From Florida to Minnesota, freezing temperatures and snow, British Dependency’s 3 week, 14 city tour wraps with favorable reviews. Their first US Tour, by invitation of The Wailers, the band seized the once in a lifetime opportunity to promote their newly released debut album “Finding Wisdom” and introduce their music to US fans.
Undaunted by the sold out venues that topped 2000 concert goers, the Band rose to the occasion and performed like seasoned artists in the business for over a decade. With accolades such as, “amazing performance,” “solid band,” “very talented trio,” “great representation of Anguilla,” “expect great things to come from British Dependency” etc., the band ripped through Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Chicago, Ohio and Minnesota raking in a devote following of thousands. Aston “Family Man” Barrett, original member of Bob Marley and The Wailers remarks,
“It is so good to see young people globally moving towards roots, rock, reggae because the reggae music is the heartbeat of the people. It is the universal language that carries the message of roots, culture and reality.”
“This was a tremendous experience and we had only one opportunity to show fans who we are and what we are about. So every show, we went on stage with that mindset and performed as if our lives depended on it,” remarks Joyah, bass player for the band. Guitar player, Ruel, added “We’ve worked hard and each of us has made great sacrifices. This, I believe, is one of the many rewards of our hard work. So there was no way we weren’t going to bring our A game each show.”
Fans were not only thrilled to see the band perform but also had the opportunity to meet them after the show. The group signed autographs, took photos and talked about their journey thus far. Not wanting to neglect fans that were not able to attend the shows, Ruel, Joyah and Jaiden took to their social media pages, posting photos of their tour bus, sound check, backstage prep and video clips of their performances. In return, fans posted their photos from the shows and gave their feedback.
In addition to promoting their music, the band also acted as ambassadors for their home island of Anguilla. They handed out brochures, took pictures with fans holding said brochures and educating those who had never been to Anguilla why they should visit. The gesture spread like wild fire and soon fans began showing up with the Anguillan flag. Drummer, Jaiden shared, “The first time I saw someone waving the flag at one of our shows, I got so choked up. I felt extreme pride in knowing that we were exposing not only our music to the world but also Anguilla. That was powerful.”
Their impact has undoubtedly yielded new fans and admiration from fellow artists. One such artist, in the person of Reggae singer, Jah Cure, made his opinion known via social media. He remarked, “The bass player is very talented. I would love to work with her.” This, the band agrees, is an honor.
British Dependency’ management team remarks,
“The team is very happy with the turn out of the tour. We have already secured bookings for the band as a result – so they will be back on the road again soon. We have some requests from the West Coast, so we are working on that right now. They are truly talented and their work ethic is definitely something to be applauded.”
