HOPEWELL, Hanover— After being off the road for the past 33 years, reggae band Tropical Energy will again strut their stuff when they provide backing for the Ernie Smith in Concert — The West Coast Show — at the Spiritz of Hanover Club in Hopewell, Hanover, on Saturday.

The show is highlighted by performers from a fusion of vintage and new breed of artistes, including Ernie Smith, Leroy Gibbons, Hopeton James, Peter Metro, Short Boss, Denny J, and Miguel Antonio.

“After all these years our first gig will be Saturday 25th at the Spiritz of Hanover Club in Hopewell, Hanover, founding band member Ralston “Rallo” Russell told the Jamaica Observer West yesterday, adding that there are “no road bands” in western Jamaica.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Smith, operator of Spiritz of Hanover, promises that patrons can look forward to “a high energy of reggae music and also reggae in Spanish”.

He expressed that one way in which reggae can maintain its relevance is for artistes to fuse the old with some of the present genre and vice versa.

“Even with the veterans who now need to take back the airwaves, they need to start doing a little of now in their music to reach across a wider dynamic of people and where the music is going,” Smith argued.

“My view is that when Buju (Banton) is back, he will inject energy back into dancehall and reggae. I would like to see Buju, along with some artistes that already keeping the business going such as Agent Sasco, Chronixx.”

Starting out in 1977, Tropical Energy did gigs in western Jamaica and also played at My Father’s Place in New York in 1984.

“We spent a short time together, but we had a good time back then. But in terms of business in the tourism industry, back then it was not so good, so it [band] just fell apart. But now that we have a set of guys we are going work together and produce some good music,” said Russell.