Metrocint High Voltage Mas band presents ‘Exotic Beaches’

‘Exotic Beaches’ from around the world is the focus of the Metrocint High Voltage Mas Production this year.

The band’s costumes for Vincy Mas 2018 were designed by artist Osborne “Dutty” Browne of Long Wall.

The band has 10 sections representing beaches around the world. The beaches are Mt Wynne (SVG), Rainbow Bay (New Zealand), Grey Bay (Alaska), Papakelea (Hawaii), Horseshoe Bay (Barbuda), Golden Bay (China), Hyans Beach (Australia), Pfeiffer Bay (California), Ramla Bay (Malta) and Cavendish Beach (Canada). Mt Wynne is the boys’ section while Rainbow Bay is the girls’ section.

Explaining his production, High Voltage’s band leader Kingsley Collis said he got the idea for Exotic Beaches while travelling throughout the Caribbean by boat.

Collis, involved in mas production for over 16 years, told SEARCHLIGHT that while travelling to places like Grenada, he was taken aback by the beauty of the sands he would see on some of the beaches.

“I looked at the beautiful sands that we have and I said I can bring it into a mas. I did research and saw different sands around the world that the common person doesn’t know. There is orange sand, Cavendish sand is red, Pfeiffer is purple, Rainbow Bay has 72 colours in one sand, Hyans Beach is so white you feel as if you on a cloud,” explained Collis.

The experienced mas man who builds costumes every year in places like Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) said he runs a traditional band to keep our local costume culture alive so he is not really into the feather type of costumes.

He said that last year, he experimented with the feather look on a few of his costumes and it sent him over budget because feathers are very costly.

“One feather could run you around US$45. The 18-inch ostrich feather is about US$200 a pound and sometimes one mas can use 200 pounds. I tried to do it last year and ended up in debt,” explained Collis who noted that the bands whose costumes are built mainly with feathers are not wrong for charging what they charge.

“I have no problem with the modern band. We cater to different clients and my band is a competition band, we not just for show,” Collis told SEARCHLIGHT.

He revealed he had 396 masqueraders last year so he is looking to increase his numbers this year with his traditional presentation.

He said even in Trinidad and Tobago, the feather bands are just for party people as the bands that win the Band of the Year competition over there are the traditional bands.

“If you are looking for a traditional type of mas, clean crisp fun in the July sun, you need to play mas with High Voltage. If you are a traditional person and do not want to feel too naked on the road and you want to be part of tradition you need to play mas with High Voltage,” stated Collis.

High Voltage’s band leader Kingsley Collis