A Guide to the Delhi NH7 Weekender

India may be one of the world’s fastest growing emerging markets, but when it comes to music, it still hasn’t made a significant mark on the map. Its tangled web of bureaucracy is, among others, a major reason why popular artists typically bypass the South Asian giant for glitzier more accessible stages in Hong Kong or Singapore.
Last year, for instance, Grammy-award winning band “Korn,” canceled their Mumbai gig because of “unavoidable circumstances.” In 2011, Metallica and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams scrapped their concerts in New Delhi after authorities questioned their permits.
PARIZAD D. The bunting at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Pune, Oct. 2013.
So, when organizers of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, a music festival first held in India in 2010, announced dates for this year’s festival fans blocked out their diaries. The 2013 edition of the festival, which held concerts in the western city of Pune in October and the southern city of Bangalore in November, makes the capital this weekend its third stop before moving to its fourth and final destination, Kolkata in West Bengal in December.
Last year’s Delhi event was festooned with yellow bunting embossed with round smiling faces wearing sunglasses, and music-lovers flitted between stages carrying bucket-sized drinks while band spotting. Pets were also invited to take part, and the festival was declared dog friendly. [Click here to view the short clip that came out ahead of the festival last year announcing that attendees could bring their dogs along.]
So what’s in store for music lovers in New Delhi planning to attend the festival taking place in Greater Noida at the Formula One circuit this year?
UDAY SHANKERA Attendees with a bucket-sized drink at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Bangalore, Nov. 2013.
A lineup of nearly fifty artists, with genres ranging from folk rock and metal to dubstep and electronica playing on six different stages, including a bus which transforms into a performance area. The Red Bull Tour Bus is the first of its kind in India.
The organizers have partnered with ‘Grallo,’ an international transport startup, to provide eight shuttle buses and four car sharing options in anticipation that a large number of festival-goers will need to travel almost 30 miles from Delhi to reach the venue.
India Real Time spoke to Lalitha Suhasini, the editor of pop-culture magazine Rolling Stone India, for a guide to the artists to look out for at the festival in Delhi this year. Here are some of her suggestions:
1) Mutemath: This Grammy-nominated American band will take the stage on Dec. 1. “Don’t go by their mellow tracks, they can destroy the stage in minutes,” says Ms. Suhasini about the alternative-rock band.
The four-member group, which is slated to make their maiden India performance at the festival, is one of the most hotly-anticipated bands at this year’s edition, according to Ms. Suhasini.
Click here to hear their hit debut radio single “Typical.”
2) Nucleya: Dubstep lovers, this one’s for you. Ms. Suhasini describes New Delhi-based electronic producer’s music as the “most exciting dubstep I’ve heard.” The artist who will spin the decks on Nov. 30, has lately been mixing South Indian tracks with drum and bass.
“He’s using south Indian vocalists and rhythms to produce instantly likeable dance music,” Ms. Suhasini says.
You can listen to some of his latest tracks here.
3) Scribe: Hard-core metal fans won’t be disappointed either. Mumbai-based Scribe, a heavy metal band, is set to rock the stage on the first day of the festival. The five-member band was nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011.
“This band makes me want to listen to metal,” Ms. Suhasini says.
Click here to listen to a recent track by Scribe.
4) Nischay Parekh: Ms. Suhasini describes this 20-year-old Kolkata-based musician as the “Indian version of Jason Mraz,” the American singer-songwriter. Mr. Parekh’s tracks, the music critic says, will appeal to anyone looking for fresh sounds.
New to the music industry, Mr. Parekh released his debut album “Ocean” in October, after completing a formal degree in music at the Boston-based Berklee College of Music.
UDAY SHANKERA An attendee at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Bangalore, Nov. 2013.
His album is available here.
Also performing this weekend are Swedish metal band Meshuggah, Scottish indie rock band, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and popular Indian singer and composer Lucky Ali. Here’s the lineup in full.
Attending the festival at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, will cost between 2,000 rupees [about $32] and 3,750 rupees. Click here for ticket details.