Being high up in the open air amphitheatre of UB City on a cold November night may not be the most comforting experience. But, music lovers in the city who braved the chill to make it to the venue had no regrets as the night sky lit up not just with lights but also with the ‘Sounds of Maldives’, a unique music festival.
Here in India for the first time ever, the fifth edition of the music festival saw some of the best musicians from the island nation rocking Friday night with a varied assortment of songs.
“And what better place to host the festival than Bangalore and its vibrant all-accepting audience,” says vocalist and guitarist Fa’thu. The artiste says bringing the sounds of Maldives to Bangalore is the most exciting thing she has done musically.
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“I hope more events like this can happen in Bangalore because we simply love performing here.”
She adds that there is a unifying factor in concerts like this. “When I got this opportunity, I wanted to come especially because of all the cultural and musical exchange that happens here. It would be better if we can get more artistes from Bangalore to be part of this venture and the exchange is more multi-dimensional than a one-day event. We also want to encourage more musicians from India to come over to Maldives. India’s music is so vibrant and rich. We hope to organise an event on these lines for them in our home country.”
Kicking off with an acoustic performance, Fa’thu got the audience grooving with her ethereal vocals and strong, yet mesmerising strumming. Backed by a meandering piano and bass guitar, the artiste had the audience spellbound with her magical tunes in English.
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Her final number was an up-tempo blues number with the band that got the audience foot-tapping to the breezy composition.
Launched with the aim of promoting the music of the beautiful island world of Maldives, the festival has established a unique atmosphere that has drawn musicians and singers to perform and tourists to watch them live. Held in Malaysia and Sri Lanka previously, the festival goes to a different destination for every edition.
Freestyle vocalist and guitar player Munnu took stage next and quickly got the audience on their feet with his enthusiastic songs sun in Dhivehi, the language of Maldives. Backed by a phenomenal band, the rhythm-heavy singer transported the listeners to the sunny beachside ambience of the island.
Followed by performances by Fasy, Paighde, Boduberu, K-ops, Dhai and DJ Pridey, the night seemed to last forever as the musicians poured wave after wave of magic from Maldives. The final act saw heavy metal band Nothegal take centre stage and rock Bangaloreans as they closed with some fantastic metal frenzy.
Composer, producer and pianist Paighde, who enthralled the audience with his rhythmic keys work wearing a panama hat, says it is a big privilege for all of them to perform for the music lovers of Bangalore.
“We are excited about being here. Bangalore’s weather and its music are extremely nice. We are big fans of Indian music and especially the music that is made here in the city. We are really proud to present our music here.
He points out that though there are a lot of familiar faces from the Maldivian community in Bangalore, It is wonderful to see so many people from other communities coming together as one to be part of this music adventure. We are honoured to be able to play for all of them.”