'Where can you find Tamilian-Canadian rapper singing?': Indian musicians go live at Pune's Super Street Flea market

'Where can you find Tamilian-Canadian rapper singing?': Indian musicians go live at Pune's Super Street Flea market

When you have headliners such as Diplo, Illenium, Indian act Divine, you know you are at one of the best festivals in the world, writes VERUS FERREIRA

Verus FerreiraUpdated: Sunday, February 16, 2020, 11:03 AM IST
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Where would you find a Tamilian-Canadian rapper singing his songs accompanied by the mrindagam? You would find this and other surprises only at Vh1 Supersonic.

The seventh edition had festival-goers reaching Mahalaxmi Lawns in Pune in time to catch every act that took the stage over the long weekend of February 7, 8 and 9.

The festival had six stages, with the main stage resembling a flying fortress that was loosely set up like a ship to transport you to a completely different dimension. It had two Russian church domes, flanked by large windmill styled fans that actually revolved.

At the entrance to the festival grounds you had a bamboo arch that made everyone do a pit stop for some selfies. If you were early you and wanted to grab a bite, you could check out the food trucks and the stalls.

The Super Street Flea market had designers showcasing everyday fashion wear, crafted jewellery, quirky gifts, to a dedicated thrift shop to men’s and ladies accessories.

The Live Arena had two stages, while on another ground nearby you had The Underground stage (BudX Awakenings) that saw techno acts come alive.

On one of the pathways you just couldn’t miss the beautiful sound of reggae wafting through. The 10,000 Lions Soundsystem reggae stage is a regular draw at the fest and at anytime you would find a select crowd dancing to its groovy and infectious melodies. The last music hole was the SOCIAL stage that resembled a barn house with picnic tables adjoining it.

The highlight of Day 1 was surely Gully Boy Divine, who got the crowd into a frenzy the moment he got on stage with his team. His songs Apna Gully Mein, Apna Time Aayega, Jungli Sher to Kohinoor and the repetitious Vibe Hai, got his fans jumping and dancing all along to his 60 minute act.

Close by you also had Arjun Vagale, Ramiro Lopez (by no means J Lo’s brother as someone mentioned), Ankur Tewari & the Ghalat Family and Tuhin Mehta jamming up.

Day two roared with a dynamic performance from dance music sensation Diplo who made his much awaited debut at the festival. Besides his top charting hits like Where are U Now, Genius, Close to Me and his latest Welcome to the Party, fans who know his music went into a whirlwind when he played his Indian remix Naagin.

The iconic American rock band Fever 333 also gave a powerful performance, followed by a knockout vibe from DJs Ilario Alicante and Sam Paganini spinning techno and house. The lighting and stage pyrotechnics visuals were something to lose yourself into. Indian performers Lost Stories, Aditi Ramesh, Kavya, Su Real and The F16s also stunned the crowd with their raving performances.

Festival goers could also check out the several installations like the old styled swings, headphones made with beer cans (really cool), elevated lofts to relax, de-stress tents, corporate brand counters holding contests with exciting giveaways, to an all girls bar.

Yes bars were all over the place; you could enjoy your poison while you enjoyed your favourite act. However the ladies complained of serpentine queues at the washrooms. The organisers would do well to address this issue next year.

The final day had some electrifying performances by a mix of Indian and International artists, with main act Illenium playing some of his latest material like In Your Arms, Takeaway and Fractures. Other acts that got the crowd on their feet included Machine Gun Kelly, American rock band Chon and Zambian sensation Sampa the Great.

Lovers of K Pop were in for a surprise when Z Boys and Z Girls made their appearance on stage with some of their finest hits. Shan Vincent de Paul gave a kickass set, so also Sickflip and other artists.

Supporting a cause, the festival for the first time introduced an art gallery, taking art of out of art galleries and into public spaces. If you wanted to get out of the sun, catch your breath, you could head to this quiet shaded space and browse through over a dozen young artists who were showcasing their work.

You had illustrators, graphic designers, painters. Errol Crasta had an interesting collection of illustrations, collated into a series called Parody where he displayed parodied capitalistic products connected to a social cause.

The fest had memories to take home, not one but many.

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