Gig review/ Rock n' Reel is here to stay

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

A cock-eyed, silly look at what happened at Independence Rock 2022

Four days after I rocked, you rocked and everyone rocked at I-Rock, I am totally, utterly confused. I mean, like any 'professional' reviewer, I had certain opinions about how the bands performed at the latest edition of Independence Rock, what was good, what went wrong etc. But now, even before I had reached the exit gate at Mazgaon's Bayview Lawns on Saturday and Sunday, I read hundreds of Facebook and WhatsApp opinions by anybody and everybody. Some loved so-and-so band, others felt the same band played rubbish. Some said the sound was great, others felt it jarred. So on and so forth.

It was all so different during the Rang Bhavan days, when I simply attended a concert, took down notes and rushed to the Mid-Day newspaper office to file my report well past midnight. There was no social media post to say, "Hey dude, that's not what I felt. What do you know about rock music? My opinion is all that matters. And where's your selfie with Devraj Sanyal of Brahma?"

In such a scenario, the standard textbook-style review may not work. What's the point? It's all out there on social media - the fact that Thaikkudam Bridge was the highlight on the opening day, how Indus Creed brought back loads of nostalgia with 'Pretty Child' and 'Trapped', how Zero rocked on 'PSP 12', how Parikrama's set was some other level, how Bombay Bandook and Claver & The F Band opened each day, and how many LPs people bought at Pilak Bhatt's vinyl stall. Plus of course all those opinions contradicting some of these points, not to talk of selfies with people they were meeting for the first time for three seconds. 700 likes.

Keeping this in mind, what I'll do is just jot down 10 random observations on some of the features of the festival. I won't mention the names of the  organisers, title sponsors and others - everyone knows who they are, but I'll suffice it to say they did a fabulous job. Some of these are serious points, and others are random attempts of trying to be smart and cocky. Take your pick, and be ready with the trolls.

1. It's the era of 'original Indian' music: Some 20 or 25 years ago, bands would do a mix of covers and originals. Gary Lawyer would blend his 'Nights On Fire' with a smash version of the Doors hit 'Break On Through'. Parikrama's highlight would be Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Free Bird'. Bands loved wondering who the fiddle was Alice. At Independence Rock 2022, one only heard an odd Guns N Roses song. The rest were Originals with a capital 'O'. How O-some.

2 Independence Rock is half Indie Rock: Many of the bands which performed are well-known on today's indie circuit, howsoever one may define it. Parvaaz, Thaikkudam Bridge, Aswekeepsearching, Avial and the F16s fit into an indie music festival as much as Independence Rock. In fact, Bloodywood, Aswekeepsearching and the F16s are playing at the Lollapalooza festival in January. Parvaaz is slotted for the Parx Music Fiesta next week. Bloodywood and the F16s are also on for the forthcoming NH7 Weekender. Thankfully, AP Dhillon and Badshah weren't considered for I-Rock.

3. We've moved from Rock n' Roll to Rock n' Reel: Earlier, the audience came only for the music, and heard it without straying. It was pure Rock n' Roll. Today, half the audience was in front of the main stage, and the other half was busy posing for reels at the Food Court or the waterfront to post on social media. My my, hey hey, Rock n' Reel is here to stay... there's more to the selfie, than meets the eye, hey hey, my my. With condolences to Neil Young.

4. Where were the women?: Everyone who played on stage at I-Rock 22 was male. I mean, Mahindra Blues Festival have had Tipriti Kharbangar and Kanchan Daniels besides the Larkin Poes and Beth Harts. Jazz festivals have had Asha Puthli, Pam Crain and Mohini Dey. Even I-Rock earlier had Shazneen Arethna. We're sure we'll find some really talented female rockers somewhere in India... if we try.

5. Mallu Rock is the way to go:. Okay, okay, edit that line. Make it Regional Rock. Though the Malayalam Rock bands Thaikkudam Bridge and Avial had some of the best sets, we also had bands like Parvaaz and Bloodywood with their blends of Urdu, Kashmiri and Punjabi. At the earlier rock festivals, most bands played only Angrezi Sharab. The mix has gradually changed over the years with a desi high.

6. There were some emotional moments: Like Indus Creed getting a kingsized cut-out of Farhad Wadia on stage. If you don't know who Farhad Wadia is, you shouldn't be reading this, boys and girls. One was also moved watching the videos of Parikrama's 'Tears Of The Wizard' and 'But It Rained', showing clips of late guitarist Sonam Sherpa. This was followed by an image saying 'Sonam Sherpa Forever', with vocalist Nitin Malik saying, "This moment is very special for us and we all know why" Respect!

7 There were no loo-natics, there was no grass: The place didn't smell like Rang Bhavan. No whiff of grass or ganja, no people painting the loos. The people enjoyed their 'clean' cigarettes and swigged expensive whisky. Was it really a rock festival (Wink Emoji)? By the time Pentagram came on on Saturday, we were so hungry we headed to the Food Court where we couldn't hear the music. To give them a dose of their own medicine, "We're Not Listening". And instead of vada pav and chai, there was pizza and a burger stall which ran out of buns after 10 pm. So next time, BYOB - Bring Your Own Buns. 

8 Death metal seems 'passe': Barring Bloodywood, none of the bands threatened your ear-drums. There was melody in the madness. Even the black tees had their own story to tell. One hardly saw anyone wear Rage Against The Machine, Pantera, Sepultura or Napalm Death tees, which were all over the place in the late 1990s. The loudest band one saw on a tee was Bloodywood - wonder how many wearing them knew their songs. Here, we spotted a few Metallica, GNR and Pearl Jam shirts. Those totally out of sync with the times wore Pink Floyd and Doors on their chests. On another note, my entire two-week build-up at practising the classic headbanging jerks went in vain - the crowd just seems to have lost that art, and I was left with little company.

9 Independence Rock in November?: Didn't we do it in August, around Independence Day? Wasn't that how the name was conceived? If it rained, it added to the fun. It had a certain annual vibe. Now we're having it when there's no 'November Rain'. In that sense, having I-Rock in November is like celebrating Christmas in July. For the record, that phrase is inspired by the song by Zero. Am giving them full credit, because these days, people claim copyright ownership at the drop of a hat. Sorry I don't know who invented the term 'drop of a hat' - if I find out, Ill give credit.

10 One particular song gave pain, not pleasure: Abhi, samajhdar ko ishaara kaafi hai about what I'm referring to. But for that brief period, Independence Rock became Independence 'Rock On' with Bollywood trying to take over Bloodywood. Happy trolling, folks. It's only Rock n' Troll, and I like it. Apologies to the Trolling Stones.