Nothing stops people from good music. This past weekend, Bangalore’s music freaks proved their passion for music had no boundaries and braved the lashing rain to witness one of the grandest music fests in the city – the Bacardi NH7 Weekender.
Day one of the show saw one of the worst downpours this year. But that did not seem to hamper the spirits of music lovers who thronged the Embassy International Riding School in thousands to witness their favourite artistes perform.
While the rain seemed unrelenting, the crowd turned the torrent of water into the perfect ambience for one big rain dance. People went wild and splashed around in total abandon unmindful of getting wet and muddy.
Spanning five stages and over 50 performers, the Weekender brought together a fantastic assortment of talent and music from across the country and globe. The party never stopped even amid the rain. Right from Dakta Dub’s set to the end with Spoonbill, there was hardly a moment when the Breezer Dub Station wasn’t filled with scores of happy, dancing music lovers. Special mention to Shaa’ir + Func who threw up a raging dance ambience that the crowd matched with the rain’s drumming.
The same could be said for Lucky Ali and Kailasa who thrilled the thousands of fans with some of their finest sets and compositions at the Dewarists stage. The Red Bull Tour Bus that kicked off with Black Letters did not see much action due to the rain until Dualist Inquiry, aka Sahej Bakshi, climbed up and rocked the stage atop the bus with magnetic nuances that drew a massive crowd. It was a sight to see him render some crowd favourites with his first ever DJ set.
The spirit was incredibly positive even as fans grooved to Australian Kate Miller-Heidke at the MTS Other Stage. Her eclectic voice had the crowd thickening with every song with many a man swooning to her soaring numbers.
Backstage, Kate says this is her first time in India. “It felt great to see such an amazingly responsive audience, especially considering the rain. India is a great place to be. I love bhangra and Bollywood music and hope to come back soon for more shows here,” she says.
Sam Poggioli, otherwise known as Sampology, had a brilliant line-up with fantastic audio-visual effects that had the crowd screaming for more.
“This festival is totally amazing. I’ve only been here two days but I’ve had loads of fun. I love the venue and the layout is spectacular. It has been very wet today, but am glad folks in the crowd didn’t mind the rain and danced their hearts out,” he shares after his gig.
“I really love Bangalore. It’s a cool city. The music scene here is fantastic and am really impressed with some of the acts here,” he adds.
While Day one closed off on a happy note, day two seemed duller with ominous clouds lingering over the spectacular venue. However, the scene livened up quickly with the Karsh Kale Collective + The NH7 All Stars taking centre stage.
Accompanied by the festival's best, including Midival Punditz, Papon, Nucleya and other crowd favourites, the ensemble threw the crowd into a frenzy for more.
The highlight of the second day was Bangalore’s own Raghu Dixit, who launched his long-awaited sophomore album, Jag Changa with a special set for the festival.
The lungi-clad musicians performed to a soaring audience along with dancers, puppeteers, jugglers, stilt walkers and more. The Weekender fest closed to a rousing finale with Nischay Parekh’s fantastic voice and music apart from Australian band Hey Gerenimo’s symphonic renditions.
Even as the curtains came down on the Weekender blast, for the thousands who made it to the fest, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience they will cherish forever.
