Kes the Band will be the first soca act to headline Leader Bank Pavilion
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Twenty years ago, that dream became
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The show also includes Nailah Blackman, a Trinidadian soca queen whose grandfather Lord Shorty is credited with releasing the first soca record, as well as helping develop the Indio-Caribbean sound now called 'chutney soca.'
'A show like this is a good look for soca,' says
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Kes the Band has also distinguished itself by presenting full-band performances in a genre where even major stars often appear with just a backing track. These days, 'it's Kes the Band, not Kes the man,' says its lead singer over a Zoom call from his Trinidad home.
'Because the mission is to spread the music as far and wide as possible, people can relate to a band more than they can relate to a track,' the frontman added.
'
Maybe there's a fan who isn't even looking at me, they're fixated on the DJ or the drummer. I love that there are so many more points of contact that come with a band.'
Today the group still includes Kes's brother Jon and their childhood friend and bassist Riad Boochoon, as well as drummer Dean James. The live outfit also features a pair of keyboard players and a DJ.
Kes the Band hit its stride with the song '
Kes admits that before the song broke, he was focused on working with Los Angeles-based producers to make crossover tracks that he loved, but that failed to connect with audiences.
''Wotless' showed me the power of soca in its real form,' he said.
Caribbean and African music have been in conversation with each other for decades. Kes's open musical mind meant the group was well positioned when Afrobeats began to sweep the world over the past decade. Their fusion track '
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'I love the Afro side of things, because I think that they lay back while the beat is kicking,' said Kes. 'Calypso had that element, and soca lost some of that as it got a little more hyper. As we started to tap into more of the R&B and the Afrobeat
and mixed with that soca feel, it was the beginning of the development of our sound.'
That same laid-back feel powered Kes's most recent hit, '
'Cocoa tea is something that we grew up with at home. It's that comfort drink you have when it's raining outside,' explained Kes. 'It's a love story about coming home to what you're familiar with and what you cherish the most.'
Considering the band's omnivorous musical approach, it's little surprise that one of their most recent songs, '
Kes points out that decades before Beyoncé released her 2024 album 'Cowboy Carter,' Black audiences on islands like St. Lucia and Jamaica were known for their love of country music. Today he feels a kinship with country acts like
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'They're trying to keep their core sound, but still touch other spaces, so there's a similarity,' he said.
Even as Kes the Band have become year-round ambassadors of soca, they still draw their inspiration from Carnival culture.
'What we do every year is create these beautiful costumes, and then we destroy them, just to build it all back again in a few months,' Kes observed. 'So it's that love of life that we're trying to put into our music. We celebrate creativity.'
KES THE BAND
With Nailah Blackman. Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston, July 3, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30-$100.45.
Noah Schaffer can be reached at
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