Bandra celebrates diversity

A 17-year-old Finnish singer-songwriter was the lead up to a dysfunctional alternative band who gave way to a progressive psychedelic rock band; all performing at the Carter Road promenade as part of the Celebrate Bandra festival, in partnership with Hindustan Times, which kicked off on Saturday, reports Tasneem Nashrulla.

A 17-year-old Finnish singer-songwriter was the lead up to a dysfunctional alternative band who gave way to a progressive psychedelic rock band; all performing at the Carter Road promenade as part of the Celebrate Bandra festival, in partnership with Hindustan Times, which kicked off on Saturday.

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In the audience were young, hip, collegians with their afros bobbing to the music, sitting alongside elderly, dignified couples who clearly didn’t know what they were in for.

Children scurried around, as their mothers looked perplexed, while expats were content to soak in the local festivity.

This is precisely why Bandra is celebrated – for its diversity, its music, and the fact that its residents will get out of their homes on a Sunday evening simply to be someplace where something is happening.

It was an unexpectedly large turnout at the promenade; the chairs were filled to capacity while youngsters relaxed on the rocks, thanks to a low tide.

On the green lit stage by the sea, Inari Kolu, a young singer-songwriter from Finland won the audiences with her enthusiasm as she performed her original compositions. Succeeding her were drastically different artists, the alternative progressive band, Goddess Gagged composed of five, young musicians.

Although their sounds were alien to many of the people gathered there, the audience barely thinned, showing suburban support to the newbie group.

Their one-hour set was followed by Rosemary, a progressive, psychedelic rock band of three.

Suraj Manik, the band’s 19-year-old drummer said, “Usually such festivals are more for bands that the general public can relate to. But this time they wanted to be more experimental and see if the crowd opens up to our kind of music.”

Both the bands had their cheering squads up front, with devoted rockers head-banging to the thumping beats that reverberated through the cheery vibe of Carter Road.

Sound engineer, Varun Nair (22), was a first-timer at the festival since he recently moved to Bandra, but vowed to come back next year.

“This seems like a great platform for new artists to showcase their talent. Bandra has got a really cool vibe, and this festival reflects that perfectly,” he said.