18 February,2010 11:45 AM IST | | Sarah Long
Find out how Bangalore without city deadlines and barriers looks like at this dusk-to-dawn music fest, which has an amazing line up of music bands, promising us a gig that we all love to revisit
This is just what will be happening this Saturday, February 20 as The Fireflies Dusk-to-Dawn festival of music returns for its seventh year running.
Originally started by the Fireflies Inter-cultural Centre, Dinnepalya, as an Earth festival to highlight concern and respect for the environment, it has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the biggest musical events that can Bangalore can boast off.
Over 2,000 people attended last year's open-air event to experience Geetha Navale's carefully selected line up of eclectic music. Ranging from folk rock to soul fusion, with nuances of sufi, qawwali, folk traditions, reggae, rap, percussion, jazz and soul stirring veena solos in between, the festival brings together everything, celebrating new talent and old favourites with equal enthusiasm.
This year's diverse selection of talent promises to be another crowd pleaser with acts from across the country including; HFT, a jazz band from Delhi, Jashaghar -- a Hindustani jazz fusion from Auroville, Bhaktiyana -- A Carnatic music ensemble directed by Meera Rajaram Pranesh, a desi reggae band -- Bharat Mata Nach kud Baja, The much-loved Vayali from Kerala, Geetha Navale and the Esperanto project, and Low Ryderz as well as the very popular qawwali group Bharat Sargam Qawwali.
The theme for the festival this year is climate change, so look out for some musical interpretations on this subject. Last year film maker-musician, Shabnam Virmani and her group performed songs of Kabir (about the forests) to highlight the environmental theme.
Scientist and environmentalist Vandana Shiva will also be introducing the subject with a short presentation.
The whole festival is a non-sponsored event, as the organisers don't want advertisers that may distract them from their vision or theme, so everything is funded by ticket sales. Any profit made goes back to supporting the Fireflies Intercultural centre and into the arts. This also means that the event can support and encourage new talent and this year's festival will open and close with two new bands.
Highlights to look out for this weekend are the airwave dominators, Lounge Piranha with their blend of grunge and psychdelia, who are sure to draw a big crowd and get the party going and why not contrast this with Hulivesha?
The Fireflies festival makes it a point to showcase one of Karnataka's rich folk forms every year and this year is no exception with a Hulivesha performance directed by Mohan Das Kothari of Bantawal.
A treat not only for the ears but for the eyes too, as the group paint themselves as tigers and dance, losing all inhibitions. The Tiger Dance is a unique form of folk dance from the Dakshina Kannada district and finds representation all across South Karnataka and Tamilnadu. The tiger is considered as the favoured vahana (vehicle) of Goddess Sharada.
So whether you're looking for eclectic music, theatrical dance performances or just want to soak up the amazing festival atmosphere, this year's Fireflies festival promises to be an event not to be missed.
On: Saturday, February 20. The celebrations begin at dusk around 6.30 pm and continue through the night till a little past dawn.
At: Fireflies amphitheatre Inter-cultural Centre,
Dinnepalya. Entry permits can be collected Casa
Piccola outlets in Jayanagar, Indira Nagar, Koramangala and Residency Road and Reynolds instruments Company, Brigade Road for
Rs 350. Call: 2843 2725
