Calypso in his soul

On Wednesday, soca and dancehall lovers had the chance to enjoy singer Kevin Lyttle’s Bangkok debut mini showcase in the intimate atmosphere of Zaks Wine Pub on Sukhumvit Soi 11. Despite some technical glitches and an inadequate sound system, the fans were happy to move and grind to Lyttle’s string of soca hits.
“I really like Bangkok,” enthused Lyttle, sitting down for a chat before the show. “It feels much like home in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to me – the heat, the humidity and the laid back vibes. What’s my country like? Looks at the music videos, it’s pretty much like that. We have good times and we love to dance. And, man, everyone’s crazy about soca and dancehall music; you’ll hear it everywhere you go.”
We also asked if he felt at home in Florida, where he is now based. “Yeah, I like it there, but I miss home a lot sometimes. A lot of dancehall singers in the US are getting into a lot of trouble with the law these days, and many lost their visa and all that. I consider myself lucky to have a career and am lucky too to go around and sing for my fans in different countries.”
The 35-year-old singer took the stage aaround 11.30pm – an hour and a half later than the original schedule – and got the party started with his breakthrough hit, “Turn Me On”, but the song was killed by the malfunctioning backing track and quickly replaced by another hit “Last Drop”. Ladies quickly flocked the front of the stage and swayed their hips enthusiastically to the soca beats. Lyttle delivered more danceable songs such as “Fyah”, “Dance”, “Drive Me Crazy” and finally “Turn Me On”.
Fans hoped that the team would adjust the sound system as the show went along, and that the crackling sounds from the speaker would go away at some point, but unfortunately the show ended after only a few songs.