The Pure Lime Story.

Home of Chocolate Mas.

Lick and stick with Pure Lime

If you have a weakness for sweetness there is only one band for you at the Notting Hill Carnival in August, a highlight of the UK's annual summer calendar. And if at the very mention of the word "carnival" you start thinking dirty, then how about this: Imagine yourself chipping behind the truck on Carnival Day, your body (or you might prefer the sexy woman/man of your dreams) covered in brown, sticky chocolate and the sinfully delightful prospect of having someone (how about that same sexy woman/man of your dreams, again) licking it off for you or asking you to do the same to them. Give's a new meaning to sweet, sticky fun, doesn't it?

Well you can have the opportunity to indulge at Notting Hill, thanks to a group of Trinis calling themselves Pure Lime (the verb "to lime" being the Trini - i.e. Trinidadian - slang for "hanging out", partying and generally having a good time - and never mind the contradiction: Trini "limes" are always sweet). Typically, the motto of this foursome - Edison "Lime One" Brathwaite, Nigel "Smooth" Duncan, Ronald "Doc Frog" Brathwaite and Lennon "Rasta Mike" Constantine - is "nothing for profit, all for pleasure". It is, after all, just a "lime" (yes, the word's a noun as well), and a pure one at that.

Edison, from Five Rivers in east Trinidad is the group's chairman, organiser and designer. Five Rivers is much more laid back than other parts of the country but you can't tell that from watching Edison. Well, you can… it's just that what is call laid back in Trinidad is still heavy liming for the uninitiated. Edison landed on these shores in 1988 with a grand plan to study agriculture (limes?). Something happened along the way (maybe too much liming), he got involved in cable TV systems, and has never looked back since.

Nigel was born in England, spent his formative years in Trinidad - in St James, the 'city that never sleeps' (it's not a city actually, just a part of the capital city, Port of Spain). There, no doubt, he learnt the 'art' of liming, among other things), and returned to these shores to further his studies (how he finds the time, he alone knows). He is the group's official treasurer/secretary and the official posie carrier. Now that last bit requires some explaining. A 'posie' is a bedpan, really. But when you're playing dirty mas (short for masquerade), it becomes a drinking utensil. But don't worry, it won't be a used posie (we hope), and all you can expect to drink from it is rum. In fact, according to Nigel, any new member of the band must be 'christened' by drinking from the posie.

Edison's younger brother Ronald is a very important member of the group. Nigel may control the posie, but it is Ronald who keeps the rum on Carnival Day! And he's the main chef too, although all the members of the group cook.

Lennon came to the UK ten years ago and, since any real Trini or limer (well, they're one and the same) can easily spot another, he soon met up with Edison, who introduced him to other Trinis. He is also involved in cable TV. This is the man who organises the pork whenever it's on the menu (which is often). He is also the group's designated driver as he doesn't drink (sounds a bit odd, but a real Trini doesn't have to be a drinker to be a good limer). Lennon handles PR for the group and according to the others, "brings in the girls". Hmmm. Promises of free cable, maybe?

This group of hardcore limers has been producing a band for the Notting Hill Carnival since 1997, although the "lime" has been on since 1991. No good Trini lime is complete without food (ask "Doc Frog"), and since this is as pure as it gets, the boys have made a ritual of getting together for soup limes, barbeque limes, curry limes... So it is no surprise that when they decided to put together a band, the idea of chocolate mas came up. Only a bunch of Trinis could turn "dirty mas" into something mouth-watering. (Of course, you might salivate over a bunch of Trini women in their skimpy Carnival costumes - but that is another story).

"Dirty mas" is a big, big Carnival tradition in Trinidad and Tobago, from where the Notting Hill mas has originated. There, it is usually associated with the J'Ouvert celebrations which officially kick off the Carnival. J'Ouvert (pronouced jouvay) comes from the French, and means "opening of the day". It originated among slaves who dressed in rags and covered themselves in mud and tar to mimic the more flamboyant costumes of their masters' elaborate pre-Lenten fetes. The imported carnival at Notting Hill doesn't have a J'Ouvert preamble. But would that stop a Trini from enjoying this aspect of the mas? No way!

In fact, the chocolate band has been so popular that the number of people covered in the sticky stuff - band members, that is - continues to increase. You can't play mas and 'fraid powder - or in this case, chocolate. So if you get too close, don't be surprised if you find yourself smothered in a mucky embrace and swept along with the band. There are other groups as well - more established bands like T&T Mudders and Burrokeets have been playing 'powder' and other forms of dirty mas for years, but the Pure Lime band is growing in numbers and popularity. Music for the chocolate revellers is provided by another established band, Cocoyea, which also provides sponsorship and background support.

Media crews have also expressed an interest in the band, so if you can't actually be there, check your TV or newspapers for what is always one of the sweetest bands at Notting Hill. But if you do feel like getting all sweet and sticky and dirty (remember that sexy woman/man of your dreams) then give the lads a call. They'll be ready and willing to serve… chocolate, that is.