Music is something that Calcutta loves in all forms. To celebrate World Music Day (June 21), City Centre New Town hosted Beat Bandish, in association with The Telegraph, on June 18 and 19. The event was a pre-World Music Day celebration where seven local acts performed to bring in the special day.
The first day of the event saw SufiNama, What’s In The Name and M Sonic tear the stage apart while on the second day we saw Paridhi, Bidisha Mohata, Beat Blasters and Underground Authority blast away the crowd.
“We are very happy to organise such an event where we not only promoted music for World Music Day but also the musicians who suffered a lot in the last two-and-a-half years because they couldn’t hold any event,” said Ramesh Pandey, director, Ambuja Neotia Group.
DAY 1
DAY 2
Paridhi was the first band on the second day of the show. It was a perfect way to start the day as their playlist was uplifting, fun and effortless. The boys took to the stage and performed their renditions of Chaudhary/Bande maya and their original Nondini o Shahrukh Khan. What really stood out for the audience was a violin solo which was performed so smoothly that it had the audience hooked immediately.
The event came to an end with the much-awaited performance of Underground Authority. After many cheers and a video showcase, the four-man band took to the stage and performed their originals like Pehchaan and Insaaf ka qaatil, mixed with a few covers as well. The energy of the rap and rock mix band sure kept the audience alive and there was also a special performance by city-based artiste John Paul, who joined the band on the drums. “It was lovely to celebrate World Music Day in our own hometown, with the wonderful people of Calcutta. The last 12 years have been phenomenal for us, touring all over the country, but nothing beats the happiness of performing for our own people in the city! We hope to continue celebrating music every single day,” said Adil Rashid, lead guitarist of the band.
THE CROWD
Mudit Jajoo was present on day two from the beginning of the show. “The Beat Blasters’s energy level was unsurpassable and standing right next to the stage felt like I was in some euphoric world where dancing to their tunes was irresistible. With the limited space around me all I could manage was head-banging though,” said the music lover from Jaipur.
Rapper Cizzy was present on the second day. “I was there primarily to watch Bidisha and Joesjoint perform. I really loved the previous act as well, especially the rendition of Dinae dinae by Papon and the use of SD Burman’s classic Rongila in the interlude. Bidisha’s originals from her latest EP and the electronic rendition of semi-classical songs were also amazing,” he said.
Pictures: Pabitra Das and City Centre New Town