BERMUDIAN dancehall sensation Collie Buddz fired up a sell-out crowd in Seattle, Washington this week, taking reggae to the birthplace of grunge ¿ and handily winning over the locals.

Tuesday night's show at the Nectar Lounge was described as "a beautiful aberration in Seattle's rare relationship with international dancehall" by critic Ross Simonini .

"One of the Caribbean's biggest reggae stars came to the Northwest to brighten up a dismal day in recent Seattle weather," he said. "The show was sold out, and the club had to turn away . . . more than 150 people a considerable audience that gives evidence to Seattle's ever-growing interest in reggae."

Collie Buddz, the marijuana-slang pseudonym for DJ Colin Harper, was described by Simoni as "the singular musical force coming out of the idyllic island".

But Buddz told the critic Bermuda is bursting with musical talent, saying he hopes to highlight other homegrown performers on the local music label he wants to establish.

"Bermuda was one of the first places to embrace the whole Jamaican thing," Harper said.

"From my teenage years, reggae music was the only music I knew.

"I never knew nothing about no hip-hop or nothing. (I want to) showcase some Bermudian talent (on a Bermuda label) . . . We have a lot of talent down there that has no way to get out."

Simoni said Collie Buddz's show more than fulfilled concertgoers' expections.

"At midnight, Collie Buddz blasted onto the stage in his characteristic angular shades, set off against his Irish pallor," he said.

"He spat super-fast rhymes over tense, angry beats, and gave the crowd all the hits they wanted.

"Where most Tuesday shows simmer down by 11.30, the Nectar crowd unleashed a wave of energy that built up as the night powered on.

"They knew that a major dancehall event in Seattle is something worth savouring."

Collie Buddz is currently on a US tour. His self-titled debut album was released last summer and its first single, Come Around, topped reggae and pop charts worldwide.