SINCE the 1960s, London has been Jamaican music’s home away from home. The British capital’s love for ska, rocksteady and reggae oozed from a full house at the April 16 concert at Royal Festival Hall.

It was the third show in a series coordinated by British sound system selector/disc jockey David Rodigan. Like previous stagings, it featured Jamaican and British acts backed by the 25-piece Outlook Orchestra.

The last two shows were cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Last week’s comeback event was split in two segments featuring Freddie McGregor, Horace Andy, Bitty McLean, Holly Cook, Kiko Bun, and Horseman, whose songs covered the evolution of Jamaican music.

“The response to the concerts was absolutely incredible, we actually did two shows, one at 7:00 pm and the second at 9.30 pm and both houses were packed. It was Easter Saturday, the sun had been shining all day and the crowds were out in force on the South Bank of the Thames, thronging around the Royal Festival Hall which, of course, is an iconic venue and so magical to perform in because the sight lines are terrific. Everyone in the audience has a great view of the stage and the acoustics are superb,” Rodigan gushed.

He said the Outlook Orchestra conducted several rehearsals leading to the show which attracted a diverse audience. They saw performances from McGregor and Andy, who are Jamaican; McLean, Horseman, and Cook who were born in the United Kingdom to Jamaican parents and Kiko Bun, who was born in the UK to parents from Italy and Panama.

“The demographic was a mixed crowd of black and white with an age range from teenagers to oldsters, all of whom were clearly avid lovers of ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall,” said Rodigan. “There were so many special moments, as you can imagine, but the instrumental version of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song was especially moving as was the surprise guest appearance of Freddie McGregor and, of course, Horace Andy was outstanding.”

Jamaica accounted for the majority of West Indians who migrated to the UK in the 1950s. White Britons embraced songs like My Boy Lollipop by Millie Small and Israelites from Desmond Dekker and The Aces which made the British national chart in the early and late 1960s.

They were also regulars at Jamaican clubs and blues dances.

In the 1970s and 1980s, first-generation British-Jamaicans such as Maxi Priest and members of the Steel Pulse band helped fly the reggae Union Jack.

Rodigan, who has represented reggae as a sound system selector and broadcaster for over 40 years, had high marks for the ‘backing band’.

“The Outlook Orchestra leader is Mr Tommy Evans who, along with trumpeter Matt Roberts, scores every piece of music for each musician, from strings to brass, drums, percussion, keyboards and guitars. The orchestra is always the same in terms of size but the line-up does vary a little simply due to the availability of the individual musicians.”