Posts Tagged ‘UK’

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

In May, we played the Great Escape Festival in Brighton and little did we know that the organizers of Watts Fest, Devon were among the people paying close attention to us, and we got booked to headline the Outdoor stage at Watts fest right there!

Like many festivals in the country side of the UK, we drove for miles and miles and there was no sign that there was a festival happening but then we turned on small corner and there we saw it, hundreds of cars parked with trailers and camping tents and what not with a crazy bunch of fun people just walking around chilling out and having loads of fun!

Watch this video for a tour of the fest - 18 mins long, but very fun!

We had sometime to kill before we got out to play, so we went out and took a tour of the whole place, sampled the freshly cooked food and then just chilled out watching some really eclectic music including a 2 piece blues band that really rocked it and a beat boxing hip hop rap duo who were joined on stage by one of the lovely organizers as well. We met Bob Watts, the man who owns the entire farm on which the festival is held, and he just loved the whole concept of having a festival on his property as well as our show, which he told me later on after our set!

By the time we were on stage, everyone was ready and warmed up and it took little time to get them all going. From these videos you can see how they were quite kicked about the set and were having a crazy fun time! It was one of those sets where we really wished we were on stage longer, but for the time that it lasted, it was brilliant.

Like we do at all our shows, it was time to teach them some Kannada, and by the looks of it, that went well too! Well, I am fully loving the new flip cam that I got myself, was shooting from on stage when Raghu was getting started!

We absolutely loved the festival and we’re told, they loved us too :) so we’re certainly looking forward to playing there again next year round.

Catch some of the photos we took of Watts Fest here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=194018&id=22220507136

There wasn’t much time to rest as we had to head out immediately for a long long drive back to London before we set out to play 2 gigs on Sunday. That and more coming up in future updates … watch this space!

BTW - are you a friend of the band on Facebook yet? If not, http://facebook.com/theraghudixitproject - do it right now!

We do music because we believe in it, its what keeps us going, and sometimes, a situation arises that requires you to really really question your belief and then jump .. and fly!

As nice as things sound and as great as it is to follow your passions and other good stuff that comes with it, all of us know that for every one that makes it in the music business, there are a million in the wings, ready to jump in! But you can never stop believing that you will be that one and relentlessly pursue the dream till one day, your reality was one day your dream!

When we went on tour to the UK last time, it was a series of fortunate accidents that magically fell together. When we sit back and think about it, its right out of a fairy tale how things worked out. The tour though led to great things including a longer tour this year and most importantly, our relationship with the Jenral Group and Sound Advice. It was through them that we planned this tour and put together a plan to break into the UK market. The great thing for us was that it involved us doing a lot of what we do best - go out on stage and have a blast!

A fitting opener to the tour was our gig in Caceres, Spain, a place we din’t even know existed! and it was for the biggest world music festival, WOMAD where we were essentially headlining the 2nd stage! Nothing could excite us more and as if to test just that, our Schengen visas took till the last day to arrive and involved me going to Bombay and waiting at the embassy just hours before we were to take off, getting the visas, heading back to Bangalore and heading out to Europe, all in less than 24 hours! But then, anything less would not be as much fun!

Following Spain we headed back to London where we met our tour manager Gary and our Tech on Tour, Ron. Two people that made this whole trip completely stress free as far as getting up on stage and playing went. More about them later and you must definitely get to know them. You will be hearing a lot about them from here on methinks :)

The first leg of the tour was mainly to drive some press our way and get the band’s name heard in the music circles and so it involved a lot of showcases and meetings with people and impromptu jams and acoustic performances and the result of all that effort was quite phenomenal. We couldn’t have expected a better reception, and right at the bottom of this post are some testimonials for you to see what we mean!

The shows we played in the last couple of weeks have been special ones for us, right from the small showcases, to the ones where we ended up on stage without a PA, to the show for the Kannadiga community in the UK to everything in between. Each of them have stories I can tell you for hours on end! but I will not drag this on for much longer.

