BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ‘British Dependency’ is their name and playing music is their game, according to the trio band which hails from the neighboring island of Anguilla. They are currently visiting St. Kitts for the first time to rock a number of venues this week.
They performed Tuesday night at Shiggidy Shack to a very receptive crowd and also last night at Masud Sadiki’s album launch at Sprat Net. He is also responsible for bringing the band to the Federation. Finally, today they will entertain guests at the Spice Mill Restaurant at the South East Peninsular.
The band is a blend of three young unique individuals - front man Ruel Richardson who is a Kittitian by birth but resides in Anguilla. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist along with Jaiden Fleming who plays the drums and the lone female Joyah Gumbs taking on the unusual roll of a base player.
British Dependency or BD is described as a band that plays moving, original music which paints a story for listeners to feel the passion behind the root, heart, and soul.
Richardson describes their music as diverse with different elements put together with a mixture of genres that include reggae, rock, blues and jazz amongst others.
In 2009 they released their first album titled ‘Which Way Is Up’ and they are now on the verge of releasing their second album ‘Veneration’.
Back in their home town the band has a number of gigs that they maintain during the week but they have also touched a number of big stages including Moon Splash, carnival shows and the West Indies Music Fest which is an annual event the band recently established.
Apart of the band members all being young, its unique individuals each adds versatility, which makes them stand out even more. Richardson sings while he creates moving sounds on his instrument and makes people long for his unique sound after they hear it the first time.
Gumbs on the other hand is a natural wow factor as she is being called the first lady of the base. The self- taught base player, after proving that she belonged in the band, is said to be perhaps the first native female to make it to a stage with her groovy sounds and funky moves.
Meanwhile, Fleming who is the quiet and youngest of the pack, is described as being good for the eyes and the ears and is always perfectly relaxed with a beautiful stature.
According to their manager Davon Carty, who is also originally from St. Kitts, he has known Masud for several years. He said they both decided to work together because they both have the same vision of “getting out of arts and getting for the art”.
He said their aim is to get more done in the region with their newly formed regional exchange programme.
Carty said besides coming to St. Kitts to perform, they also brought a several pieces of equipment as a gift for Masud to use how he sees fit to benefit the St. Kitts music industry.
The manager stated that the band is looking forward to a few new projects which would include a third album, music videos and a UK and regional tour.
He stressed that their approach to music is something they would like to pass on.
