I was going to quit all my bad habits for the New Year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter,” was one of the many quotes floating around this past week, along with everyone’s video montage of 2022. I plead guilty to the latter and will just say ‘Instagram made me do it!’. This year was definitely an all-out party year as everyone threw caution to the winds, and celebrated the arrival of 2023 in style. A staggering number of Chennai peeps travelled, with Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore being top choices. I ended up in Bengaluru for a working New Year’s Eve, and it was fabulous to be able to face a giant crowd (after years) and count them down to midnight.
Back in Chennai, there were all levels of fun, ranging from the chilled-out scenes to the dance-till-you-drop ones. I loved that live bands were the main attraction at most venues, which was one of the things I had hoped for, for this year. Here’s wishing it to continue. At Taj Fisherman’s Cove was Christopher Stanley and band, and DJ Kunal Bajaj, with a themed gala dinner. On the style front, it looked like sequins were the popular choice across the board, myself included. Bling bling all the way. Hey, if you can’t do head to toe sequins on New Year’s Eve, then when can you! At Feathers, Beat Gurus, a popular percussion ensemble, really got the crowd going with their signature genre of music. Earthy African tribal beats incorporating Indian elements alongside trance and psychedelic. An irresistible combo. For those who preferred a slower tempo there was Sufi Qawwali by Amjad and Asad Warsi at the Vapour Lounge Bar. They showcased quite the range, from Urdu poetry to popular hits. At Sekhmet, DJ Arvind played the audience's favourites, along with some of his personal NYE audio-visual edits that everyone loved. Add in some singalong fun for good measure, throw in some pyrotechnics, and you have a united group, old friends and new, as the clock strikes midnight.
As we sail into this New Year, here are a few things I hope to see more of. As always, I hope not just for live music but for a focus on art. And art for everyone, not just the select few. Conscious living, sustainability when it comes to fashion and most importantly, more living, less documenting. Cheers to that!