This was a quick update to let you know that we have taken our biggest leap of faith yet, and we are hoping to land on solid ground!

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Following are some excerpts of feedback we received for our shows in the UK so far

Feedback following the gig at City Showcase (09/05/10)

“I thought that the band were fantastic.” – Nanette Rigg (City Showcase)

“Raghu was amazing.” – Jon Graves

Feedback following the gig at the Nehru Centre (10/05/10)

“Really impressed by Raghu, such a powerful voice.” – Alex Lloyd (Mainstream Artists)
“Just wanted to say good work on tonight - thought you did really well and thought Raghu - as always - was excellent and the Q&A was great.” – Andy Edwards (Connected Artists)

On Twitter: “Raghu Dixit was pretty amazing, great singer blending Hindu folk with western instrumentation. Biggest selling non Bollywood star in India.” – Neil McCormick (Freelance journalist)

“Thanks again for a great show last night. Jakomi and I are listening to Raghu’s CD in the Music Void office right now.” – Chris McLellan (The Music Void)
“Cheers for the invite last night mate! Really enjoyed it.” – Jules Parker (PRS)
“What a huge voice Raghu has!

As you know we don’t have artist interviews per se in the magazine, but perhaps there’s an angle for a music export-type story, or given Gurrumul’s success, perhaps a Sound Advice catch up piece with Raghu as the latest overseas project you’re backing.” – Greg Parmley (IQ Magazine)

“I thought Raghu was incredible … absolutely incredible.

I can see this perfectly - even though I may not have understood what he was singing,  it worked for me melodically and dynamically. The cross-over opportunities must be endless and there will be a cue of UK based artists wanting to work with him, no doubt.

Jools Holland / Mark Cooper will love him.

Congratulations on discovering such a phenomenal talent.” – Myles Keller (PRS)

“Thank you for inviting me to see Raghu Dixit last night.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and would love to see him with his full band. – Carrie Davies (The Half Moon Putney)
“Thanks for the invitation to a wonderful evening, found the music very fresh and different. I would like to write a blog about event.” – Rita Payne (Commonwealth Journalists Association (UK))

“Very much enjoyed seeing Raghu and best of luck in your endeavours with him….talent and great songs even if I hadn’t a clue what he was singing about!”  - Julian Wall (BPI)

“Thank you for a great night at the Nehru Centre. Raghu Dixit is an exceptional talent and a very engaging person too.” – Paul Bay (Citizen Sound)

“Thanks for the event last night, the musicians were really good, what a voice that guy has!  And brilliant guitar too.” – Sarah Wraight

“He’s a great personality and will no doubt be very successful. The evening was very enjoyable.” – Nick Cooper

“Great voice and would love to see him with the band at Bush Hall on Friday.” – Jeremy Gawade (Lee and Thompson)

“Great gig last night. Raghu is rather good, loved the second song and what a great guitarist he had.” – Harry Cowell (Mission Group)

“It was great to see you on Monday thanks once again for the invitation. We were both blown away by Raghu, what a voice. If there is anything we can do to be of service it would be a pleasure.” - Ross Gautreau (ASCAP)

“I checked him out on line prior to accepting and he is really incredible.” – Marc Marot (SEG)
“He is very talented and different so have no doubt that enough exposure will get him picked up.” – Affe Adel Demon

“Really enjoyed the show last night.” – Sonia Diwan (Sound Advice Legal)

“We met at the band’s event at The Indian High Commission on Monday night. I was impressed.” – Dennis Muirhead (Muirhead Management)

“Great night last night by the way - Raghu is awesome.” – Nick Keynes (Goldust Productions)

“Great seeing you last night and of course finally experiencing Raghu live. I can see him going down really well at festivals, together with the band.” – Anke Links (Coda Agency)

Feedback following the gig at the Water Rats (11/05/10)

“Really enjoyed the show on Tuesday.” – Dennis Collopy (Menace Music Management)

“It was a great night at the Indian High Commission. Thanks. A friend of mine, Dennis Collopy, said he went down to the Water Rats last night and enjoyed the acts. See you at the Great Escape. I will send you some Troy bar dates tomorrow for Raghu.” – Alex Kerr-Wilson (Discovery Talent)

“Sick gig last night… I have incredible footage of the hype from the front row.” – Terry Mardi (Desi Circus)

Feedback following the gig at the Great Escape (13/05/10)

“Sadly our phone system is kaput! We can’t do phoners.

