Dancehall artiste Wayne Marshall has been missing from major local stages for some time now, but thanks to the promoters of the popular Friday night series Frinally, whose recent edition was dubbed Likkle Throwback, fans were able to enjoy an up close and personal performance by the deejay and some of his entertainment fraternity friends.

Held at 36 Hope Road, which is known as The Courtyard, patrons, comprising largely corporate executives, university students, and young professionals, came out early to enjoy the musical vibrations of DJ Narity, who threw down some soca treats; along with Brush1 and Franco, who doused the venue with a healthy serving of throwback dancehall hits.

Sponsored by Campari, the live performance segment kicked off at minutes to 2:00 am with Wayne Marshall launching an explosion with Marshall Town. Mounting Check Yuself, a song that was featured on the 2003 hit rhythm Masterpiece; Feeling it, from producer Jeremy Harding’s Liquid rhythm; the Junkanoo rhythm blazer Make Dem Come; Renaissance Disco’s Hot in the Club, and more, Wayne Marshall took patrons on a journey back in time to relive the hits.

He was later joined on stage by Kid Kurrupt, who delivered Shawnie; Craig “Leftside” Parks ran unchecked with Tuck Een Yuh Belly; while Wayne Marshall tag teamed on New Millennium, Astronaut and I’d Die Without You.

Bounty Killer took the stage and patrons reacted positively to Sufferer, Fed Up, and Eagle and Hawk.

Ward 21 members delivered Bloodstain and Haterz before Wayne Marshall brought the curtains down with his 2018 massive hit Glory to God.

Jared Samuel, organiser for Frinally, told the Jamaica Observer: “Frinally came to the scene in 2019 and it has been going strong ever since. We celebrated our 5th anniversary last year and we dubbed it ‘5 and Alive’. We’re still alive and still going as Jamaica’s hottest party series.”

He said the series prides itself by delivering on different themes each time.

“We try to stay with what’s popular in the spaces with dancehall and entertainment overall and we continue to deliver. Most of Jamaica’s top entertainers have passed through; we have Bounty Killer, Lila Ike, Julian Marley, Sean Paul, Ding Dong, Sukku from Ward 21, the members of Voicemail, and others,” Samuel shared while acknowledging that strong partnership with corporate brands help to tap into their target demographic.

“We have grown consistently by being creative, innovative, pushing dancehall, pushing Jamaica, and partnering with the right sponsors as well. We’ve always been happy to have Campari on board and they’ve helped us to reach our consumers on different levels,” he said.

Dominic Bell, brand communications manager at J Wray and Nephew Ltd, spoke about Campari’s alignment.

“ When it comes to the cool, edgy aspects of Jamaican lifestyle and entertainment culture, Campari Frinally captures this energy through its uniquely themed event series. For their first ever live performance edition it was important for us to be involved. With Wayne Marshall as the face of this special Campari Frinally edition we had the opportunity to connect with consumers who deeply respect an entertainer rooted in dancehall history — a legend whose influence spans from the 2000s into the 2010s,” Bell told the Observer.

“Congratulations to the promoters and to Wayne Marshall on a successful return to the live music stage. We were honoured to have Campari take the lead in this cultural space — and equally proud to have Courvoisier headline the gifting moment. As a cognac brand that celebrates cultural milestones globally, Courvoisier was the perfect fit to honour a moment as meaningful as Wayne’s return to the stage,” Bell added.

Dancehall veteran Bounty Killer out to support Wayne Marshall by delivering a workmanlike performance.

Marketer Kamal Powell takes in the Frinally scene on Friday night.

Wayne Marshall (left) and Craig “Leftside” Parks hang out at Frinally shortly after exiting the stage.

Wray & Nephew’s Brand Communication Manager Dominic Bell and Brand Activator Shanice Mitchell share lens time at Frinally.