last year’s champions and had the crowd swaying in no time. Pantastic Musik was among the best for presentation. Playing Arthur Allain’s Sha Leh Sho, the performance also featured fire-eaters. Presentation aside, the band’s rendition of the song was also well executed.

The defending champions came well prepared with a large contingent of players and steel pans. The event’s final act, they played the Boo Hinkson classic One Bad Prick. Even before the end of their performance, most of the audience had declared them the night’s bigger winner. Officially they tallied 475 points to guarantee victory.

Caribbean Grains Laborie Steel Pan, with 428 points, placed second. Third place went to Lucelec Pantime with 423 points. Babonneau’s musical director Alison Marquis’ reaction to his group’s third big win: “I don’t really dwell on these things. I’m just happy that they put on a great performance.”
He took the opportunity during a short interview to thank their sponsor, Courts. “They’ve been with us from the year 2000 and through their help and assistance we’ve been able to reinvest in new instruments and make things happen.”