Caribbean steel pan in arrives the UK
May 8th, 2008 | Published in Music History, Music News, Musical Instrument
It was the Festival of Britain in 1951 that propelled the Caribbean steel pan into the UK limelight. Trinidad’s contribution to the festivities was a performance by the Trinidad All Percussion Steel Orchestra.
The sheer exuberance of the steel pans in action combined with the total novelty of both the sound and the spectacle bowled over the London crowds. The Caribbean steel band was the biggest hit of the show. TAPSO subsequently toured the provinces, to similar effect. The steel band had arrived in the UK in style!
Caribbean Steel Pan History: Part 2
The Caribbean steel pan finds a new home in Britain
The arrival of the SS Empire Windrush at Southampton in 1948 heralded an era of extensive Caribbean migration to the UK. The nascent steel pan came as part and parcel of the deal. A number of TAPSO members settled in Britain and started to form their own bands.
By continuing to play steel pan, these guys retained a tangible flavour of the sunshine lifestyle left behind in Trinidad and Barbados. It added a sense of real colour to the lives of those now beset by grey British skies and cold rainy days.
Caribbean steel bands in the UK today
Caribbean steel bands are now well-established in Britain. To find out more about them, browse through Hop Till You Drop wedding music agency: list of Caribbean steel bands. With their engaging mix of calypso, ska, soca, reggae and popular tunes, these bands act as musical ambassadors for the Caribbean at weddings, parties and festivals across the UK.
