Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concert Feelin' Irie With Raging Fyah

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Kicking off the Santa Monica Pier’s reggae themed Twilight Concert, Kingston, Jamaica’s Raging Fyah took the stage to bestow upon the crowd some irie vibes. As soon as this 5-piece modern roots band (consisting of Kumar Bent (lead vocals), Courtland White (guitar), Anthony Watson (drums), Demar Gayle (keys), and Delroy “Pele” Hamilton (bass)) took the stage, a peculiar smell filled the air. Though smoking is not permitted on the pier (insofar as the pier is made out of wood and has burned down once before), there were clearly those in the crowd who decided to break the rules and err on the side of getting in the mood for the music to come … and in the mood they arrived.

The culturally and generationally diverse crowd swayed to the familiar rhythms and themes of Raging Fyah’s roots reggae and were wooed by the commanding, and impressive, vocals of their lead singer. The band, as a whole, demonstrated first-class musicianship, sticking mostly to traditional reggae themes, incorporating the occasional dancehall synth effects for a few numbers. Throughout their set, Kumar invoked the magic of reggae music to connect with the audience.

“We gonna play reggae music tonight,” said Kumar, “You like Bob Marley, raise your hand.”

And with everyone’s hands raised into the air, the band jumped into a into a short but beautiful cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.”

Kumar asked if the audience was feeling good, but the question really didn’t need to be asked. Their set embodied the full range of euphoria, from joyful celebration to relaxed chilled rhythms, ending with a communal call and response that had the audience repeating in full voice their shared joy; evidence that Raging Fyah had accomplished their task of warming up the crowd.

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CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR COVERAGE OF SANTA MONICA PIER’S TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES