Black Empire Wins Inaugural Virgin Islands Band Clash

The first ever Virgin Islands Band Clash celebrated the territory's rich live band culture on Saturday, with Black Empire taking the inaugural crown. The evening unfolded in a highly structured manner. Each of the five bands competing on Saturday was allotted a thirty-five minute slot, five minutes of which was to be spent performing the test tune worth 75 points – Backbone, a 1981 piece from Daddy Friday. Crowd reaction was worth 25 points, while the general performance and arrangement carried 75 points. Cohesiveness and musicianship was worth another 50 points, while originality and creativity could earn the band a maximum of 75 points. Band presentation was allotted 50 points, while orchestral quality was worth 75 points. Black Empire was the first band to take the stage. The ski-mask clad bass player opened their set with an electric guitar rendition of “Carol of the Bells” before being joined by the horn section. The band then launched into to an energetic playthrough of popular...