Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra, the nation’s oldest steel band, will celebrate its 80th anniversary with a concert on Saturday, November 22nd at Weatherills, as band members share some of its storied legacy of musical excellence and youth development.
The band, established in 1945, originated as an iron band in the Villa community to become Antigua and Barbuda’s most successful steel orchestra.
The 80th anniversary concert themed “Legacy in Steel” will showcase the band’s rich history while looking toward its future as it continues developing young talent and preserving the artform of steel pan music in Antigua and Barbuda.
Speaking on Observer AM yesterday, Trevon White, a bass player and member of the public relations team who has been with the band for 18 years, spoke about Hell’s Gate’s pioneers to include Eugene Weston, Alfonso Phillip, Thomas Daniel, Joseph Benjamin, Eustace Manning, Alexander Roberts, George Williams, George “Nugget” Joseph, Regina Henry, Cecil Phillip, Ivan Edwards and Joseph Townsend, who was the blacksmith who taught band members the techniques to create their instruments.
“[These pioneers] went to the blacksmith shop in the Villa Mariners Lane area, and they got old drums, old tin biscuit pans, metal pipes, and stuff for the vehicles,” White said.
The band members spoke to the Orchestra’s history with some notable nuggets which included being the first band to play at Government House, the first to tour the Caribbean during the 1940s and 1950s, the first Panorama winner in 1949 with the song “Peanut Vendor”, and the first steel orchestra to play in a church when they performed at St Peter’s Anglican Church in 1950.
“Let’s look at these last six years. We have been winning since 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and we’re coming again for 2026,” White said. “These victories come from the discipline in the band and continuing what Eustace Manning would have helped to pioneer and continue to make it survive.”
Bertha Higgins, the first female senator in Antigua and Barbuda, was also the first person to teach the band music from school.
Today, Hell’s Gate continues its tradition of innovation and development with members having gone on to achieve scholarships to study in Trinidad and former players becoming prominent personalities.
“This band has created a love inside of me that I have to pass on to the next generation,” White said. “Because remember, the theme of this event is a legacy in steel. The legacy was passed on to me and now I want to make sure it’s passed on to someone else that will keep it going.”
Fellow band member Kennisha Massicot, who joined the band in 2023, said plans for Saturday’s concert are progressing well with the event featuring three hours of continuous music and special guest performers.
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