The Bangalore leg of NH7 took place on the 8th and 9th of November boasting 50 exquisite acts, a flea market, tasty grub and a whole lotta fun and games spread over 2 days. Check out some of the highlights from the music, people and food to camera eyes, merchandise and lasers!
1. Back to Back Acts
It’s no big deal when you’re listening to music on your digital device to have a completely different artist with their whole sound instantly one after another, but now imagine that a gig – the Bacardi Arena & the Red Bull Tour Bus faced each other dealing, in turns, amazing bands with distinct sounds & vibes flawlessly, leaving the audience doing 180 degree turns after each set. The MTS discover stage & the Dewarists Stage aligned perpendicularly having the crowd not lose a breath after each performance. This is how you enjoy 50 bands over just 2 days.
2. The whole spectrum
The 2 day extravagance left no room for monotony of musical styles.
Some of the acts that shouted diversity in genre and attitude:
- Madboy/Mink starting off the fest with high energy alternative pop. Pangea’s captivating progressive metal had non-metalheads grooving.
- Peepal Tree’s eclectic folk rock set a wonderfully earthen vibe as the sun set.
- Pecking Duk’s stage command made for some incredibly intense drops and breakdowns.
- Amit Trivedi brought the much needed panache to Bollywood music to end the show. Emotional Attyachar live was definitely a huge moment for everyone there!
- Thermal and A Quarter surprised and enchanted their audience by premiering almost a whole new album live!
- Your Chin kicked off day two in place of Delhi Sultanate & Begum X with his hypnotic electronica.
- Mr.Woodnote & Lil Rhys had some of the coolest hip-hop with live looping, beatboxing and effects among other sonic wizardry.
- Soulmate grounded everyone with their blues badassery.
- John Hopkins & Mutemath brought the fest to an end with sets that had people struggling to make a choice. Many people were seen juggling the two headliners frantically. Cloning or superpowers should solve this problem.
- All the acts were superb & tasteful and the fest ran very smoothly leaving little room for any technical troubles.
3. Flavours of hunger
The yum factor was pretty damn high with a wide spread of easy-eating cuisines to keep the audience energized. Between sets(no time between sets), when your stomach growls louder than the PA, you had rolls, dosas, biryani, kebabs, cupcakes and many more flavors to go with your cravings. The scrambled parathas were a highlight for me. You also had the NH7 weekender mix special flavor of Hokey Pokey ice cream!
4. Brandishing
The festival had some very cool installations to promote brands & their products. Zippo & Chotukool had live designing booths to stand a chance to win one of their products bringing out the artist in many of the revelers. Bacardi even had a mini obstacle course set up to win yourself a quick drink. Koovs also had a mini lounge of their own to design your own tee shirt with a chance to win a whole bunch of money!
5. Chill Zones
Although you could chill out pretty much anywhere by simply dropping to the ground and proceeding directly to the act of chilling, an internationally acclaimed installation called Pulse & Bloom made by Shilo Shiv Suleman(featured at burning man) made for a moment of transcended relaxation in the middle of the longitudinal venue set up.
6. Drinks & Goblets
There were a myriad of formats to consume your choice fluids that came with a few novelty utensils – mugs with baggage clips, a mini bucket for the daring and a huge bucket for those who really matter in this world. What a great way to justify your experience with these trophies!
7. Quirkaholism
While most folk went for a very cool and elegant look, some came dressed as dinosaurs while some wore deadly skull print bandanas on their faces. As the night crept onwards to darkness people were out sporting a plethora of glow in the dark ornaments too! Crazy shades, hairdos and signs, it was all there.
8. Flea Market and Merchandise
The Weekender also featured a flea market section to buy some quick quirk, a souvenir or just something that you find really cool for yourself or to gift. The market boasted products ranging from handmade notebooks, Vinyl records and Tee’s to badges, coasters and little boxed to store whatever you would store in a little box.
There were also, of course, cool weekender Merch to add to your memorabilia collections!
9. Visuals
The visuals and lighting were fantastic through and though. With unique backdrops for each stage, the visualisations had a particularly ethereal feel. Especially trippy was the Micromax Mega Stage with a cool grill as a prop for the DJ stall. Note must be made of the lazers that really brought the place alive and animated.
10. Cameras
On a final note, I think people have truely made their cellphones an extension of their bodies – many many people were seen listening to and watching their favourite acts through their phone screens, I mean I can understand recording it, but not by missing out on the present moment. I suppose I understand the sentiment of wanting to relive the beautiful moments and memories that one makes at an NH7 weekender.
