June 21 is celebrated across the world as Fête de la Musique or World Music Day. Kolkata too is gearing up for the annual extravaganza with a mesmerising concert at The Gateway Hotel, off EM Bypass. With scheduled performances by twelve city bands spread across a multitude of genres, the evening is surely set to be rocking! Former French Minister of Culture Jack Lang conceived the idea way back in 1981, and from 1982 onwards, the concept of an all-day musical celebration spread to other shores from France. Today, over 120 countries celebrate the joy of music on summer solstice, the hottest day of the year.
“The Gateway Hotel has been hosting the festival for the past five years. Also, since the entry is free, it has everything people would need to chill and enjoy themselves during a day-long festival in summer,” says organiser Varun Desai of Littlei. The evening will witness a range of different kinds of music. Folk Foundation will stir emotions of the roots while Mojo and Gunzooloo will delve into the lighter side of melodies with jazzy elements. Kolkata’s burgeoning rap and hip-hop scene will see three acts — Streetfood Music, Park Circus and Trapinati — bring rebellious yet contemporary ideas, infectious beats and cutting edge sounds to the fore, which will surely make the crowd gyrate to their grooves. Chronic Xorn will take up the heavyweight duty of making the crowd turn into possessed headbangers and hopefully form a mosh pit too. Lim & Ludo will churn out old school rock ’n’ roll while The Miliputs will dish out more conventional rock sounds.
The latest band to arrive in Kolkata’s independent music scene, Murphy’s Paradox, who recently released a single Dreams in Technicolor, will get a grand chance to win over crowds. Even film music will get representation through The Bollywood Project. Another artiste on the roster is Prashanti. But any musical extravaganza in Kolkata is incomplete without the pioneering sounds of Mohiner Ghoraguli. Hence, Mohiner Ghoraguli Sampadito Bangla Gaan will take the stage, just like every year, to sing songs that connect everyone, carrying forward the band’s unforgettable legacy and Bengal’s musical heritage.
“The crowd can expect to experience a showcase of the gamut of music prevalent in Kolkata from classical to folk, rock to metal, hiphop to electronica, and a lot more,” concludes Varun. So put on your musical sleeves and head out to enjoy a beautiful, six-hour-long musical evening.