Three down and one more to go. Kolkata will be witnessing its first ever Bacardi NH7 Weekender this year! What can you expect at Kolkata this weekend? The Sherp breaks it down for you.
Lineup
With this being Kolkata’s first edition of Weekender, the line up is an eclectic mix of electronic and rock music with a bit of folksy stuff thrown in. Here are 5 artists The Sherp urges you to check out.
1. Textures
For those of you who don’t already know Textures is a Dutch Metal band who are no strangers to our subcontinent, this will be there third time here and will be performing headlining the Bacardi Arena, this sunday.
“The name TEXTURES was coined by Stef Broks as an indicator of the use of many layers of sounds in their songs, the blending of different musical backgrounds and tastes, as well as the varying personalities of the band members.”
2. Michal Menert
It can easily be said, that Pretty Light’s co-founder Menert’s set at the Eristoff Wolves Den last year, was one of the best acts of the festival and he’s back this time as a part of his massive Space Jazz tour. He’s been in the subcontinent for almost a month, played 2 clubs gigs Mumbai and Pune, at the Delhi Weekender and now in Calcutta. If you aren’t familiar with his music or name, Menert’s sound is quite like Pretty Lights itself – groovy trip hop infused with funk, hip hop, soul and downtempo. He’ll be revisiting the Wolves Den this Sunday in Kolkatta. Be there or be square!
3. Papon & The East India Company
Quite aptly playing in ‘east India’ this weekend Papon and The East India Company is probably one of the most popular electric folk fusion band in the country. The band is now based out of Mumbai and was started by Papon (a singer, composer , producer and multi-instrumentalist) in New Delhi in 2007. As the son of Archana Mahanta and Khagen Mahanta – two virtuosos of Assamese music his education with music started at a very early age – ranging from Indian Classical to Assamese folk music. Now most of his music is folk-electronic and has even won a GIMA award for his debut album The Story So Far. He with his band have appeared on Coke Studio as well as played with Karsh Kale and the Midivial Punditz at festivals around the world. His music also featured on the Barfi! Soundtrack. Catch the band this Saturday at the Dewarists Stage.
4. Nucleya!
This guy needs absolutely no introduction. Plus, you can be assured of some bangin’ Bangla Bass at the Eristoff Den, this weekend.
5. The Wanton Bishops
Scouted from the far off land of…Lebanon, (yes, really) this two piece blues and garage rock band will be playing on the Red Bull Tour Bus stage this weekend. The Wanton Bishops basically formed around the time the second wave of popular garage rock revival bands sprung up in the Middle East. The band has an immense underground fanbase and have toured all around Europe and Dubai. Bands like these, really validates the effort NH7 puts into bringing some of the best music to the festival, obscure or not.
Bazaar
The authentic Bazaar area on the festival grounds will consist of a variety of stalls and ‘haath gaadis’ such as:
Sienna Store: textile and ceramic products made by rural craftsmen
Party Hunterz: funky eye-gear, wigs, hats, glow-in-the-dark jewelry
Dark Reflections: handmade artifacts like dream catchers, charms, trinklets
PETA Youth Stall: for attendees who would like to show their support towards animal welfare
NH7 Shop: limited edition festival line-up t-shirts, other band and festival merchandize.
P.S. The NH7 Shop will also double as an artist meet & greet area.
FOOD
Any celebration is simply incomplete without food! So all you foodies craving for some delicacies in the midst of the festival can head to:
Sweetmoon Bakeshop: hot & spicy chocolate shots, warm apple pie shots, brownies and blondies
Red Rooster: barbecue, pork sausages, beef burgers, chicken satay, pork ribs
Mocha: shakes, paninis, pastas
The Tea Trove: monster fries, Snickers bars fried golden and served with chocolate sauce
Dhuan Lounge: hot South Indian food, cola milk
ART & DÉCOR
Every stage at Kolkata this year is designed with a particular theme and story to it.
The Bacardi Arena: Theme: Retro – designed by Bombay Duck Designs
The Dewarists Stage: Theme: journeys and maps – plotting the journey of musicians who have featured on the different seasons of the show ‘Dewarists’ – designed by Shilo Shiv Suleman
The Eristoff Wolves Den: Theme: visual-centric – idea is to create a strong audio-visual experience for the audience – designed by Vaibhavi Kowshik
MTS Other Stage: hand-made chalkboard art – designed by Shilo Shiv Suleman
VISUALS
To ensure a multi-sensory experience for their audience, Weekender is giving a great deal of attention to the visual projections at all the stages. Each stage is assigned an individual visual artist:
The Bacardi Arena: Santana Issar (Delhi-based visual artist & independent filmmaker)
Eristoff Wolves Den: Wolves (Mumbai-based duo)
Breezer Dub Station: VJ Silvio
The Dewarists & MTS Other Stage: Activ8media (visual consultancy firm that will showcase 3D mapping and other exciting graphics)
MTS DISCOVER LOUNGE
Since smartphone batteries aren’t very ‘smart’, you can drop in at this station to charge your electrical device. The organizers have also set up a Guitar Hero at the lounge where the highest scorer gets to take on a guitarist from one of the biggest acts at the festival. The winner of this battle will win…. A PlayStation 3!
GRALLO + SOUNDTROT
These transport and lodging experts are going to make life easier for you, and economical. Grallo offers you a variety of options to travel to the festival from various points in Kolkata such as shuttle buses, taxi sharing and carpools! To know more, click here:
Booking a place to stay with Soundtrot will give you the benefit of being around fellow festival goers. These guys are going to offer you welcome shots, in-room parties, informal ice-breakers and so much more! To know more, click here:
For a happier experience..
Stay connected: If you’re attending the festival with some friends, make sure you all have your cellular devices all juiced up. Finding reception while you’re inside, might be a little tricky so make sure you co-ordinate with your friends prior to the festival.
So download the NH7intown app to know about dates, schedules other general festival updates.
Stay comfortable: This is for you ladies. If this is you first time to a festival, be warned there will be a lot of walking, jumping and running around involved. It would be wiser to come wearing comfortable shoes like flats or boots. Also, Kolkata gets pretty chilly in the evenings so there’s no harm in carrying along an extra sweatshirt or coat to layer up.
Stay Hydrated: There will be ample amount of water available at the festival. Make sure you stay hydrated, especially with all that moshing and dancing you’re gonna do.
Co-operate: No one’s restricting you from having a good time, but the festival comes with certain rules and regulations which are there for a reason. It’d be best if you stick to them, for your sake and others.
Have a bucket (or two): The Sherp has often made his love for the Weekender ‘buckets’ public. Which is why he requests you to have them too. It just adds to the whole Weekender experience!
Stay nice: What makes Weekender the happiest music festival in the country? You!
Where: Ibiza Resort, Merlin Greens
If you still haven’t bought your tickets you can get them here