Lost Tribe Carnival first debuted in 2016 as a band that wanted to expound on what was missing from the Trinidad Carnival scene. Lost Tribe prides itself on delivering more drama and story telling on the road and intended to bridge the gap between what we know as traditional mas and “bikini mas”.

2018 Theme: For Carnival 2018, The Lost Tribe will present Seven, a story of love presented in a romantic tragedy focused on seven personalities and set in the imagery of Poui Trees in full bloom.

A few of my readers were interested in a Lost Tribe Review, and happily I was able to deliver. I had the chance to talk with TreZure Empire of Masqueraders Worldwide, and she was able to give some more insight into playing mas with Lost Tribe.

Global Carnivalist: Thanks for talking with me, can you tell me, What makes Lost Tribe appealing to you?

Masqueraders Worldwide:

Lost Tribe appealed to me because they have high quality costumes. While the band is smaller than some of the big bands most people know of, knowing something is properly tailored to my body, appealed to me.

Lost Tribe also feels like a family oriented and loving band, there was no stush vibes or diva complexes taking place. I felt like I partook in traditional mas with a modern twist, and I was able to revel with masqueraders of all ages. Lost Tribe is truly rooted in tradition but you get to free up.

GC: How was registration ?

MW: Registration has always been easy, I was invited back this year because I played was with Lost Tribe in 2017. But from what I understand, it’s simple and can be done through the website. There is no committee member registration. The band has grown significantly as well.

GC: What about costume distribution and construction?

MW: Costumes were very regal and really well-tailored. I felt a sense of honor in being able to wear this year’s costume and my road experience felt like a presentation. Everyone looked like royalty and you could see that feeling being showcased in the way we played mas. It felt like the costumes provoked a certain energy. Like the Scarlett revelers, exuded fire. At one point, I felt like I was taking myself too seriously feeling like a Queen but of course, I had a great time.

Costume pickup took awhile but I believe this had to do with the size of the costumes, and having so many accessories as part of the costume; this caused a bit of confusion. It was hectic but organized, just slow due to the size of the costumes so we had to be patient.

Note: There were a lot of men in the Scarlett section this year, and they looked handsome in full costumes but extremely masculine.

GC: Tell me more about getting ready

MW: I did my makeup myself, but I wish I had a MUA, that’s a note for next time. For my Monday wear, I wore a piece by Sarah Jane Waddell. Her customer service, pop up shop and accessories were amazing. Her monday wear was reasonably priced and I wanted to support her and I really liked the way she treated her clientele, it’s the way all brands should treat their clients.

GC: What was the road experience like?

MW: The road amazing, we got to experience the Savannah, Soca Drome and Ariapita.  We spent a lot of time with the general public, I felt like we were putting on a presentation for the people. Stormers were not much of an issue, people respected the Lost Tribe presentation and let us revel with no issues. It felt like a spiritual experience.

Despite us having a lot more cloth on, the women were really sexy and it was great to see that Lost Tribe appealed to a lot of seasoned masqueraders.

We really got on bad, who was wining low, went lower – it was vibes no matter how young or old the masquerader was. We climbed railings and wined on trucks like any other band. We had drummers (@BoomBoomRoomTT) the whole time which added to the experience.

Drinks continuously flowed and we never ran out of anything. We even had a champagne bar. The staff was always pleasant.

I enjoyed seeing a lot more photographers come to take pictures of us this year. The energy on carnival Tuesday turned up some more after the Soca Drome so you can see that displayed through the photos. The moco-jumbies managed to stay on stilts all day and we were all empowered by the adrenaline of the day.

GC: Is there anything you would add?

MW: I would love some more speciality DJs on the road with us, but otherwise no complaints. More sponsors for our goodie bags would have been nice and personnel at the vanity section to help with makeup. The rest stop set up was way better, there were a lot more attendants this year.

She summed it up for me

MW: Lost Tribe is where the sexy artsy girls go to play: there are just so many creatives in Lost Tribe and we have a beautiful way of celebrating individual styles and togetherness at once.

The menswear is superior to every band: if you want to play mas with your man, this band will make sure he looks as good as you do. I really adore how complete our male looks are and how detailed Lost Tribe is with each costume. The men of the Scarlet section in particular looked soooo lit.

Lost Tribe keeps your mind, body and soul pumpin’. It’s a very spiritual mas, being a part of this historic yet futuristic tradition. Parading from morning til night with our drummers and the beautiful girls playing moco jumbie was amazing. It is such an emotional experience to see the people of Trinidad are so pleased with our presentation. Passing the cemetery and all the people on Ariapita Ave was just as exciting as crossing the stage

If you played with Lost Tribe also, please tell us more about your experience in the comment section.

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Yours in Mas,