BY ALISON BONE

While the silence of Nyepi fell over Bali, Gili Trawangan in Lombok was anything but quiet, as hordes of people descended on the island, where Sama Sama Bar and
U- think Enterprise hosted the first ever Jammin Island Roots Rock Reggae festival.

Gili T with its white sandy beaches, swaying palms and laid-back atmosphere provided the perfect setting for the festival, and the plethora of guitars, drums, dreadlocks and sweet reggae infused the island with a Caribbean vibe. Indonesia’s burgeoning reggae scene has produced some incredibly talented musicians. Top artists including Steven and Ray D‘Sky (Steven and the Coconut Treez) of Welcome to my paradise fame, and Lombok’s own Richard D’Gilis headlined the event. Also performing were Lawa Black Sweet, QQ Uprising, Freddy and Friends and Sama Sama regulars S2 Band.

It was late afternoon when the festival got under way, an angry storm was brewing over the mountains of Lombok and thunderous clouds crept towards us. The official opening was marked with the release of 100 baby turtles to the ocean. We carried the little creatures down to the beach, their legs flapping furiously and there was plenty of cheering as we placed them on the sand and they scrambled awkwardly down to the water and freedom. As the turtles discovered the rhythm of the ocean, gentle reggae rhythms filled the air, and then it was the rhythmic patter of falling rain as the storm hit the island forcing the event indoors. Instead of dancing barefoot in the sand under the stars, we were packed inside Sama Sama but the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. The air was thick with smoke; the arak and the laughter flowed freely; dreadlocks were flying and the atmosphere soaring. We were all united in the sheer spine-tingling pleasure of the music. The performers seemed to have more fun than anyone and there was a constant rotation of musicians on stage as these brothers from another mother jammed it out like there was no tomorrow. Later in the evening the storm had passed and we all headed outside to bask in the star light, eat barbecued fish and watch the fire dance show. Then it was the rhythm of the drums and the gentle lapping of waves on the shore as the dancers twirled and swirled in a whirl of fire.

The music was even better on the second night of the festival but the pace much more relaxed and fewer people meant more space to dance and a much more intimate atmosphere – it felt more like a really cool party. When the music ended people drifted towards the bonfire on the beach and the soft strumming of guitars, or to Rudy’s Bar where everyone was leaping around on the dance floor to the Chemical Brothers and Eminem. And then, as the first rays of sun hit the island Gili finally fell silent.

read comments (5)