Trinidad and Tobago’s two-year absence from Carnival is being celebrated by award-winning Soca group Kes The Band, fronted by vocalist Kees Dieffenthaller.
Kees, or Kes as he is better known, is joined by his brothers Hans (drums) and Jon (guitar), as well as longtime friend Riad Boochoon, who plays bass guitar, to form Kes The Band, which was founded in 2005. They all grew up in South Trinidad.
During a press conference to announce the IzWE 2023 performance, which was attended by journalists from across the Caribbean and other specially invited guests, Kes stated that the group is returning home for the carnival season, “back where they came from first our dreams”.
The IzWE 2023 concert will take place on February 14 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, a multi-purpose stadium in Tarouba, San Fernando. Kes, who was the 2011 winner of the International Groovy Soca Monarch competition with the song No lens, and is featured in the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, previously held an event on the Tuesday before Carnival for many years called ‘Tuesday on the Rocks’. It has since been linked with a major performance by the artist. This year, Tuesday falls on Valentine’s Day, which he hopes will spark “more love between people.”
“What it really means is a homecoming to our roots and it’s about reminding not just Trinidad and Tobago but the whole human race that we are bound together through love, through the music we love and the energy we share together. through the things we celebrate,” Kes said.
Soca music, in particular, “played a major role in bringing people together and seeing the world as divided, yet at a soca party people are social, happy – quite the opposite – we realized we needed to be at home and reminding ourselves why we were doing this and what we were doing it for,” he continued. It was time to regroup, he argued, as Kes The Band had succeeded in bridging the generation gap while also trying to break down barriers, cross borders and connect the world through music.
The Media Gleaner noted, “Trinbagonians in Jamaica and from different parts of the world all come to the carnival every year. They also connect with us online and when we do shows in their countries, [so] they are aware of what we are doing as some have experienced our shows over the years.”
“My time at home is something I love; it’s spent with family and I love the natural aspects of my country the rivers, beaches and forests, but exploring as much as I can, I experience the spirit of the people and it reminds me of the essence of our soul. Brian Lara Stadium is where my brothers and I grew up … doing our concert there is bringing everyone back to where we started. These are our roots.”
The lineup for the event includes established and upcoming artists and artists from Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the region. Iwer George, Coutain, Lord Nelson, Haitian singer J Perry and Jamaican superstar diamond dealer Shaggy are some of the names that shared Kes. The two recently worked together on the song Mood.
“A reunion will certainly happen. Through the years of touring, I have grown to love and appreciate the fact that I am Caribbean. I feel connected to each island because we share similar histories and origins. I want the music and experience to represent the essence of who we all are as a Caribbean people – IzWE,” said Kes.
