Tue | May 12, 2026

Dubtonic takes the battle to Malaysia

Published:Sunday | February 20, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Scotiabank's Joylene Griffiths-Irving (left), Dubtonic Kru's Luke Dixon (second left), Omar 'Jalanzo' Johnson (third left), Deleon 'Jubba' Whyte (third right), Horace 'Kamau' Morgan (second right), Strickland Stone (right) and Griot Music's Seretse Small (centre) anticipate a good showing by Dubtonic at the 2011 Global Battle of the Bands. Dubtonic earned the right to represent Jamaica at the global music contest in Malaysia later this week, after winning the local leg in December at Redbones Blues Café, New Kingston. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Having won Jamaica's Battle of the Bands two months ago, the Dubtonic Kru is scheduled to leave this week for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where they will participate in the competition's global final.

Twenty bands from around the world are expected to perform for a main prize of US$100,000.

The Global Battle of the Bands was first held in Spain in 2004.

Last week, an upbeat Dubtonic Kru drummer DeLeon 'Jubba' White said the five-piece band is in high spirits.

"In my opinion, it's a win jus' to go there an' represent. For us an' other Jamaican bands, Malaysia is a new market, so we'll be more than jus' competing," White said.

Dubtonic beat five other bands to win Battle of the Bands' local staging which took place in Kingston in December. The contest was previously held in Jamaica in 2005.

White and his bandmates know little of their rivals in Malaysia, but said they expect the sounds to be far more eclectic than what they came up against in Jamaica.

"Naturally, coming out of Jamaica we play reggae, so we are almost certain to see bands from other countries playing jazz an' rock," he said. "But, what it comes down to at the end of the day is who impresses the judges most."

In addition to White, who also sings, Dubtonic includes co-founder Strickland Stone on bass, Luke Dixon (keyboards, vocals), Omar Johnson (guitar, vocals) and percussionist/vocalist Horace Morgan.

They have been part of a drive to revive live music in Jamaica through their popular Plug and Play series at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel's Jonkanoo Lounge.

The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) is the main sponsor for Battle of the Bands Jamaica. Its public relations head, Joylene Griffiths-Irving, said they were first approached for support two years ago by guitarist Seretse Small, one of the event's organisers.

Blown away

"We are developing an area of culture we had not been involved with before. We have been blown away, really," Griffiths-Irving said.

BNS has been increasing its support of live music by 'adopting' the C Sharp band.

The Dubtonic band has been around since the 1990s, touring with rocksteady and roots-reggae greats such as The Heptones, U Roy, Max Romeo and the Mighty Diamonds. Some of their projects have been with contemporary acts like singer Richie Spice on whose Marijuana Pon The Corner they played, and vocal group Voicemail, whom they backed on Ready To Party.

After a lull in the 1990s, the live-music circuit in Kingston has picked up considerably, with veteran musicians such as trombonist Nambo Robinson and the emerging Uprising Band performing regularly.

Many of reggae's top musicians, including legendary rhythm team Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, sharpened their skills in Kingston's hot live scene 40 years ago, before making it big as session players.

Most of the live action during the 1970s took place along the Red Hills Road strip where clubs like the Tit For Tat were located. Other popular spots included the Sombrero and Bohemia.