TREVORNELSON.COM :: NELSONS COLUMN

A massive thanks and Big up to everyone who has supported the Lick parties in the UK over the last five years but as you may have heard we have decided to end them. The Plan was to go out with a great weekend of back to back events in Leeds and London but due to a security warning about our Equinox gig we had to cancel the Monday night.
Mis-teeq, Terri Walker and Fallacy alongside TubbyT rocked the Leeds event with more than 3000 people in attendance and the event was broadcast on BBC 1xtra.
For London we had Mario, Tyrese and Wayne Wonder line up to surprise everyone but it was not to be. I think by now my feelings on gun crime and the threat it poses to clubland have been well documented on radio and throughout the press. It tarnishes all that we are trying to achieve and the way the media constantly link it to the music we love so dear, is having nothing but a negative effect on the industry. I have already stated that I won’t be doing massive gigs in most major cities that have these problems and that will be the case in the foreseeable future, as I won’t risk the security of anyone who comes to my gigs unnecessarily.

The most recent lick party overseas was in Amsterdam where "Evidence" from the UK warmed up the stage for the living legend that is Keith Sweat, who had the ladies writhing in RnB ecstasy as he churned out his major hits from yesteryear. It was an honour for me to meet the man who put the Swing in Beat from back in the day. Unfortunately I lost my digital camera that night along with my headphones in all the excitement so the gallery maybe a little light for that occasion. Jimmy Floyd Hasselabank gets respect for providing the VIP entertainment that night and congrats to his Chelsea team-mates for getting the blues into the champions league for next season.

I had to get the sunblock out as the Lick went to my homeland of St Lucia to cover the annual jazz festival headlined by Boyz II Men alongside Earth Wind and Fire, Incognito and The Hidden Beach Crew. There was a strong UK presence out there with Omar, Angie Le Mar etc all performing at clubs and mad beach parties around the Island. It was great to hook up with all my relatives out there and a great chance to show off one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean on MTV.
You can catch the St Lucia Lick chart special on MTV Base.

After barely wiping the mango juice from my mouth I found myself on a plane to Orlando, Florida to film the first of a new series of Holiday You call the Shots for BBC1 with Kate Thorton and the countdown legend Richard Whitely (I call him Hannibal the Cannibal). Strange but true.
We are heading to Bangkok and Iceland before end of summer and then a few more countries this autumn. The first show is on BBC1 at 7pm June 2n. Hey I got to swim with dolphins, sky dive and go on the scariest rollercoaster in the world, the Hulkster.

Peace