Who doesn’t love a chance to witness their favourite artiste or band on stage? What if we got an opportunity to listen to all our favourite bands on the same stage? That is exactly what the Urbana Music Festival has in store this weekend. Featuring India’s biggest bands Indian Ocean, Parikrama and Euphoria along with Bengaluru’s own The Raghu Dixit Project and Bollywood’s top playback singer Arijit Singh, this festival is one to tick off on the bucket list for die-hard music fans.
Scheduled for December 3 and 4, the second edition of the two-day music extravaganza promises the best of the country’s music backed by yummy food offerings by the Bangalore food Truck Association, a pop-up flea market, curated by Yappily along with something engaging for the kids at the Nickelodeon Kids Kingdom.
Euphoria’s frontman, Palash Sen, declares Bengaluru is his favourite city to perform in. “The biggest reason for that is Bengaluru has the most discerning audience any musician can get. They love music and it doesn’t really matter which genre you play. That’s the best confidence any artiste can get – that this audience will appreciate any good music. The satisfaction Euphoria gets by playing to an audience in Bengaluru is always something else.”
On sharing the stage with Indian Ocean and Parikrama, Palash says, “The concept is amazing. Three of India’s biggest bands are going to play on the same stage. This is the first time this is going to happen. Even the day before us, two of my favourite artistes, Raghu and Arijit, are playing. It’s a great line-up for people to come and watch – a show that is musically designed and not hyped on glamour. That’s a great thing. I’m proud to be playing at a concert like this.”
Expect a lot of ‘euphoria’ (pun intended) in the crowd, Palash adds. “If the audience is tired at the end of our show, then they’ve had a great time,” he laughs and goes on: “You have to be euphoric, in a state of high, drained and slightly psychologically imbalanced when we’re done.” The mass appeal band will be playing most of their hits, material from their upcoming album as well as tributes to some of the greatest musicians all over the world. “It will be a mix-match of sorts with a few surprises. You never know, I might do a Kannada song too,” Palash beams.
Kicking off the sonic fiesta on December 3 will be The Raghu Dixit Project led by Bengaluru’s own rock star and biggest cultural export -Raghu Dixit. Bassist Gaurav Vaz shares a sneak peek: “We’ve had a busy year touring internationally. Raghu has been working on a host of new Kannada movies, releasing in the coming months, and a Hindi movie with Saif Ali Khan, so there’s a lot of new music coming from the band.” On the festival, he points out: “It’s been a while since we did a big format festival like this in Bengaluru. Many other indie/folk festivals have moved away from the city. So this is a good opportunity for us. Also, it will be fun to play to an audience that knows our songs as opposed to going all around the world where we’re brand new to most.”
It’s a superb line-up, Gaurav adds. “Some of our favourites will be there. We’re kicked about listening to Arijit live. He’s undoubtedly number one in the scene and we’re looking forward to his songs. Maybe we can learn a lot from him on stage as well.” The ambience promises to be a big boost too, he says. “Music festivals now offer more that the experience of just watching four bands. The experience of going to a festival is holistic and this seems to one that will be worth every penny.”
To the audience, Gaurav says: “Come with all your worries and give it to us, we will take them, keep it with us for two hours, give you a great time, and hand them back to you when you go back.”
Indian Ocean, clearly the heart of the country’s eclectic musicscape, promises to play a great mix of new songs, including unreleased and unrecorded material, and crowd favourites. “The amazing line-up is a brilliant mix of artistes and we are sharing stage with our friends Parikrama and Euphoria. We couldn’t have asked for more. Hopefully, by the end of the night, the audience will go home humming our new tunes.”
The nation’s rock ’n’ roll legends Parikrama also assure a heady mix of originals and new stuff. “Undoubtedly, one of biggest line-ups in any festival in India, this festival is going to be all about the music.”
Venue and schedule
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of music at Ozone Urbana, Kannamangala, Devanahalli Road, from 3.30 p.m. onwards with The Raghu Dixit Project and Arijit Singh on December 3 and Indian Ocean, Parikrama and Euphoria on December 4. Tickets on bookmyshow.
