The torrential downpours may have affected the turn out at the Mash Calypso semi-finals, but it certainly did not deter the twenty-one contestants who battled passionately to earn a spot at the final slated for Friday, February 15 at Demerara Park (Banks DIH, Thirst Park).

While most of the twenty-one contestants fought valiantly for a spot in the top ten, some were just not impressive enough to be selected.  However, it was a ‘ding dong

A few of the impressive acts during Saturday night’s  calypso competition

battle’  since the topics dealt with in several cases were well researched and spiritedly presented by most of the contenders.
The semi-final leg of this competition was hosted last Saturday at the Mackenzie Sports Complex, Linden.
A little let up in the downpour allowed a trickle of patrons to the ground, and at around 22:00 hrs the show began with three spectacular calypso renditions from guest artiste ‘De Ivan’.
Detestable
What was shocking, however, and evoked murmurs of disapproval was that some patrons were already seated  but the Mingles Sound Machine was still conducting noisy sound and microphone checks. And what angered several female patrons was the fact that members of the Mingles Band were loudly and vehemently shouting obscenities at each other during the process, much to the annoyance of many persons.
Coupled with that, the contestants arrived quite late, since it was said that the bus was forced to wait for hours in Georgetown for the arrival of the Chief Judge, Patricia Chase-Green (acting Deputy Mayor of Georgetown).

SEMI-FINAL SHOWDOWN
The first act, Donna ‘Princess Patricia’ Jones opened the show in fine style and blazed a trail for the others to follow. With an explosive demeanour and great theatrics she executed her song ‘De Police’ stating blatantly that she never wanted to be in the profession because of all the wrongdoings of the police today.
To ensure a smashing finish, she tore off the police uniform and left the stage in civilian attire. She was sent off with resounding applause.
Abigail ‘AJ’ James could be dubbed ‘a smooth performer’ when she delivered, ‘Save Calypso’, but it was her nine inch heels, body hugging gown, and a daring slit to the left side that evoked a clamor  of appreciation from the small audience.
Karen ‘Queen Makeeba’ Bennett may not have evoked a loud response from the audience but her rendition of ‘Is Man’ found favour with the judges. However, many in the crowd said it was too lewd and suggestive and was a direct attack on people’s sexual preferences.
Linden’s Lester ‘De Professor’ Charles was by far the best performer for the night and certainly had the best song. It was obvious he did his research well as he touched on various topical issues in this  society. His song was titled ‘God Nah Sleep’.
Diana Chapman also from Linden was well attired and certainly delivered ‘Yuh Bauxite Dust’ with excellent finesse. However, certain parts of the song was certainly suggestive and contained too much strong sexual content. It was not surprising she did not make it to the finals.
Cyde ‘Ayambo’ Thierens’s ‘Animal Farm’ was well put together, but strangely did not move the Linden audience at all.
Next to come was Edward ‘Young Fyah’ Perez from the Essequibo Coast who impressively executed, ‘Local Foreignas’. He was very energetic, and displayed good diction, but again the audience may have expected more and responded with muted applause.
Winner of the 2013 Junior Calypso Competition, Niossi Alsopp was up next but did not present the explosive performance she brought to the platter at the junior level. She seemed nervous on stage and sang without her customary ‘youthful fire’.
Yoland Sylvester Nedd’s performance of ‘What is the Plan’ was a fair effort, but he seemed to be singing more to himself than to the judges or audience.
Rudolph ‘Sweet Kendingo’ Kendall pulled out all the stops this year, and was very theatrical and emotional with his presentation of ‘Let the Country Move On’. His efforts afforded him a spot in the finals.
Lindon ‘Sniper’ Thomas proved himself a force to contend with when he made quick and good work of his selection, ‘Hey Bishop’. Garfield ‘Mighty Roots’ Campbell was also very impressive when he belted out ‘Opposition President’.
The veteran Malcolm ‘Lord Canary’ Corrica as expected delivered a stirring performance, singing, ‘Now that I am alive’. He was well received by the audience for his efforts.
Estella ‘Calypso Stella’Simpson has a good voice and sent a positive message with her song, ‘The System is Wrong’, but she needs to use up the stage more and connect with her audience if she intends to take home the 2013 crown.
Pearl ‘Precious Pearl’ Lewis tore into the judges and organizers when she delivered, ‘Dem Flogging Up Calypso’. While she began the song slightly off key and never really moved from one spot on the stage, her song belted out in no uncertain terms that  judges have been awarding top spots to their friends, straying from the customary ‘kaiso melody’ and accepting all kinds of ‘nonsense for lyrics’ for which they award prizes.
Dawn ‘Lady D’ Edwards was stunning as she performed ‘Wrong Time, Wrong Place’.  The song was well received by the audience since it dealt with the issues of police shooting innocent persons and declaring that such individuals were in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.
Newcomer, Daria ‘Queen Davey’ Barrow was very dramatic when she sang ‘Hammie said don’t blame me’. Her song dealt with the issue of garbage in the country, and the Mayor and City Council’s inability to deal with the situation. With tons of food boxes, bottles and other items adorning her costume, she sealed the deal, and made it to the finals.
Derrick ‘Bright Colours’ Mangal failed to impress the judges this year and did not make it to the finals, as was anticipated. His entire presentation seemed rushed, and his diction problems were tremendous. The audience reaction seemed to indicate that he never existed on stage. He performed ‘We get a problem O’.
Martin ‘Mighty Voter’ Byrne’s performance certainly could have been spiced up a little, but his lyrics were ‘concrete and electric’ which were certainly the reasons he made it among the top ten finalists. He performed ‘Let God be the judge’.
Winfield James in his song certainly did not do anything to save his lackluster presentation. While his costume was the best and his props very impressive, he seemed concerned with belting out his  loud  signature ‘Whoy’ at intervals in the song.
He offered comical relief as he kept pushing one of his backup actresses who attempted many times to put a crown adorned with cash on his head, but it was obvious that the entire act was not rehearsed properly.
He gave the gathering even more to snicker about too.  As the rain came down suddenly, a technician in the band attempted to save one of the speaker boxes from getting wet and dashed in front of James. The man in no way appeared to have affected James’ already lame performance.  But James stomped his feet angrily, shouting, “Wait man… judges, judges all yuh hold on… this man obstructing me, this man obstructing me.”
He then proceeded to halt the band and ordered the players to start over. They did start over, but he was only ‘adding more in the mortar’, and sent himself tumbling out of the competition.
James ‘Boss Stephens’ Gordon should probably try the drama school where his skills seem to be more needed. His song ‘Youths of Today’ had a confusing start and until now persons are still trying to grasp its message. And with all the ‘scary theatrics’ presented on stage, he had many wondering if he was under the  possession of ‘cumfah spirits’.
Luckily, he brought the curtains down and the small audience hurriedly left the ground without waiting to hear the results.
Those making it to the Grand Finale are Malcolm Corrica, Estella Simpson, Dawn Edwards, Donna Jones, Daria Barrow, Lester Charles, Rudolph Kendall, Martin Byrne, Karen Benett, and Lindon Thomas.