The Indiecision ’08: Best Gig International

The Indiecision â??08 is a recap of the year gone by in Indian indie and a recognition of the work of its artists and those involved with the creation and promotion of the music. Over the month of December, your favourite Indian indie blog will feature bests and worsts of all things Indian indie.

The Best Gig International was the best concert by an international artist at a venue in the city of Mumbai. The nominees for the Best Gig International are

Iron Maiden, MMRDA Grounds

We admit it. We’re not big heavy metal fans. But then Iron Maiden is no ordinary heavy metal band. There are few acts who can become one with the crowd and Maiden proved that they still had double the grit and energy of bands half their age. It helped that this was a best-of tour: singing along to the songs of our schooldays made us all but forget the sub-standard opening acts (i.e. bassist Steve Harris’s daughter Lauren Harris).

Dub L.F.O, Blue Frog

Israeli alt-reggae act Dub L.F.O. hit the Blue Frog hard in May with some crazy rasta-rock. An energetic, Josh Homme-lookalike vocalist and some catchy tunes made for a wild night. “And hey, when and Israeli band plays Jamaican music in India to an audience of equal part foreigners and Indians, you know globalisation is doing its job.” Blue Frog’s live catalogue of obscure international acts can often throw up surprises. Catch the Weirdest Gig ’08 for more.

Hit â??Moreâ?? for the rest of the nominees and the Best Gig International ’08.

Bauchklang, Blue Frog

Watching Austrian beat-boxing project Bauchklang live was a, as Russell Peters would put it, ‘mind blasting’ experience. Sure, beat-boxing is great for five minutes on YouTube, but a whole 90 minutes? The five mic-armed Austrians proved that ‘vocal groove’ is as much a technical and enjoyable genre of music as electronica, or techno, or Moby. Bauchklang broke barriers and opened minds that February night, as only a great musical performance should.

Wyclef Jean, Hard Rock Cafe

The Hard Rock Cafe was packed to the gills, it was hot as well and the show started more than an hour late. But once the former Fugee took the stage, he charmed the Mumbai crowd like no other hip hop has before. With a hit-filled set list and fan friendly persona that saw
him walking through the audience on his bodyguard’s shoulders and a gang girls storming the stage, Wyclef made it seem worth the wait. If only he could have kept Aadesh Shrivastav out of the mix.

X-Makeena, Blue Frog

X-Makeena are the Slipknot of electronica. Dressed in masks and overalls the quintet from France played to a packed Blue Frog in March courtesy Alliance Francaise. The confines of the stage were not enough for the performers whose act saw them run riot among audience members and on dining tables. Though we couldn’t understand a word of what they said (save “Eks Makeenah!” every few minutes), their energy and presence had us recalling a creepy ‘rat creature’ in our sleep for days.

And the Best Gig International ’08 was

Bauchklang at the Blue Frog, for blasting our minds with their mics.

Head to the Indiecision â??08 homepage for all the details and the awards.