Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Seretse Small (in red shirt) with members of Live Wyya band after they won the 2005 Jamaican leg of Global Battle of the Bands. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Jamaica's foray into the Global Battle of the Bands, which began last year, has been put on hold due to a lack of sponsorship.

Seretse Small of Griot Music, which organises the local leg of the international competition, said this year's contest would have been held on November 4 at Backyaad on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew. He said it has been called off "because we would not have had sufficient resources to get the band to London."

The finals take place at the Astoria in the England capital in December. Last year's Jamaican entrants, Live Wyya, who topped a field of 16 entrants in Jamaica, came eighth out of 25 country representatives.

Small said Air Jamaica would have come on board but not as a full sponsor and "even at a reduced rate you are still talking about $1 million to $1.3 million." That would include obtaining visas, as well as expenses in London. Small explained that half of the registration fee paid by each band in the national competitions, as well as 20 per cent of the sponsor-ship money, goes towards the expenses. However, with a smaller number of entrants, as well as having to take a long flight as opposed to a band in Europe that may simply take the train to London, the intake is lower and the expenses higher for places like Jamaica.

Small said there had already been commitments on the production side for this year's competition, with Grizzly's taking care of light and sound and the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC) providing prizes. Air Jamaica, Flawless Productions and Backyaad, where the 2006 competition would have been held, were among last year's sponsors.

Six bands, among them last year's third placed Rootz Underground, Gunsmoke Battalion, Black Zebra, Ajaniah and From the Deep, had already been slated to participate in the 2006 battle, with many more expected as the date came closer.

A great loss

"It is a loss, because of the motivation that was there last year to go abroad. They worked hard to do a really high quality performance. Even if we were to pull together something locally, it would not have the same impact," Small said.

While the absence of a battle will not necessarily have an impact on the amount of live music being played, Small said it will have an effect "in terms of quality. Everybody was driven to do their best live performance."

He gave a quick and emphatic "oh yeah" when asked if Jamaica will be entering the Global Battle of the Bands next year. "I have already cleared it with London," Small said.

"They were disappointed (about Jamaica not entering this year)," he said, noting that last year there were people turning up with flags and noisemakers to support Jamaica.