Posts Tagged ‘rdp’

Each tour brings with itself a whole bunch of “firsts” for the band. And at the Larmer tree festival, it was the first time we had to play 3 gigs in a day, and believe it or not, the first time we played a proper acoustic show in a LONG LONG time!

Driving to the festival itself was an experience as we went out of the concrete jungle that London is to the beautiful English countryside and past the Stonehenge as well, though we did not have the time to go up to it and see it up close. I think most of the band just caught up on sleep for the rest of the tour and each of us was up to his own thing waking up once in a while in the middle, while Gary, our tour manager was awake through it all driving us to the venue ensuring we manage to make it in time for the show. At the end of the tour, I’m sure he is just going to sleep for a week! or knowing Gary, just take on a bunch of work :p

We arrived at the Larmer Tree festival just an hour before we were scheduled to be on stage and the organizers were going into a mild panic attack, but seeing us on site seemed to calm everyone down and we did our set up and line check in record time! With that done, there was just about enough time to get back to green room, change and get back on stage for the first set of the day!

The Larmer Tree festival has been running for 20 years now and over the years, I was told it has become an institution this side of the UK and it gets hardcore regulars who come out and camp for all days of the fest. We even met food store owners who really look forward to being part of this festival, so it was a brilliant festival to be part of!

Unlike many of the afternoon slots we’ve played at different festivals, this time round, the crowd was already lounging around on the grass in front of the main stage, that made it a little easier for us because we just had to get them up to their feet ;) - And we did and how! The first song we did got a whole bunch of people up to the front of the stage joining along with us, but once we launched into ‘Mysore Se Aayi’ I think we broke the ice :)

The nice thing about playing at such a fun festival is that the audience we get are here to truly have fun and you need to just cater to their fun loving side and they will jump at the chance. Its a skill we’ve learnt through many festivals. Once we got everyone involved, the rest of the set was pure joy. The interaction with the crowd was great, the setting beautiful and Gary on the sound was really milking that PA to make sure that people were “feeling” the music ;)

We got some great feedback post the gig and it was time to grab a nice lunch before we headed to Raghu’s 2nd gig of the day - a One on One with a bunch of fans at ‘Folk in a Box’. The idea for folk in a box is as simple as it is unique. Its the world’s smallest festival - one artist, one fan in a closed box. Pitch Dark, and the most intimate musical experience you will ever have!

So we put Raghu into the box and a bunch of fans went in one by one to listen to Raghu serenade them. We have no idea what it sounded like inside, but the people who were in there were overwhelmed. A short video about the whole thing is coming up very soon! Raghu loved it and it was, according to him, one of the best gigs he has done! and he had just finished quite a smashing gig right before that :)

Once we finished Folk in a Box, it was time to get some shut eye and rest before we went out to do the last gig of the day, an acoustic set in a tent at the festival. Now, this was another first for the band, not having done a proper acoustic set before and also, for Willy, it was the first time with a Cajón. So that was always going to be interesting.

To just spice it up a bit more, we had a packed house even before we got on stage for a quick sound check / line check and while that was flattering, it meant that we couldn’t take long to set the sound and also had to get it all done very quietly, without giving away too much before the gig started. But it was another of those ‘take it as it comes moments’ and before you knew it, it was time to get going.

Raghu started with a solo version of ‘Soruthihudu Maneya Maligi’ and the rest of the band joined him on stage in parts, first Vijay for Hey Bhagwan, the duo version and then Karthick and Vijay doing ‘Ambar’ with Raghu before everyone was on stage doing a punchy acoustic version of Mysore Se Aayi, Gudugudiya and Har Saans Mein.

We then headed to the artist tent for a signing, sold out all the CDs we had carried (and we carried quite a few) - it was heartening to see everyone stand in line to meet us! so we went out and broke the line ourselves, walking up and down the line talking to them as they waited to purchase our CDs. It was also the time when the “Incident” happened with Gaurav, so it was a Rock and Roll day in all.

I know I say this quite often with the gigs we are doing here, but yet again, Larmer Tree was a festival we wont forget in a hurry! and we certainly hope to be back next year :)

See all the photos we took at the Larmer Tree festival here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=195599&id=22220507136

After a long hiatus, we made it to New Delhi for the Rocktoberfest on Halloween! The Garden of 5 Senses, an excellent venue played host to this small but fun festival and it was a brilliant lineup the day we played!

