How Guwahati finally found its place in the map of premier music festivals in the country
By Kaushik Jai Barua with inputs from Vikram Singh Kushwaha
The annual Indie showcase in Guwahati served a compelling line-up of bands and artists from around the country and a very vibrantly curated fashion show.
Outside the concrete limits of Guwahati, as tourists and excited visitors from the nearby villages wander by, a huge crowd of music enthusiasts from the city are seen flocking the gates of Greenwood Resort– the venue for the recently concluded first edition of Drift Music Festival held on the 9th and 10th of March. By evening, most faces are disguised by brightly coloured and flashy phones busy posting stories of the performances on stage. There's something eerie about this riotous and oddly joyous bunch, confusing the likes of me attempting to understand how a music festival on the outskirts of the city has garnered the attention of so many fans- despite there being paltry turnouts to most Indie gigs that happen within the limits of the city.
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The festival, founded by Production house and events company Superpress, is unique to the city's music scene. While the hub has its fair share of high production value music concerts, alongside a barely surviving pub and club-gigs ecosystem, it has often tended to lack a bold and experimental fringe. After attending the first edition of the music festival, one would like to believe that Drift Music Festival ( also known as 'The Drift') will fill that gap, programming an exciting ensemble of Independent artists and bands from around the country and in many ways challenging the Bollywood and commercial music dominance that is omnipresent amongst music promoters, artists, venues and sponsors in the city.
At the heart of the festival is the discipline with which the producers carry out the festival. The event has all the hallmarks of an all encompassing larger experience: bands get to interact with their fans on a one on one basis, the opening acts are not just slot-fills leading to the headlining acts, timing is sharp, crowds aren't gathered in pockets, everyone is enjoying the show including the performers. But this is about more than a couple of music enthusiasts making merry with their favourite artists and bands. The organizers have reclaimed the emotion of people that drove them to shows- while they've taken a good shot at how bigger brands will finally see Independent music in the region. As the festival passed with each performance, it was like watching Independent music grow in the city.
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Suraj Mani and The Tattva Trip
The two day festival is structured yet unabashedly spontaneous. As Bangalore based Rock poetry act Suraj Mani and The Tattva Trip graces the stage on Day 1, the LED on stage starts malfunctioning- but Superpress isn't apologetic because they have it under control and within minutes they have the display ready for the next performance. There is complete synergy between all teams working behind the scenes.
Trance Effect, an intriguing and cohesive act from Nagaland puts Pop-rock mysticism on show in a different way. In a circuit filled with bands that rehash possibly every genre there is to pigeonhole- the five piece act contort and twist their form enough to place themselves in a unique flair. This act is fun, then intense, then deeply well thought out.
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Lateral
This unique and compelling vibe is manifest again by Guwahati based electro-rock act Lateral, who help reel off a fashion show during their performance. While they belt solid song after song along with rising YouTube sensation and singer-songwriter Ipshita Bharali, the performers bring the models together on stage almost instinctively. To witness a rising act conduct a performance and a fashion showcase together with so much ease almost makes me ecstatic for the potential that lies in bringing Independent music to commercial brands. It is worth mentioning that one of the primary reasons why The Drift was a success was the support retail giant Reliance Trends lent to the project.
Shankuraj Konwar
Shankuraj Konwar, one of the most popular Assamese bands at the moment was sublime during the first day, enthralling the fans with their mystical interplay of lyrical beauty with captivating melodies. This set up the stage perfectly for When Chai Met Toast to follow, finally performing before a delighted Guwahati audience with their signature ecstatic gusto. The day was capped by Gurbax, who kept the audience hostage with his beats for the whole of his hour long set, leaving them craving for things to come on the next day.
Scavenger Project
Scavenger Project, long hailed as Mizoram's very own brand of Linkin Park, opened the second day and were at their scintillating best. The day also saw The Yellow Diary perform in Guwahati for the very first time, their powerful yet impeccably tight set followed by ASWEKEEPSEARCHING's equally evocative and riveting homecoming. From thereon in, Ritviz took the reigns as he brought the house down (and the festival to a close) with his now famous oddly diverse yet undoubtedly crowd pleasing mix of pure heart thumping adrenaline.
The Yellow Diary
Elsewhere at the festival there is a beat contest called 'Project Play'. Nagaland's finest new act Papersky took away the prize for best band with their sturdy slip of a performance- it was brief but captivating.
To sum up in words the all round experience of witnessing the entire festival in its full resplendent magnanimity is an exercise in futility; however, if there is one take-away from this it is surely that Guwahati has finally found its place in the map of premier music festivals in the country.
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The writer can be reached at kaushik@thenortheasttoday.com. He can be followed @kaushikjaibarua on all social media
