#GigAlert: Over a dozen music festivals are headed your way by December

As the monsoon recedes, the season that follows seems to be that of indie music festivals. Beginning this month, a number of well-known Indian bands will take to the stage and pull out all stops to entertain their fans. Playing alongside will be international acts, many of them coming to India for the first time. And no matter what your favourite genre, these festivals have them all covered. And while Mumbai is indeed the city to be

if you love your music, with over a dozen concerts in the next three months, it can get a tad difficult to navigate through them.

But, don’t worry. With this guide, we have you sorted. We round up all the gigs, taking place in and around Mumbai, till the end of the year. And we’ve got musician-writer-columnist Luke Kenny to act as our guide.

Put on your happiest clothes and your dancing shoes.

Red Bull #OffTheRoof: October 3

Where: Richardson and Cruddas, Byculla, Mumbai

Time: 5pm onward

Tickets: Rs 500 on insider.in

Headliners: Amit Trivedi and Nucleya Other acts: The Ganesh Talkies, Pangea, and Delhi Sultanate & Begum X

Go because: You enjoy a good mix of genres

Luke says: “The Red Bull team is known to create a good live ambience. This year, it has done the safe thing by having a Bollywood headliner to bring in the crowds. But the indie fan should go for Ganesh Talkies, who have a fabulous front girl in Suyasha Sengupta. They have a great live act as well. I also recommend checking out the chilled out dancehall (a Jamaican sub-genre of reggae from Jamaica that’s yet to explode in India) vibes of Delhi Sultanate & Begum X.”

Sunburn Weekend Festival: October 3 and 4

Where: Silvassa Stadium, Silvassa, Gujarat

Tickets: Rs 1,950 onward on sunburn.in

Headliners: Sick Individuals, Dannic and WolfPack

Other acts: Anish Sood, B.R.E.E.D, Sound Avtar, Joshi, Priyanjana, Indra J, Ankur Sood, Julia Bliss, One&One, Coded and Garth Adam

Go because: You’re a hardcore EDM (Electronic Dance Music) fan

Luke says: “Sunburn has become the dance music monster to such an extent that most people don’t go for the music anymore, but to be seen. But it does manage to spring a few surprises. I recommend Sick Individuals, who bring fabulous pop production and catchy melodies to the stage.”

Vh1 Supersonic Arcade: Skrillex : October 10

Where: Reliance Jio Garden, BKC, Mumbai

Time: Gates open 5pm

Tickets: Rs 3,135 onward on meraevents.com

Go because: You’re a Skrillex fan

Luke says: “This has got to be the show of the year. The mighty Skrillex will touch Indian shores for the first time. You bloody well go for it. It is going to be a one-of-a-kind sonic experience (Think dubstep and loud). Moreover, it’s going to be a visual treat (lights and strobes). And, you get to see Skrillex’s much-talked-about hair up close.”

Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses and Friends India Tour: October 11

Where: blueFROG, Lower Parel, Mumbai

When: 9pm onward

Tickets: Rs 800 onward on bookmyshow.com

Go because: You’re a classic rock purist

Luke says: “First Axl, and now, Gilby. It looks like the original GnR (Guns N Roses) is finally coming to India, one by one. Jokes apart, here is one of the biggest guitarists in rock ‘n’ roll. He has played some of the greatest GnR songs. Guitarists, watch out for his custom Zemaiti guitars.”

Harley Rock Riders VI: October 30 and 31

Where: Richardson and Cruddas, Byculla, Mumbai

Time: 4pm onward

Tickets: Rs 1,000 onward on insider.in

Headliners: Megadeth and The Wailers

Other acts: Abraxas, Bhayanak Maut, Blek, Coshish, Kraken, Scribe, Skrat, The Down Troddence, The Lightyears Explode, Bombay Bassment, Demonic Resurrection, Indus Creed, Noiseware, Providence, Superfuzz, The F16s and The Ska Vengers

Go because: You’re a head-banger and love mosh pits

Luke says: “Day one is a mammoth metal fest with the legends Megadeth headlining. Apart from stalwarts Abraxas and Bhayanak Maut, I would recommend Coshish, Scribe and The Lightyears Explode, because they are fun to watch live. On day two, we have The Wailers. The continuing DNA of the legendary Bob Marley is still keeping the weed... err sorry, dream, alive. And there’s Superfuzz, F16s and VMA nominees, the Ska Vengers. Sign me up, Scotty.”

Slash ft Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators : November 7

Where: Mumbai - Venue to be announced (TBA)

Tickets: meraevents.com

Go because: You’re a Guns N’ Roses fan

Luke says: “Close on the heels of Gilby Clarke, we have the onetime GnR stalwart Mr Slash himself, who will unleash his guitar magic. He comes armed with the terrific voice of Myles Kennedy and the brilliant Conspirators as his cohorts. Only fools would miss it.

