Phase II Pan Groove leads the pack going into the final night of competition in the large conventional bands category of the 2016 National Steelband Panorama Competition carded for February 6, at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain.
Supernovas Steel Orchestra, led by Amrit Samaroo, made the jump from small to large band for the 2016 Panorama, and finds itself in position number two going into the final fray of ten bands, while former champion Republic Bank Exodus Steel Orchestra missed the cut by one point with a score of 262 for position 11.
Witco Desperadoes Steel Orchestra with a change in arranger for 2016 in the person of Carlton “Zanda” Alexander tied with defending champion Massy Trinidad All Stars for third place.
Out of the 14 bands in the medium conventional category, four were eliminated.
The final ten is made up primarily of several past winners, inclusive of Katzenjammers, Sound Specialists of Laventille, Steel Xplosion and Buccooneers.
Title defender Pan Elders, with champion arranger Duvone Stewart, is going for the hat-trick, having triumphed also in 2014 and 2015.
In the small conventional band category, champion arranger Terrance “BJ” Marcelle with his band Arima Golden Symphony is out front after the semifinal competition on Sunday. The combination is seeking another championship title, and if successful, will mean its seventh win in the past eight years in the category.
The nine other challengers are Laventille Serenaders, Fascinators Pan Symphony, Five Rivers Modern Symphony, Tamana Pioneers, Pandemonium, Our Boys, Tornadoes, La Horquetta Pan Groove, and New East Side Dimension.
How they placed
Medium Bands
1. Pan Elders
2. Petrotrin Katzenjammers
3. NLCB Buccooneers
4. Curepe Scherzando
5. Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille
Steel Xplosion
7. Melodians
8. NGC Couva Joylanders
9. Carib Dixieland
West Side Symphony.
Large Bands
1. Phase II Pan Groove
2. Supernovas
3. Massy Trinidad All Stars WITCO Desperadoes
5. CAL Invaders
6. RBTT Redemption Soundsetters
Bp Renegades
8. PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars Skiffle Steel Orchestra
10. NLCB Fonclaire