Jamaïcan Sunrise 2004, Story of a Fiasco

Whereas the previous edition had suffered from historic summer heat, it is indeed under a gloomy sky that the site opens to the public on Tuesday 3 August. Barely arrived, we learn backstage that a storm risk over the Gard, announced by Météo France, could well close the festival gates before it has even started. Only the stall village, bigger every year, is open for the day. Festivalgoers can buy (a constant at the festival) clothes, records and trinkets there, and meet players from the scene: artists, sounds, record dealers, media.


The first night will not take place on the Jamaican Sunrise site. To attend, head for Mont Cotton, about 2 km away. The already numerous festivalgoers take their places in the Théâtre de Verdure, an open-air stone amphitheatre. A superb setting in which Sky Ark Sound System starts its set, with its DJ, Rikky Ranking, on the mic.

Next comes the screening of Perry Henzell's film, The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, which goes down well with the crowd. But the much-awaited talk on the rasta movement with Iqulah (the only rasta to hold a diplomatic passport) is postponed, as he is held up in London.

Sky Ark takes back control of the turntables to finish the night quietly.

It is the first day of concerts. The weather alternates between good and bad while the site slowly fills up. The concerts kick off with Big Family (with Baron Black, King Kalabash and Matinda), followed by M’bi, who are well received. Sael, with his particular style and his female following, handles himself deftly and gets a good forward, for a very decent show of under an hour… It is the appetiser.

Danger Zone Sound System takes over, as they will between every show. Their sound, hardcore Creole dancehall, has a strangely aggressive vibe, especially when you know they are preparing the ground for Ken Boothe, Sanchez, then Cocoa Tea…


We knew the young Genie Slick for her duet with Capleton on Baby I Love You, but it is on stage that we discover her. Still finding her feet, she nevertheless delivers good energy, even if the show remains amateurish. After a good 25-minute performance, she makes way for Chrisinti, who has stepped in at a moment's notice for Norris Man.

With his big voice in a very soulful style, Chrisinti does not stir the crowd, but gives a performance of very high quality, despite lighting problems.

He gets his biggest forward on False Hype, his duet with Jah Mason on the Double Jeopardy Riddim, and leaves the stage after a short 40-minute show.

And who comes on next? Ken Boothe. The Jamaican crooner creates a surprise. It is his first time in France, but that is not what astonishes the crowd: he was expected the following day! We then understand that the Mighty Diamonds, scheduled to make up for the absences of John Holt and Norris Man, will finally play tomorrow, taking Ken Boothe's slot… The hosts Richie B and Papito announce in passing the cancellation of Marcia Griffith, also scheduled for the next day. Ini Kamoze and Richie Spice are supposed to come to the rescue. Yet no information is relayed, neither to the spectators who have retreated to the campsite, nor to those who will only arrive a few days later, suspecting nothing. The lack of information will leave something of a bitter taste… Ken Boothe's fans, for their part, are delighted to discover him on stage. His very professional show lasts an hour, long enough to sing his greatest hits in his warm, powerful voice. The biggest forward is of course for Everything I Own, his greatest hit.

It is almost midnight when Lloyd Brown, whom we saw at the Marley Heritage Festival in May, opens the stage for Sanchez. Half an hour is enough for him to satisfy a receptive crowd. He himself would later confide that he was surprised the audience sang his songs back in chorus. With the stage still hot, Sanchez bursts on. His performance, short but flawless, even includes a combination with Lloyd Brown to end an intoxicating show.


Next up is Iley Dread, the boss of the Kings of Kings label. True to the sound that marks his productions, he delivers a warm roots set. But it is Cocoa Tea who wins all the crowd's favour. Skilfully mixing his big, unmissable hits and more recent tracks, Cocoa Tea proves that he definitely has more than one trick up his sleeve, and his powerful performance sets the whole Parc Arthur Rimbaud ablaze… He will not leave the stage until three in the morning.

To everyone's surprise, two headliners are therefore missing, but the night is still a success. For the moment, everyone is convinced they will see the Mighty Diamonds, Richie Spice and Ini Kamoze on stage the next day. Not for long.

This second night of concerts starts rather calmly. The crowd does not seem very motivated. The weather is fairly decent and the festivalgoers take their time before coming onto the site. The park stays half empty for quite a while…

Highly convincing, the Sky Ark Sound System plays until 9pm and makes way for the Harmony House Crew, soon joined by Ginjah. This promising young singjay, whose style is close to Warrior King's, is Beres Hammond's little protégé. His performance delights the spectators, surprised to see him at the Sunrise. He then introduces Beres Hammond. One of the main headliners of this festival gets the warmest welcome from the crowd. Taking over the stage, he delivers a generous performance, even though the night has barely begun. Walking on to Step Aside, Beres Hammond strings his hits together, getting big forwards for Can’t Stop a Man and I Wish. He will sing Warriors Don’t Cry (too rare in concert) following on from They Gonna Talk. One of the best performances of the festival.