Sunburn Mumbai - On the road to Goa 2015: November 13

Where: Mumbai - venue TBA

Tickets: Rs 2,250 onward on sunburn.in

Headliners: DJ Snake and R3hab

Other acts: Matisse & Sadko, Chuckie, Shaan, Sartek, Joshi, DJ SA and MojoJojo

Go because: You’re a die-hard EDM fan

Luke says: “Back to the Sunburn scalding. The line-up here doesn’t really excite me, except for Matisse & Sadko, a cool prog-house duo from Russia. So purists might want to spend (or get free passes) just to watch this act. But, if you really want to be seen, then go see DJ Snake. Turn down for what? Exactly.”

Bacardi NH7 Weekender: December 4 to 6

Where: Laxmi Lawns, Magarpatta City, Pune

Tickets: Rs 2,000 onward on insider.in

Headliners: AR Rahman, Mark Ronson, Flying Lotus, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Mogwai, SBTRKT

Other acts: 43 other artists

Go because: You enjoy an exhaustive range of genres

Luke says: “Mark Ronson, who had a big hit with Uptown Funk last year, is a superb singer-songwriter. Flying Lotus, or Fly-Lo as he is popularly known, is very experimental in the hip-hop/trip-hop/electronica genre. Mogwai is a Scottish post rock band that rose to prominence between 1995 and 1998. The band is largely instrumental with its compositions, so it will be interesting to catch it live. Also, the Flamenco guitar magic of Rodrigo Y Gabriela will blow you away.”

Hardwell Live: December 13

Where: Mumbai - venue TBA

Register: foundation.djhardwell.com

Go because: You’re a Hardwell fanboy/fangirl

Luke says: “Hardwell is no stranger to India. One of the many big European DJs on the circuit, he is all set to break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Biggest Guest List by opening up his own personal guest list, so fans don’t have to shell out money to attend this gig.”

Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival: December 18 to 20

Where: Aamby Valley City, Pune

Tickets: Rs 6,200 onward for three days, on evc.co.in

Headliners: Tiësto and Fatboy Slim

Go because: You love EDM, and you still can’t get enough of it

Luke says: “The competition is heating up with everyone throwing headliners at each other. And if you have two of the biggest names — Tiësto, who’s like the granddaddy of trance, and good old Uncle Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, who set the standard for pop-dance tunes in the ’90s — then you’ve got a good thing going.”

Sunburn Goa: December 27 to 30

Where: Vagator Beach, Goa

Tickets: Rs 10,500 onward on sunburn.in

Headliners for Revealed Recordings stage: Dyro

Other acts on Revealed Recordings stage: Thomas Newson, Joey Dale, Julian Calor and Manse.

Other acts: KSHMR. Full line-up is yet to be announced.

Go because: Your appetite for EDM is truly insatiable

Luke says: “Some interesting obscure artists here — Thomas Newson, who’s rising steadily in the ranks, and Joey Dale, whose track Winds is a festival favourite. Julian Calor is quite promising, but his music is a bit standard. KSHMR will be interesting to watch as he brings some traditional and heritage sounds to his production. Check out his signature track Jammu, which is sure to grow on you.”

VH1 Supersonic: December 27 to 30

Where: Candolim Beach, Goa

Tickets: Rs 5,500 onward on meraevents.com

Acts: Deorro, Zed’s Dead and Disclosure. Full line-up is yet to be announced.

Go because: Bringing in the new year while dancing away is a good idea

Luke says: “Supersonic is sure going all the way to give their immediate rivals, Sunburn, a vigorous run for their money. Zed’s Dead, from Toronto, Canada have been on the scene since 2004 and take their name from a line in the cult Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction. Disclosure are a huge commercial success and it’ll be great to see them make their India debut.”

Tycho India Tour: TBA

Where: Mumbai - venue TBA

Go because: You think IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) is the new EDM

Luke says: “Now, this is something I’m really excited about. I am a huge fan of glitch and IDM (Intelligent dance music). Tycho’s gig is one not to be missed. Expect true eclectic electronica and some really fantastic production and musicality.”

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Other gigs to watch out for

The early 2015 leg of Emerge Music and Arts Festival showcased UK’s Alt-J and Rudimental. Music lovers can look forward to the second leg of the festival in the coming few weeks.

Then, there’s also the Submerge Goa Project, a year-end dance music festival that takes place on the beaches of the sunny state. Norman Doray and Sander Van Doorn have previously played at the Festival, which is a huge hit among party-goers.

Know your guide

You might remember Luke Kenny from his stint as a VJ on Channel [V] or as an actor from Rock On!!, but he has more to his credit. He launched and ran 9XO, a music channel, for four years. He has written columns on music for Rolling Stone, Outlook Traveller and HT Cafe. He is a DJ, and tours with his band as a live solo artiste. He travels the world visiting music festivals. Aren’t you jealous of him already?