The ghost of the fracas at the Enrique Iglesias concert a few weeks ago still loomed large on the first day of the annual musical pilgrimage, the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. Following the tussle between a baton-happy cop and the organisers of the concert (who also organised the NH7 Weekender), the regulars at the weekend festival were greeted to some unfamiliar experiences. The conversation largely revolved around the near offensive frisking at the security gates, particularly for women; how the bars have become more restricted especially with wristbands for those above 25 years and the how the free and fun atmosphere of the past two editions were a thing of the past.
But the music more than compensated for these grievances. After a lukewarm opening to the festival, as the evening progressed on the first day, collaborations got more exciting and eager listeners were treated to an eclectic mix of sounds. Dualist Inquiry and Friends saw Sahej Bakshi collaborate with Sidd Coutto, Aditya Ashok (Ox7gen) and Swarathma in what was probably one of the young producer’s most memorable sets. Swarathma and Friends as well had some incredible moments and collaborators, featuring artists across a wide variety of genres from the very dishy multi-instrumentalist Shri, indie rock act The Supersonics and metal biggies Bhayanak Maut.
The Raghu Dixit Project and Friends headlined The Dewarists Stage, in what would be a performance slightly below par for the indie musician. Frequently going off key and being refreshingly honest to admit to it, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that my heart went out to him as he did his best to mask his annoyance. But Raghu, being Raghu managed to pull through in a highly entertaining performance what with large Chanpattna Dolls, all the way from Karnataka, joining the band on Mysore Se Ayi.
Pentagram and ROTW at the Eristoff Wolves Den exemplified the festival spirit as a host of musicians joined the band to up the craziness quotient. The specially curated set included Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc., Bassment Jaxx’s Where’s Your Head At and closed with the Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right. Monica Dogra, Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, Warren Mendonsa, Sidd Coutto, Jai Row Kavi, P-Man and Shefali Alvares join the band on different songs. As a headlining act, their popularity was rather anticipated and despite all the on-stage madness, the collaboration seemed to be playing to the moshing gallery more than putting out some exceptional work.
Day Two started on an optimistic note: The frisking was less offensive and the line-up seemed very promising. As all six stages were thrown open to musicians compared to four the previous day, the festivalgoers were truly spoilt for choice. What made their predicament worse was how, unlike previous years, this year alcoholic beverages couldn’t be taken out of designated bars. So what does a thirsty music lover do? Choose between a drink and a performance? Most unfair, OML. I hope you have your reasons.
While Swanand and Shantanu, Trilok Gurtu and Karsh Kale and Friends expectedly gave the audience superlative performances, the evening belonged to the underdogs. Portugal’s Buraka Som Sistema was the epitome of vibrancy and had even the staunchest anti-EDM activist on his feet. Engine Earz Experiment was a breath of fresh air while Akala showed the audience how beautifully he could marry hip-hop and Shakespeare. The Bombay Metal Project — an epic 16-member band featuring Mumbai metal biggies (members of Bhayanak Maut, Scribe, Zygnema, Pangea and Goddess Gagged) — gave metalheads an evening to remember.
The absolute star of the evening was The Manganiyar Seduction by Roysten Abel. The concept created a dazzling union between the Manganiyar’s music and the visual seduction of Amsterdam’s red light district. The sets are a combination of the Hawa Mahal and the Dutch red light area. On a day that had the best of Mumbai’s metal perform, great collaborations with Karsh Kale and Friends, and light-hearted Spud in the Box, a crowd of largely youngsters stood stunned at the sheer rawness of the Manganiyar talent. That’s what makes music festivals so worth it. That one performance you underestimated only to have it blow you away. No doubt the organisers deemed them fit for headlining but a rock- and EDM-accustomed crowd gave their loud stamp of approval with a standing ovation.
The final day, packed with some of the biggest names in the music scene also saw the return of some aggressive frisking — still not as bad as the first day. On the music front, it was great to see Thermal and a Quarter still have the same groove they did about 15 years ago when they first made their mark in the indie music scene. Those familiar with the works of Swarathma and Raghu Dixit Project should know that it was Bruce Lee Mani and the other two-and-a-quarter Malyalis who paved the way for original, Indian sounds in the folk-rock arena at a time when most bands drew in crowds by playing covers. Despite the exit of Rzhude David, TAAQ sounded tight, original and still very, very alluring.
While Indus Creed were every bit the rockstars as their debut over 20 years ago, Karnivool, for all it’s hype was just entertaining and not without much depth. Considering Karnivool was being placed in the same league as Megadeth (the international biggie that headlined Delhi NH7 Weekender), it’s safe to say their performance was a bit underwhelming. Bands like Jinja Safari and Bombay Bicycle Club reminded the festivalgoers that at the end of the day, it’s about the music. Gandu Circus sounded off and almost jarring in parts and it was sad to see the audience almost evacuate the space after the third song. I truly expected more from the Kolkata-based band.
The evening belonged to Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. Intense and innovative Afrobeat had never before set so many feet tapping among Indians, many of whom left Karnivool halfway to join the African carnival.
In all, the three-day musical extravaganza was not without its glitches, gave us a few below par performances from bigwigs but reiterated that music, not hype will always rule.