M'bee, accompanied by Soha, has the heavy task of following him. Followed by Little Dan, they win over a crowd that is starting to get impatient. Still no sign of Richie Spice or Ini Kamoze, promised the day before. To top it all, the hosts Richie B and Papito announce that Jah Mason will only come the next day, and that Richie Spice is no longer to be counted on. But they have another card to play: Tippa Irie. His last-minute arrival late in the evening will save a night full of surprises. Backstage as in the crowd, the tension becomes palpable.

Despite difficult conditions, the very successful performance of Tippa Irie deserves praise: he gave a strictly reggae dancehall show, running through all his classics, without getting lost in the crossover fantasies that his current renewed fame might inspire.

The previous night's party has had its imitators. The festival picks up a new name overnight: the Jamaïcan Surprise. Disappointment spreads and nobody dares believe the production's announcements. At the same time, the site reaches its peak attendance: thousands of people, lured by tonight's line-up, have come to cheer Ward 21, Junior Reid and Admiral T.

Karukera Sound System kicks off the night with a fine run of dubplates. The very good show by Damaniak follows. Admiral T then takes the stage with My Band, for a short, energetic show, though of lesser intensity than his performance at Bercy a few weeks earlier. Once again he brings his protégé Saïk on stage, who proved again, at Bagnols, that he can be counted on.

The crowd jumps, the sound resonates, the flags wave… But the day still gets going sluggishly. After some interludes, Iqulah takes over and gives a show without much liveliness; the crowd is receptive but does not react much.

After a long wait, Junior Reid makes his appearance. But he does not play with his usual band, officially stuck at customs. So it is My Band (them again) who take on the perilous mission. Without rehearsals, and despite the talent of the people on stage, the show does not make much of an impression. Junior Reid sings a medley of his hits over one unchanging riddim, before the band finishes on the Drum Song. Well played: Junior Reid wrote two tracks on this riddim, and ends his performance on a better note. It is also a chance to meet his two sons (16 and 17). Promising.


For the time being, it is midnight and nothing is moving... Sky Ark Sound keeps the crowd occupied for almost two hours. Discouragement begins to be felt: the festivalgoers wait without even knowing whether their patience will be rewarded. Suddenly, something moves: Jah Mason has arrived. Scheduled the day before, he was still on the road an hour ago, we are told. He, too, will not play with his band. The riddims of his hits are unrecognisable, which is particularly audible on the track My Princess Gone, where Jah Mason struggles to reach the high notes. He laughs it off awkwardly and apologises to the crowd, but to no avail; the chemistry will not take. He leaves the stage after half an hour.


It is at the end of this short and disappointing performance that Richie B and Papito take the mic to announce the next day's sound system night: Stone Love and King Tubby’s… The festivalgoers cannot believe their ears. Where have Ini Kamoze and Ward 21 gone? It is one cancellation too many. Furious, the crowd demands the artists. Water bottles fly onto the stage, boos rise: the public rumbles. And things take a turn for the worse when a bouncer knocks out a festivalgoer who was picking up a bottle (a version corroborated by several witnesses). Was he going to throw it onto the stage? Probably. But such behaviour is not expected from a professional. A point that his colleagues, incidentally, reminded the belligerent bouncer of: « If you can't control yourself, don't do security. »

The Sound Systems night is the festivalgoers' last chance to leave the Jamaïcan Sunrise with a good memory. Stone Love and King Tubby, it must be said that such an enticing line-up is rarely seen. And yet. Disillusioned by the previous day's events, most visitors left the site in the morning. It is before a sparse crowd and under a fine drizzle that Papito takes the turntables in the afternoon. Nothing special.

When the evening arrives, part of the equipment has already been dismantled. King Tubby’s kicks off proceedings with brilliance, and its relentless energy wins over every fan of the genre.
The dubplate selection is impressive, but the show nonetheless suffers from poor technical conditions: too little light on stage and, above all, sound reproduction that is hard to imagine when hosting sound systems of such renown!


Stone Love fare no better. Playing their selections from CDs, they suffer from the poor sound, compounded by CD skips to dreadful effect. Technical problems aside, it must be admitted that this was a chance to enjoy a good sample of the impressive dubplate collection of this bulldozer sound system, notably an enormous run on the Real Rock riddim, which opened their set; the sound is clean, the arrangements are perfect – the Capleton – Jah Jah City is almost better than the original – very, very good dubplates all the way through…

A final return of King Tubby, before Pepito closes the event. It is nearly 2am when the festivalgoers leave the festival site. The Jamaican Sunrise 2004 closes its doors.