A jubilant Ronnie McIntosh could hardly contain his excitement as it was another thrilling moment when he and his wife Caroline, copped a hat-trick in the Downtown Band of the Year title with their 2016 presentation Tears Of...
While this was the third such win for the husband and wife team it was, however, the first time they copped the National Carnival Commission’s (NCC) Band of The Year Competition in the senior category.
Last year, the band won the Downtown Parade of the Bands title with their offering Ah Come Back Home. In an interview yesterday, McIntosh said his wife was also blown away by the news as she "could not stop screaming down the house.
"It is such a tremendous feeling. We really worked hard not only to bring out the best mas band but as a must we ensure our masqueraders have a great all round experience... from the music, food... the whole works," McIntosh said.
On what he believed also pushed him over the edge to beat out the other contenders the veteran bandleader said his costumes were a mixture of bikini and beads and full fabric pieces.
"Our band has sexiness but we also supply full coverage. We cannot turn a blind eye to the bikini and beads because that is what people come to the country for.
"We also do presentations in other parts of the world and bikini and beads are what people want.
“But our band is much more than that because it must be balanced. We have creativity and we keep the mas alive... in essence we are preserving our culture that is Carnival," McIntosh added. He said throughout his presentations over the years the theme was kept simple.
Saying the win was for his "loyal masqueraders and those recently joined," McIntosh said his band has grown over the years, adding that was in itself a blessing.
"Without them we have no band and we have no Carnival. We have to always treat our masqueraders top class so they could go back and spread the word and always bring back more people," McIntosh added.
Placing second in both venues was Lost Tribe while Trini Revellers came third at the Savannah. NCC's chairman Kenny de Silva said he was pleased with the crowd turnout at both Downtown and Piccadilly at the Greens.