I did catch a bit of the gig last night though and LOVED IT!!!” – Jo Youle (Brighton Festival Radio 87.7fm)

“Billy and I went to see Raghu at the Great Escape last week and LOVED it! So pleased to be having him [perform at Wattsfest].” – Nuala Honan (Wattsfest)

“That is one of the best performances that we’ve ever seen at The Great Escape!” – Martn Elbourne (The Great Escape)

“I heard Martin [Martin Elbourne] was raving about Raghu. Hopefully that bodes well for Glastonbury next year.” – Rob Challice (Coda Agency)

“Great to see you last week in Brighton and to see Raghu too, the whole band were awesome, we all really enjoyed it.” – Mark Debenham (Sunshine HQ)

“Great to see you. I am a huge fan, you should be very proud.” – Myles Keller (PRS)

Press article:
http://www.themusicvoid.com/2010/05/event-report-the-great-escape-brighton-uk/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=event-report-the-great-escape-brighton-uk

Feedback following the gig at Bush Hall (14/05/10)

Press article:

http://www.justonestar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=59317&sid=5cda76dfca287d383d0f9e7ea9d456dc

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 50 years or have nothing to do with the world music scene at all, you know that WOMAD is just the *Biggest* world music festival ever!

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We *LOVED* the Lovebox and by the looks of it - Lovebox loved us too :) We could not have asked for a better start to the tour!

The famed British weather woke us up in the morning and it was just freezing cold with a drizzle and the general moroseness that is associated with the British weather was in its element! Add to this, the fear that, coming from India, there won’t be anyone who will venture out for a gig in that kind of weather, din’t make things any easier for us!

We finally reached the venue well in advance and after collecting all the passes we needed, we headed backstage to get ready for the gig!

Like many other things in the UK, the gig started at 12.30 PM on the DOT and no one exceeded time! it was just crazy!

We got on stage a couple of minutes in advance since the band before us moved out a little early and did a quick line check before we plunged into the set!

Just as our first song, ‘Hey Bhagwan’ was getting over, Horror of Horrors, the 5th string on Raghu’s guitar snapped! Rajeev went backstage like a pro and sorted it out with the guitar from the previous band! while he fixed the string that was broke and tuned it right there amidst all that chaos!

The rest of the set was one big party with the crowd increasing in size and volume :) We got them to jump and sing and dance and even learn some Hindi! Not just that, I thought we were on the spot with our humor as well :p - and the crowd seemed to LOVE that!

This was of course, Varun’s first gig with us and after exactly *ONE* practice and he nailed it! The next task is to make him wear a lungi and jump with us on stage! But we have 5 more shows and I’m confident it will happen. It would be lovely if you guys could leave a comment here telling him how much it would mean to you that he does that - It might just change his mind :)

In all, it was a mindblowing experience, we got to see the scale of things at a festival of this size and stature and we should hopefully be back soon!

After all the confusion regarding our tour, we are finally off and have sorted most of it out, but then what fun is a tour without a little uncertainty ;)

We boarded the Sri Lankan airlines flight last night and had a long stopover at Colombo and are currently in the Colombo airport ready to board the next flight to the UK. In between, losing boarding passes and breaking escalators, we’re certainly making our presence felt ;)

But here we go hoping for the best and knowing that we will play our hearts out and like the lovely Anuva Seth said, hopefully break a few hearts on our way back (with only our music that is!)

Wish us luck and if you are in London next week or know someone that is, please tell them to come watch us - the list of gigs we play is here - http://raghudixit.com/uk

What started as a general discussion about taking our music to new audiences is taking form now! We are playing at the *LOVEBOX* festival!

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