Photo: Justin Ma

As expected, I am the most unimpressive person at the 2010 Raggamuffin Reggae Festival. My lack of tattoos, dreadlocks and pigment, not to mention my comparatively childlike frame, leave me wondering whether or not I’ll be too self-conscious to fully enjoy this ‘irie bashment’ or as I would say ‘cool party.’

At 1pm the gates open and five minutes later House Of Shem take stage while I along with most others are left waiting outside, unshaded and definitely getting cancer. Standing in line though, hundreds of meters away from the stage, I can still enjoy the Kiwi reggae group as their bass vibrates through the ground exciting the growing crowd. By the time I finally see the stage I have missed all but two songs from Sean Kingston but happily still catch crowd favourite Fire Burning. At 20 years old he has been praised with bringing reggae and dub to a younger audience. 

As the day heats up the acts do too, Blue King Brown assert themselves as one of Australia’s best blues and roots bands and Steel Pulse and Sly & Robbie maintain the relaxed mood with smooth reggae tracks like Life Without Music and Revolution. Upholding his family’s gift Julian Marley captures audience attention with infectious soul and a voice very similar to his father’s.

With the sun setting and some legs getting tired it seems like everyone is waiting to see Lauryn Hill and when she appears, launching immediately into a fast paced version of Lost Ones, we are rejuvenated by the startling power that the petite, and absurdly sexy, woman commands. After a medley of hits Lauryn invites Julian Marley onstage once again for a duet of Bob Marley’s Turn Your Lights Down Low before closing with her hit single Doo Wop.

The final act of the night Shaggy, aka Mr Luva Luva, struts onstage with his microphone shoved down the front of his pants as he thrusts, gyrates and shakes his Jamaican business at any nearby females. What follows are all the sub-baritone songs a Shaggy fan could ask for and from Angel to Carolina and Summertime Shaggy performs with such bombastic presence that every man leaves this amazing festival feeling completely sexually inadequate.

MICHAEL WENDLAND

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