London

The rubberised tip of a steelpan hammer

It’s not completely baffling as to why the neighbours would object to living near a panyard, particularly in a house price-conscious locale like W11. A steel orchestra might not be able to compete with a truck-bound speaker stack, but it’s still bloody loud. The panyard is also, by definition and necessity, a more open environment than your average studio, which doesn’t help with soundproofing.

‘The thing is, steel band has a vibe about it,’ says Anise ‘You can’t put steel band in a conservatory-type environment. The whole feel is different. So you’ve gotta have some kind of element where you can go inside, then come outside to hang out a little bit. It has to be a bit more social. If you try and put it in this constrained conservatory type of environment somehow the vibe is lost. It’s like taking a string orchestra and putting them in a steel band environment.” Feature continues

In an effort to combat this serial eviction, Ebony have teamed up with Mangrove, Yaa and ABC steelbands to propose the Carnival Village project to give the music a permanent base in the area. The consortium recently submitted a bid to manage the Tabernacle in Powis Square which would give the bands a base in which to both practice and teach. It would also make it easier for them to spy on each other’s rehearsals but they don’t seem to be flagging that up for some reason.

The classically indented tenor pan

However, if Notting Hill Carnival really is a celebration of the diversity and heritage of the area, then some of the money it ploughs into the local economy would be well spent upholding its traditions. Anise makes a convincing case for steelband in general, and obviously Ebony in particular’s, role as a positive force . A steelband is more than an oildrum orchestra, it can also be a social club, community college or support group.

There are players in their mid-twenties who have been with Ebony since primary school – how many kids do you know who keep up with the tennis or karate lessons for that length of time? The band tour the country and the world – the big band recently got back from a five day trip to India. But it’s not just the members of Ebony’s touring band that benefit. As well as promoting steelpan music, Ebony run a range of classes for local schools, outreach programmes for young offenders and music therapy courses for the disabled.. They also run Millennium Volunteer courses (a kind of sawed-off Duke Of Edinburgh scheme, linked with the actual DoE). In fact, it’s exactly the kind of thing Lily Allen says there should be more of in her interview on page 10. Maybe she should become a patron.

Panorama certainly isn’t going anywhere for the next few years, but it’s one of those thing, like the Elgin Marbles, that Londoners should enjoy while we can, because we might not have it forever. The bands are united solely in their love of the instrument and their enjoyment of the music, and best of all no one is trying to sell you anything (although that might explain why Panorama isn’t televised). So do something different this year, go and check out Panorama. The worst that can happen is you’ll have a good time.

Panorama is on at Pleasaunce Park, W10, on Saturday from 7pm.