More venues and festivals need to liven up the city’s annual music calendar
For someone who grew up in the 90s, one of the most impressionable memories of that liberating decade, and especially around Independence Day, was the buzz around Independence Day Rock. Mumbai was Bombay. MTV was he only cool thing on the telly. Rhythm House was the place to buy music. And headphone-sporting folk would be hailed as demi gods when spotted on our streets.
An I-Day Rock concert at Rang Bhavan in 2002. Pic/mid-day archives
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Yours truly was lucky to have actually attended, what was for thousands of city and out-of-towner fans, an annual pilgrimage to Rang Bhavan near St Xavier’s College. It was pure adrenaline on display, on stage and among the crowd. Raw (and often undecipherable!) music was in full flow in an open air set-up. There was laughter, head-banging, air guitar sessions and whatnot. It was our Woodstock.
We are pretty sure that the Jazz Yatra generation would disagree. Still for the 90s kids, I-Rock tickets were coveted, and pocket money would be saved for months for the elusive stub; a close watch would be kept in daily newspapers for line-up mentions. It was a great time to be a music buff in the city.
Eventually, the annual gig had to be moved out of Rang Bhavan, and was held in the burbs. With it a large part of its character was lost, we are told from those who continued to attend it. Eventually, the dates of the gig changed, harried organisers ended up facing countless roadblocks, and the essence of this one-time big-ticket event on the city’s cultural calendar began to fade out of public memory.
Which is why when the recent news that NCPA was opening up its doors to newer music genres was out, it called for a drum roll moment in our head. After ages, there was a whiff of positive news for music lovers in the city. The best part is the inclusiveness of a venue to open up to other genres. More need to follow suit. More spaces mean more platforms for bands and artistes to showcase their talent – which can organically translate into a vibrant cultural ecosystem. What Mumbai desperately needs is a buzzing annual public music festival (Western & Indian) calendar, which at the moment is abysmal.
We’ve heard a litany of stories from organisers and artistes when it comes to hosting a cultural festival, forget about it being an annual affair, even a one-off event is mired in red-tapism, lack of funds and sky-high rentals for venues.
Mumbai’s character, and what we believe, sets it apart from the other Indian metros is its electric vibe, thanks to its people (of course!), cosmopolitanism (may it last) and the mix of options that cultural animals can pick from. Hence, it’s only natural to promote this arm, and make it a truly music-friendly city. More festivals and music-exclusive spaces equal shinier, happy people, right?
Don’t let the rhythm leave Mumbai.
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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