Gig review/ Mahindra Blues Festival 2024

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Mahindra Blues Festival/ Various artistes

Genre: Blues 

Details: Mehboob Studio, Bandra, February 10 and 11

Rating: ****

Pics - (above) Vanessa Collier and Laura Chavez (below) Samantha Fish

Somewhere in the middle of the first day's proceedings, Vanessa Collier's saxophone decided to have a friendly chat with Laura Chavez's Stratocaster electric guitar. They went back and forth for over three minutes, providing some of the most delightful moments of this year's Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF). Cut to Day 2, when singer-guitarist Samantha Fish played a series of incredible solos to garnish her energetic blues-rock set, and singer Sheryl Youngblood surprised the crowd by suddenly plonking herself on the drum-kit.

This year's bluestravaganza tried to be different from its predecessors, simply by sticking to an all-female line-up. Except for Delhi-based 'male' group Big Bang Blues, which won the Band Hunt contest, there were no mannish boys or wanna-be-be-kings. Though many were disappointed that headlining artiste Beth Hart had to cancel last-minute for health reasons, the show did go on, with the Indian representation of Meghalaya's Tipriti Kharbangar, formerly of the band Soulmate, Mizoram's powerhouse singer Chali and Mumbai's Kanchan Daniels setting the Indi-go mood.

Strangely enough, a bunch of festival regulars  gave this year’s event a royal ditch. This blogger knows at least 25 people who have attended the past five or six editions, coming in from even Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Dubai and the other end of South Bombay. They cited different reasons. Some felt that except for Hart, who had played here before, there were no big names. Others thought an all-woman line-up would not have the same musical impact. Some pointed out that with so many new festivals coming up, one had to be choosy, and not necessarily bluesy. Still others defended their decision by saying that Hart didnt come at all. Nobody cited the absence of Buddy Guy, who's had five shows in Mumbai, as a cause.

Honestly, these people missed out on something. Their loss. The blues are an experience, a mood. Even lesser-known or non-legendary names can spring a surprise and produce a great show on a good-hair day. To cite MBF itself as an example, acts like Jimmy Thackery, Ana Popovic and the sister duo of Larkin Poe came with few expectations, but ended up having many new fans in India after their appearances.

Now for the highlights. The crowd was still slippin' in when Tipriti aka Tips finished an acoustic medley to open her set. In a while, things turned electric and Chali's entry on the Albert King hit 'Born Under A Bad Sign'. Kanchan chipped in with 'Highland Garden', showing remarkable range, and Tips returned with the Soulmate tune 'I'm A Woman', with the lines, "I'm a woman, I'm a woman, I'm a woman and I got my own expression" almost sounding like a festival anthem. Their ending was rather wayward though.

Vanessa Collier played next on the same stage, the Soulstrat Saloon, using marvellous saxophone riffs that sounded like winds of fresh air. Guitarist Laura, who's played with many contemporary masters, provided great accompaniment. Some of Vanessa's songs were very personal - for instance, 'What Makes You Beautiful' was for her younger sisters, and 'Two Part Sugar, One Part Lime' for her mother. Another highlight was her take on 'I Can't Stand The Rain', known for it's Ann Pebbles and Tina Turner renditions.

Contest winners Big Bang Blues then took over the Garden Stage. Beginning with the classic 'Crossroads', they continued with the popular blues songs '3 O'Clock Blues' and 'Hoochie Coochie Man'. Besides their forthcoming original 'Let Me Find Trouble', they did Cream's 'Sunshine Of Your Love'. Vocalist Diyatom Deb, guitarist Sushant Thakur, bassist Archit Agrawal, keyboardist Shivam Khare and drummer Naman Dutta combined fabulously on the short set. 

Move over to the Polkadot Parlour, where the action continued with Dana Fuchs. Beginning with the originals 'Double Down On Wrong'', 'Hard Road' and 'Blue Mist Road', she did a mix of her own creations and covers, including Gil-Scott Heron's 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is' and the Rolling Stones hit 'Gimme Shelter'. This was Dana's second appearance at MBF, and coming in after three strong performances earlier in the evening, it took a while for the crowd to settle down. But she and her band were tight, impressing the hardcore blues lovers who hadn't come there mainly for the food, Glenlivet and country-name-dropping.

Day 2 began with Samantha Fish's sizzling set, playing what often slipped into hard blues-rock territory. The songs included 'Better Be Lonely', 'Somebody's Already Trying', 'Bitch On The Run' and a cover of the Screaming Jay Hawkins hit 'I Pur A Spell On You. As mentioned earlier, her guitars were in some other zone, and the keyboards, basswork and drumming were tight. But there was a sudden surprise, when she slowed down the tempo on the country-blues ballad 'Need You More'. 

After the Garden Stage performance by Kanakia Beatz Crew and the Nanhi Kali Choir, Sheryl Youngblood took over, walking through the crowd in her shiny mustard-orange track dress through a sea of story-hungry cellphone videographers. Her stage movements and style of addressing the audience seemed inspired by Buddy Guy, minus the famous polkadot guitar. Youngblood did a neat version of Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' and her own 'I'm Okay' and 'Juke Joint Woman'. She suddenly got on to the drums, even singing along ala Phil Collins, till she made way for the all-star jam.

Though one missed Hart, the festival ended up as a glorious example of female blues power. The hoochie-coochie men and howlin' wolves will be back next year, at what's been an important part of Mumbai's cultural calendar. Hopefully, those fans who missed out this year will return with some fresh fire in their leadbelly.