Transport in Delhi has always been a mixed bag for us, and this time was no different! we got our drivers who were in a completely parallel universe and that makes things fun for the band if not anything else. We were put up at Heritage, a simple and homely guesthouse in the vicinity of the venue, which was the most fantastic place! I totally recommend it if you are looking to stay in Delhi for a couple of days!

Sound check around noon in the Delhi heat was a slightly bad idea, but it was very essential that we did the sound check considering the number of issues that cropped up, right from stage amps that stopped working to instruments that were losing tuning. But Sam and the gang from the sound company made sure that things were just perfect for us on stage and sounding brilliant off stage, so all was well that ended well!

A quick trip to a nearby mall where we found some completely unhealthy food options, but those are the ones that taste the best, so we did succumb to temptation and hogged away while Siva and Vijay did some quick shopping (we boys indulge too!) along with the eating and it was time to go get ready for the show.

Back at the venue, things were flowing according to plan, the beer was adding to the ‘ambience’ and the crowd that were there was totally loving it! we arrived when Mrigya was half way through their set, some very complicated Indian fusion that was being dished out with ease and following them were the Delhi favourites, Them Clones who played a short set and reminded us again why their album is a complete must buy!

We went on stage a little after 9 PM and after doing a quick line check, launched into the regular set. Raghu was determined to ensure that everyone joined the party and he managed it as well! By the time we started Mysore se Aayi, all 5 senses in the garden were in a state of heightened excitement ;)

It all came to an abrupt end though with the Delhi cops coming in at 10PM on the dot to stop proceedings, they could be part of the band with such timing really :p - but we had no choice but to comply. It was a short set but much fun! and we’re hoping we’ll see all of you and more when we come back to Delhi in a couple of weeks. Keep watching this space for updates.

Thanks to the guys from RSJ, it was our first Rocktober fest and we fully loved it! and thanks to Ishita Chaudhry and Ila from The YP Foundation, for photography and helping sell our CDs!

It has been a long long time since we played in Bangalore and yesterday’s show at ‘Landmark’ in the Garuda Swagath mall was one of the most looked forward to! both by us and a few of the people who have been writing in.

But what it eventually turned out to be was just beyond all our expectations and when Raghu exclaimed that “The crowd in Bangalore is the best!” and that “This is one of the best shows we’ve played” .. it was completely true!

There was an air about the show even before it actually began, and there was a welling crowd filling up all the possible standing space around the stage area. I had honestly not expected so many people to turn up, but then it was brilliant to see all of you there!

The gig started with songs from the first album and each of them had a very vocal Bangalore crowd singing along and I guess video taping the concert like I have never seen before. Like someone right pointed out, this is a great example of social media at work and I hope everyone uploads all the photos and videos they have taken and shares it with others!

Raghu then moved on to some songs from ‘Psycho’, the latest Kannada movie sensation and those songs were like a wildfire through dried hay! the whole store seemed to sing along and at times even remind Raghu of the lyrics!

In all, it was a great gig! lots of people, nice place, good fun! Thanks all of you for coming along and making this special. Upload all your photos and videos and send us a link so we can check them out too! and keep coming back here to check about the next time we play where you are :)

You can check out and you can see the whole set on the Raghu Dixit Project Flickr Page.

We finally got to play at the much talked about ‘Blue Frog‘ at Mumbai which in my humble opinion is one of the best clubs to play at in India. We had heard from everyone how it was a wonderful place to perform at and in many ways, it did live up to the hype!

After an uneventful journey to Bombay and being taken care of very well, we landed up at the Blue Frog for sound check in the afternoon and had to wait a bit for the sound engineer to arrive and start the check, but it was time well spent with Siva and me up to our standard stunts and in between all that trying to teach the lovely Neysa (from Only Much Louder - the band management company) some South Indian slang!

Sound check finally got underway and after some time, we managed to get somewhere with the sound and there were some interesting moments on stage like this where Raghu was completely lost in the music. Please do check the fantastic Gibson guitar that he was wielding! And do check out the cool hairdo I am sporting thanks to the lovely Shilpa :)

The show was fantastic! we had a super audience who were quite enthusiastic, thanks to everyone who came, our friends and fans who pushed up our enthu and energy on stage!

Among many other things, this gig will be remembered as Anirban’s last gig for some time … You will be missed :) .. Best of luck with your new adventure!

PS: If you haven’t already, please do check the photos of us playing at the Blue Frog! Thanks a ton Kalhan for these amazing pics!