London, United Kingdom - Mangrove Steelband held on to its title as UK Panorama champion, making it the steel orchestra’s eleventh win in the Panorama competition.
Arranger André White, based in New York, made the trip ʽacross the pond’ to work with Mangrove as the steelpan musicians looked to defend their 2019 championship.
In the midst of a different landscape worldwide, there was a somewhat ʽreduced’ steelband-footprint in the London UK Panorama for 2021, in large part due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, Kensal Road venue on Saturday August 28, 2021 - the competition which usually fields more steel orchestras, saw just four bands in contention. There was no UK Panorama in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The event got underway before 9:45 p.m. local time, with Ebony stepping up to the musical plate and delivering from position one. They were followed by Croydon Steel Orchestra just after 10:30 p.m. Metronomes with first-time arranger Vivian Miller performed in third place, while Mangrove going with Lyrikal’s Happy Place closed out the 2021 UK steelband competition by 11:49 p.m. Results were in just before midnight. Interestingly, the bands were on a raised stage, different from the generally on-the-ground/flat surface competitions in past years.
| Result / Score / Play position | Band | Selection/ Performer |
Arranger, Tuner, Manager, Captain |
| 1st 271.5 pts ( #4 ) |
Mangrove Steel Orchestra
|
Happy Place (“Lyrikal”) |
Arranger:  André White Tuner: n/a Manager: Matthew Phillip Captain: n/a |
| 2nd 255 pts ( #1 ) |
Ebony
Steelband
|
Backyard Jam (“Farmer Nappy”) |
Arranger:  David “Soj” Ijaduola Tuner: Dudley Dickson Managers: Pepe Francis & Albert Faustine Captain: n/a |
| 2nd 255 pts ( #3 ) |
Metronomes Steel Orchestra
|
Backyard Jam (“Farmer Nappy”) |
Arranger: Vivian Miller Tuners: Manager: n/a Captain: n/a |
| 4th 247 pts ( #2 ) |
Croydon
Steel Orchestra
|
Festival Song (Ella Andall) |
Arranger:  Paul Dowie Tuner: n/a Manager: Paul Dowie Captain: n/a |
Related content:
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Listen to & Watch UK National Steelband Panorama 2021
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UK Steelband Panorama Winners
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Total Steelband
Panorama Wins - UK
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