If a music festival manages to stay in your mind 24 hours later after it’s over, then it truly made an impact for sure. Let’s get things straight. The Bacardi NH7 Weekender at Laxmi Lawns in Magarpatta City in Pune was truly a happy festival (as per their tagline) with carefree souls who enjoyed making and listening to music.
It was one platform, after a very long time that levelled the audiences and performers with no VIP slots or any high-handed activities we see at various other festivals. And it surely was overwhelming to see the huge turnout amidst hardly any promotional activities except for the heavy trending on social networking sites.
With six different stages (EristoffWolves Den, Pepsi Dub Station, The Dewarists Stage, The Other Stage, Bacardi Black Rock Arena and Eristoff Club Invasion), Laxmi Lawns was abuzz with music and festivities. Moreover, envisioning a festival like this on a fairly grand scale requires detailing and accountability, credit for which goes to Vijay Nair and his team at Only Much Louder.
The format is still raw, but a great crowd-puller. But before that a round-up of some of the best acts. The first day saw an impressive turnout of artistes like “Dualist Inquiry”, “Midival Pun-ditz” and “Basement Jaxx’s DJ set”. From dubstep, breakbeat and drum and bass at Pepsi Dub Station to house and tech house at the Eristoff Wolves Den, people shuffled between the two stages.
The Dewarists Stage was by far the most popular one as fans thronged to watch some of the foremost names in the music scene create madness. Right from the lesser-known bands like Hipnotribe to the Grammy-award winning Imogen Heap’s act, practically everybody at The Dewarists Stage presented some phenomenal acts.
Raghu Dixit surely knows his craft too well; not only has he developed a distinct identity for himself over the years, he has also made people feel happy about music. There’s something endearing about the way he adjusts his guitar, calls for help or asks the technicians to check the nitty-gritty.
And when Raghu strums a string of his acoustic guitar, the crowds go into a tizzy, waiting for him to begin the performance. At the NH7, Raghu’s track Masti Ki Basti from his latest album clearly stood out for its funk and carefree mood.
He belted out two numbers in his mother tongue Kannada and the audience sang along with him. “I have a surprise act lined-up with a secret collaborator, who happens to be none other than you — the
audience,” he said, bringing in some more noise and cheer. Raghu’s act was followed by the talented multi-instrumentalist Imogen Heap, who left many in the audience awe-struck with her sheer dexterity and versatility in mixing music. Draped in a black and white saree, Imogen’s presence on stage invited loud cheer and applause from the audience. She performed some hits from her debut album and favourites such as First Train Home, Just For Now, manipulated electronic sounds with a variety of instruments. With an affable Namaste Imogen displayed her craft of incorporating different sounds that comprise a crucial part of her music.
At NH7, she bewildered everyone by creating sounds with a wine glass and mixing it with her range of instruments (synthesisers, bells, keytar — guitar shaped keyboard). Imogen, who is trained in piano, cello and clarinet, manages to move swiftly across the stage handling everything with ease.
Vishal Dadlani of “Pentagram” too joined her for an impromptu gig of the Mind Is Without Fear number on stage, the track they worked on for the first episode of The Dewarists by Dewar’s. Vishal was on another high after the performance. “I can’t believe that I’m actually sharing the stage with Imogen and singing along with her,” he said.
“Advaita” clearly showed why they still make the audience go crazy after their Indian classical sensibilities with a traditional rock setup. Swarathma, the folk-fusion band from Bengaluru brought their folklore alive with some eclectic tunes.
The third day simply fastened the pace of the festival with “Indian Ocean” on The Dewarists Stage and “Scribe” on the Bacardi Black Rock Arena. Hardcore band Scribe ensured their fans roared, cheered and applauded, which also included having a mosh pit.
“Indian Ocean” sticking to its fusion rock act were the clear highlights at the Dewarists Stage. The audience sang along the Bande number and also proved why they still rule the music scene.
The finale to the NH7 Weekender was truly a spectacular affair curated by composer-multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale, who brought together the best of musicians to do special versions of some really popular songs. The set featured Vishal Dadlani (Penta-gram), Vishwesh Krishn-amoorthy (Scribe), Randol-ph Correia (Pentagram/Sh-aa’ir + Func), Warren Mendonsa (Blackstr-atblues), Monica Dogra (Shaa’ir + Func), Siddharth Basrur (Goddess Gagged), singer Shilpa Rao, sitar maestro Ravi Chary, Humble The Poet, Midival Punditz, drummer Jay Row Kavi and for what can only be described as the mother of all Indie collaborations.
One of the most striking aspects was that there were no formalities and one could enjoy the festival the way they wanted to. It also highlighted the non-pretentious nature of a festival. But given the nature of music, it was only natural to let people do their own thing within a basic framework of discipline.
Kudos to the organisers for keeping in mind the detailing of every small thing right from the technical aspects to security. The festive vibe was also infectious with people donning quirky headgear such as afro wigs, halos, incandescent neon glasses and bright colourful dresses. It almost seemed like a three-day carnival, like the one that happens at international festivals like the Glastonbury or Edinburgh music festival.
However, one point of concern was the fact there weren’t any live screens. Considering the presence of over 25,000 people during the three days, a live screen should have been there at the Dewarists Stage and the Rock Arena, for they had the maximum number of people shuttling in and out, many of whom couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was going on near the stage. Also, the other logistics like transport could have been taken better care of.
But apart from all that, people are happy and truly so. Congratulatory messages to the organising team haven’t stopped pouring in.
The buzz is very much alive and fans are already making plans for next year. And yes, one thing I missed out on was how difficult it is locating your friends. But in the process, you meet music lovers and groupies who you end up having some of the most intense discussions, probably that’s what the festival seeks — music lovers under one huge umbrella.