Festival speak
“There’s now a younger generation, with far more disposable income and they’re looking for new ways to spend that money and hang out. I like to call them “experience junkies.” And what better way than a music festival to do that?” says Nikhil Chinapa, co-founder, Submerge. “It’s a fun way to spend time together and travel to a destination. Secondly, because of the internet, there’s a cult of discovery of new music genres too,” he adds. Festivals like the NH7 Weekender and Sunburn have really set themselves up to cater to music fans across the globe. “The fact that international headlining DJs want to be seen playing at Sunburn says a lot of about India’s appeal for top acts,” explains Kenneth Lobo, editor, DJ Mag. “For music festivals to survive though, you really need an ecosystem where clubs, promoters and booking agents are all creating a healthy scene where artists and fans are the focus of a good night out. That is still to fully mature in India,” he admits. And Bengaluru has definitely made a mark on the festival radar. “The city has a large cache of open-minded music fans- essential for that intangible aspect of a party called a “vibe”. Taxation is also low compared to mumbai,” says Lobo.
NH7 Weekender
The NH7 Weekender, one of the country’s preferred music festivals, is making its first pitstop at bangalore on December 15 and 16. It was conceptualised by Vijay Nair, Ceo of Only Much Louder (the organisers of the fest). “I have been abroad a bunch of times and have attended plenty of festivals there. And that’s when I realised we have nothing that matches up to those multi-genre festivals here,” he explains. The decision to take it out of Pune was to give people in other cities the “NH7 experience,” after their second year in Pune was sold out. So what can we expect at the Bengaluru edition? “This year, there’s an area for kids, the festival is completely disabled- friendly and we’ve also made the festival dog-friendly, with pet party organisers, Party barky hai. There’s going to be more art installations. Plus, people who buy the season ticket for the Weekender in Pune online, can get a free ticket to Bengaluru. That one’s on us,” he reveals. While the artiste line-up has not yet been announed, considering metal giants Megadeth headlined the Delhi edition, we’re sure we won’t be disappointed. Over the next two years, Nair feels that the festival culture will only double, and within five years, it’ll “plateau, and only the better festivals will survive.”
Details: nh7.in/weekender Storm
Organised by Bengaluru-based Liquidspace entertainment, the first edition of music festival Storm made its debut in January this year, with a line-up of over 35 bands and artistes. The genres Storm works with are EDM, tech house and a combination of cultural folk-fusion, blues and jazz. This boutique festival stands out in different ways. First, it is held across 22 acres of Napuklu – a picturesque locale in Coorg (known best as Stormfields, where the festival derives its name from). Plus, it’s a camp-out destination where revellers or ‘stormers’ stay at. “The aim was to create a space where we could bring together some of the best of mainstream entertainment in an absolutely unsullied setting like Coorg and make it one of the foremost camping and destination festivals in the country,” says NA Lavin Uthappa, managing director, Liquidspace entertainment. Some of the notable acts that took the stage included Indian ocean, Swarathma, Leslie Lewis, Soulmate and newer bands like Agam and La Pongal and Djs like Judge Jules, Richard Durand, Henrik B, along with Nikhil Chinapa. Slated to be held in February 2013.
Details: stormfestivalindia.com