Sunday, December 6, 2015

NH7 - A Music Festival

                                         
The NH7 has really grown in style and size since it first began in Pune in 2010. This year they've done Shillong, Kolkata, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore. It was my first and I must say it was a nice experience.

While I went essentially for the Rehman concert, once you step in, the spirit of the place just takes you over. It's has this different and completely chilled out air about it.

In fact there's a lot of action happening in the parking lot itself, as the food and booze is so expensive inside, that lots of drinking also happens in the cars. And then weed is strictly prohibited inside, so that as well is parking lot again.

                                

We had to hang out in the parking lot for an hour waiting for Amit to join us, so got a clear peep o into the action there.


There's four different stages and one open jam room and the acoustics is so well designed, that while the earth shakes with the volumes, there's zero overlap of sound from one stage to the other.


While Diksha and Seema were going around exploring different stages, and Amit and Swaroop hung around more at the Cirrus stall. I was happy to do just two stages as my appetite is pretty genre specific, and for an hour in between I was good just sitting around with a mug of Bacardi Cuba Libre and looking around at the pretty girls and funky boys dancing around, and listening to the Thumpers.

Thaikkudam Bridge, this was a Malu band (means from Kerala), and what was amazing is that almost all their numbers were in Malyalam, with a couple in Hindi..... genre is kind of rock fusion I think, but whatever that part, music was real good stuff. They apparently have 8 vocalists. This was them in the background.


Swarathma, an older Bangalore based band, is folk, rock, fusion kinds, pretty deep and I'd say irreverant, like lyrics that are social issue based...I'd think kind of atheistic too....good stuff again.


Cool pic huh this one? Caught some swirling smoke which my eyes didn't see, but apparently the camera did....looks like ghost....


That's the selfie stick, for those unacquainted. The rearview mirror kind of thing that all of them are looking at, that's the phone. ( not us, but couldn't help that surreptitious click :)


Rehman started with Dil se mere, which was brilliant as that  music is one pretty close to the heart for me.....and then tamasha which is fresh in mind.....and a whole lot of others, not too many popular numbers, it was still good stuff.


After the music got done, we hung out at the Cirrus stall for a bit, ate the best ever neer dosa with chicken curry. And pork barbecue in honey and some exotic herb.....had to break a mindblock to try the pork, I'm kind of prudish on food, like that.


Last picture of the evening, at the Cirrus stall ( Amit's pub).....buzzed, washed out and happy

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