Tingaling, aling, aling, ling – bram bram bram! The rhythm section set off three hundred steel drums, shaking and glittering Panorama night alive. Silver metallic notes clutter and hustle the crowd. Herds of wheeled band frames, thousands of feet and hands pushing, down the street-corral to the Savannah stage. This Saturday night finals is the biggest, the excitest, mixest set of people and action. More important than Carnival Monday or Tuesday itself, this is the people's spine of the bacchanal.

Ata and Pierre had met Vernon, Fraser and Alan among the parked cars. Helen and the others were arriving too. They step from the red glow of dust and parking lights, into the stream of people flowing to the little food stalls enclosing the corral. Fraser's gait is loose, awkward, with his shrinking size, his long arms flapping at his sides. Alan bumbles along close by, broader now than his friend. He almost stumbles forward to touch and feel Trinidad again.

This is the exception for Pierre, and for many others who don't partake in the madness. Young and old, visitors, country, town – all kinds come to see, and play in the bands. Despers – the strongest, from wajang Laventille, holds the legacy tuned and tight, pinging and pounding traditions high on their hill all night.

The oil-drum segments crawl like a massive centipede, electric black and shiny. Ripples of floating legs slide it forward, adrenalin anticipates the bite. Hair raising.

The small group of friends fall in with the chipping, buddoom boom bam, buddoom boom bam … melody, it's only a melody …Renegades, Catelli All Stars, Exodus, Invaders, Solo Harmonites, Carib Tokyo and Phase II Pan Groove – the big bands and little straggler Panberi tuning and rehearsing in the queue.

Ata, Fraser and Alan push up between the canopied frames of Despers, inching closer to the iron section.

The others stay on the edge, moving along with the band.

In a break, when only the shuffling of feet and the muted jangling of empty drums fall on their steel-deafened ears, they got right up to the rhythm section.