By Andrew Harrison

On Friday 3 November Grand Harbour played host to one of the Island’s most eagerly awaited gigs of the year. The One Love concert brought reggae giants Third World to play a charity event to raise funds for several charities including the Cayman Islands Cancer Society.

The event was a great success with a huge crowd in attendance, proving that good music combined with a good cause makes for a great evening.

The night was kick started by Asha, a Cayman based band who really got the party started. The five piece covers band thumped out a variety of rock classics from Lenny Kravitz, REM, Deep Purple and The Beatles. With a great back line and an energetic front man the group gave it their all and started the event with a bang.

Following a brief interlude Musical Crew took to the stage and took things in a more reggae-orientated direction. Mixing up the vocalists, as well as the song styles, the crew really got the audience’s attention.

A selection of well known, well played and well received songs had the early crowd dancing away. The changes of lead vocalist helped keep each song sounding fresh as did the changes in tempo.

Regardless of what song they were playing, or who it was singing it, Musical Crew always succeeded in delivering a great tune and sounded throughout, like a party!

The third band of the evening was Grand Cayman’s very own Impulze. The band can often be found providing the musical support at Exposure, an event which showcases the vocal talents of up and coming artists on the island.

Friday night, however, was all about Impulze as a group and they proved that they are so much more than a backing band. By the time they came on stage it was approaching midnight and the crowd, which had been steadily growing since 8.00pm, got to their feet to welcome the local group. Impulze really are the complete package, great musicians and great entertainers.

As a band they are a very tight unit delivering a crisp, deliberate sound which perfectly compliments their song selection. Tunes like Love is My Religion and Come in From the Cold had the audience jumping and members of Third World dancing away backstage. Not forgetting the whole point behind the event, Impulze thanked everyone for coming and front man Rex said the band was “Proud to be a part of One Love,” before ending their set.

The silence following Impulze’s departure from the stage was soon replaced by an expectant buzz from the crowd who surged forward almost as one being, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. By this point in the evening, well over 2000 people had filed into the venue and were patiently awaiting the headline act. The anticipation grew throughout the sound check and then the crowd exploded into applause as they saw the familiar silhouettes of the band taking to the stage.

Third World repaid the warm welcome with interest, blasting out several of their hit songs to the delight of their fans, DJ Ambassador hitting a high point with the audience. For a band that has been going since 1973 these veterans of 33 years are as fresh and as vibrant as ever and gave a rousing performance which left their fans wanting more.

Third World is a band with true musical pedigree. The members in the current lineup have collaborated with the likes of Cindy Lauper, Maxi Priest, Shabba Ranks, Jimmy Cliff and Stevie Wonder to name but a few.

Formed from members of various other groups, Third World came together to play their own kind of reggae which mixed in a variety of different styles. Influenced by Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder, there are also traces of rock and pop to be heard in Third World’s music.

The Jamaican five-piece seem so at home performing in front of an audience and founder members Stephen “Cat” Coore and Richard “Bassie” Daley cannot image doing anything else with their lives.

“Being a musician is all I ever wanted to do” said Cat before the show. “The traveling and being away from my family is hard but I can’t see myself doing anything other than this.”

All four bands put on a great performance, the audience seemed to enjoy every minute of it and it was all for a good cause.