Last night, Erup the Band made its official contribution to the Kadooment schema, preluded with promises of stunning, jaw-dropping costumes by seasoned designers and a band launch that would be such a well-put together and enjoyable production that when taken in summation, these elements would catapult the new band to the top of the Kadooment band hierarchy. So, were these promises fulfilled?

As a first time band, Erup's well-honed social media image was put to the test by this physical launch. Intense scrutiny by a demanding audience, both local and foreign, was the order of the day. An unnecessarily lethargic entry system and late start caused by a technical failure proved that Erup seemed beset by teething problems that every first time band struggles to overcome. To their credit, once the show began it was high energy from start to finish.

Models emerged on a large well-designed stage to clearly audible oohs, ahhs and cheers of approval that emanated from a medium-sized crowd, who seemed to be transformed from their previous disgruntled state after enduring an extremely long wait for the production to begin and even withstood a power outage of approximately 25 minutes in duration. The models were divine and the way they presented the costumes was simply spectacular and quite energizing. 

The costumes? Well, Erup’s costumes were gorgeous, both male and female alike. We must applaud the band for being proponents of the school of thought that in the Kadooment world, males are masqueraders too and an equal (or near equal as some may argue for market reasons) amount of attention should be directed to male costumes and they must not appear to be an afterthought. Place an Erup male costume next to a female’s and both would share in stares of awe. Males who crave large, draping, feathered headpieces with large backpacks should and will consider Erup. Those who are enthralled by the gladiator era should and will consider Erup’s shield and sword-adorned costume. 

As for the female costumes, plumage was the order of the night. Headpieces were towering, backpacks were massive and the want for embellishments was simply not present. Each section was beautiful in its own right. However, on closer inspection, and it would be remiss of us not to mention, some sections had noticeable similarities to other bands. Cast your mind back to the year 2015 and retrieve memories of Band Launch Season. Can you recall, Krave’s Savage Beauty and Xhosa’s Pride? If so, then you would be aware of the costumes to which we refer. The frontline of the Shahansha section debuted for Carnival 2015 by the Trinidadian band YUMA, is also included here. 

All in all, despite the hiccups and the abovementioned observations that perhaps only those with a very keen Kadooment eye would notice, Erup has delivered an overall beautiful costume collection and we are sure it will be deemed to be one of the fieriest Kadooment bands for the 2016 season. The buzz among Kadooment lovers is definitely present. While we do applaud them for having the best Kadooment collection thus far, we do hope that Erup is able to surmount the obstacles, learn from its glaring mistakes and is able to get its act together come August 1st. The launch hiccups point to problems waiting to happen down the line if Erup is not careful. It would do well if they would learn from the previous mistakes of other first time bands now turned veterans. While First Time Band Syndrome is very real, we suspect that pretty costumes will not be all to keep disgruntled masqueraders happy as some bands with similar teething problems can attest to. 

Erup also needs to be mindful of stitching up loose ends on any future productions, so as to maintain its sleek pristine image, or else invite the fury of disappointed patrons on social media. A launch party, which is more advertised as a party than a launch, cannot be ending at 1AM, unless you are trying to court preteens. Had the power outage lasted much longer the show would have been shut down before the costume finale. Even much hyped performer Salty was not able to perform his hit Girl Meets Brass, much to his chagrin and the disappointment of the crowd who remained to see him perform. Mercifully for Erup, the hype of the costumes made many people go home with good reviews, but seasoned Cropoverites were left disappointed by the lackluster party execution. While we can commend this new and welcome entry to the Crop Over and Kadooment market, we can see it will truly be a journey until Erup is able to sit on the Iron Throne of Kadooment.

For more information about Erup, costume packages, prices and the like, visit:
Facebook: Erup The Band
Instagram: @eruptheband