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Reggae Geel 2019 Report (Pictures & Interviews)

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This year, we’ve decided to catch a vibe at the Reggae Geel 2019 in Belgium. While we were there, besides having a good time, we’ve taken the time to shoot some pictures, and interview a few artists.

Day 1 – Friday 2nd, August 2019

On Friday afternoon, it was raining. Unfortunately, we arrived a little too late, so we missed the show of The Congos. But, we were perfectly on time to see I Wayne perform on the main stage.

Meanwhile, Cedric Myton, and his fellows, also attended I Wayne‘s show. That’s how we’ve been able to reach out to Cedric, who had a brief interview with us.

Bushman came on stage right after I Wayne. He gave quite an impressive performance. During the concert, he also gave away 13 copies of his latest album “Conquering Lion”.

We really enjoy the fact that Dancehall artists are able to perform on the main stage at the Reggae Geel, while they have to perform on secondary stages in other festivals, which are more Roots-oriented.

So on the first night, we had the chance to see Agent Sasco, followed by Busy Signal turn up the place with real Dancehall music on the main stage.

“All of the youth shall witness the day that Babylon shall fall.”

Then, to wrap up the night, Horse Mouth alongside his Rockers friends, backed up by Lloyd Parks with We The People Band performed on the main stage. During that performance, Horse Mouth highlighted the fact that he’s multi-talented performer. He showed us his acting skills by giving his famous speech from the legendary movie Rockers. And he also showed off, drumming for a little while.

After the show was over on the main stage, those who didn’t want to go home could enjoy some modern Dancehall selection at the Dancehall tent and some Dub music at the Dub corner.

Day 2 – Saturday 3rd, August 2019

On the second night, once again, we came a little too late. Though, we didn’t miss the entire concert of Richie Spice. We arrived early enough to see him perform his big hits “Brown Skin” and “Youths Dem So Cold,” and interview him after the show.

The precedent night, we had focused a little too much on the main stage. So that night, we had decided to check out Oku Onuora‘s performance on the Tallawah stage. Like the words of his poems, his presence on stage is strong, and his message is percussive. We didn’t regret that small detour at all.

Then we went back to the Main stage, while Marcia Griffiths a.k.a. The Queen of Reggae was performing. Half Pint, who came on stage right after, gave a decent performance. We have to admit that it’s very agreeable to see veteran artists perform with a solid backing band outdoor while the sun’s still shining.

While we were waiting for Half Pint or Marcia Griffiths to show up in the press area to get an interview, some sweet African music coming from the Main stage caught our attention. We knew about Burna Boy, but we never really dug up all his work. We must admit that he surprised us. His music actually sounds better live, and he probably owes it to the brass ensemble.

“It’s all about Romie…”

Beenie Man was one of the artists we really didn’t want to miss that night. His reputation for being one of the best performers of his generation wasn’t tarnished that night. Even though, he sung some Bob Marley to entertain the European crowd that we were, he delivered a highly energetic show, delivering classics after classics, from “Who Am I” to “Dude,” including “Romie,” and so many more.

Last but not least

Last but not least, Buju Banton closed the night on the Main stage. After 10 years of absence from the stage, he was warmly welcomed back in Europe. Like he did during his first concert at the National Stadium in Jamaica since he was released from jail, he started with “It’s Not an Easy Road.”

During the first half of his concert, he pleased his Reggae fans. He sung mostly Nu Roots songs. At times, we thought he tried to hard to mimic Bob Marley‘s gesture on stage, shaking his head in a way to make his long dreadlocks swing from left to right. Nevertheless, it was quite awesome when he dances while the percussionist bangs the djembe. It reminded us of Third World‘s shows.

Then, during the second half of his show, Buju performed Dancehall hits including “Me and Unnuh,” “Driver,” and of course, “Walk Like a Champion.” We had noticed that top notch Jamaican producer Steve “Lenky” Marsden was at the keyboard. Unfortunately for us, Buju didn’t perform “Sha La La,” on the “Diwali Riddim.”

Excellent line-up

To sum up, Reggae Geel 2019 was fantastic. Firstly, the line-up was well put together. Secondly, the festival is big enough to feature a couple stages, and offer different styles of entertainment. Yet, it is small enough for you to go from stage to another stage quickly. The only downside of this festival was the lack of re-usable cups… Therefore, every night, the ground was filled with crushed empty beer cups.

While we were catching vibe over there, we took the time to shoot some pictures and get some interviews. We invite you to take a look at our work before. Do not hesitate to leave a comment below, and let us know what you think of our pictures, and interviews.

Watch our interviews with Cedric Myton, I Wayne, Bushman, Agent Sasco & Richie Spice, below:

Take a look at our pictures on our Facebook Page:

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