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
Local band Sufinama had performed on the first day of the event. Their playlist was an amalgamation of cheerful Sufi songs, which had a bit of a modern touch to them. The band did covers of some hits, which the audience sure enjoyed.
Local band called What’s In The Name was also a part of the line-up on the first day. The band began the concert with their instrumental playlist which comprised of Bollywood songs like Roja and Yeh haseen vadiyan.
The first night came to an end with a powerful performance by MSonic. The band is known to make rock versions of popular Hindi songs, which include Pasoori, Duma dum mast qalandar and Dil se. Their electric performance left the audience head-banging.
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.
One of the most awaited acts on the second night was Bidisha Mohata of India’s Got Talent fame. The singer performed a medley of songs which included Iktara, Paheli, Ambarsariya and also Unbreakable Heart, a song from her upcoming album.
One of the most awaited acts on the second night was Bidisha Mohata of India’s Got Talent fame. The singer performed a medley of songs which included Iktara, Paheli, Ambarsariya and also Unbreakable Heart, a song from her upcoming album.
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.
Not only did the audience sing and cheer along but also held up the peace sign during the show.
Pictures: Pabitra Das and City Centre New Town