ELECTRIC PICNIC: Caribbean feeling with Soja at the main stage

The perfect way to start off day 3 of Electric Picnic? Soja at the main stage! The eight-piece reggae band brought a little bit of that Caribbean feeling to cold and cloudy Stradbally.

There was a lot going on on that stage. Besides the usual instruments like guitars and drums, there was a trumpet, a saxophone, an ewi (an electronic music instrument that looks like a futuristic flute), congas and basically every percussion instrument that you could dream off.

You ask how an eight-piece band can handle so many different instruments? Well, it seemed like every Soja member is a pro at playing multiple instruments. Added to this, half of the group was singing, too! Man, every single member of this band is just so fucking talented.

Their sound was as diverse as their instruments. It could best be described as reggae with elements of brass, funk and rock. Sounds crazy? It was, but it totally worked.

Soja's fusion of genres goes hand in hand with the different cultures represented in the group. In addition to frontman Jacob Hemphill's breezy voice, there was bassist Bobby Lee Jefferson singing with a Jamaican accent while saxophonist Hellman Escorcia and trumpet player Rafael Rodriguez threw Spanish vocals into the mix.

Soja's set was a celebration of diversity, feel-good music and good vibes. In short: It was a blast!