The Indiecision ’08: Best Gig Freebie

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 Freebie is the best giveaway/memento we received free of charge at a live performance by an artist – Indian or international – in Mumbai. The nominees for Best Gig Freebie are

Avial give away avial

A few weeks after the launch of Avial’s new album, the band performed in Mumbai, sans erstwhile lead singer Anand Raj Benjamin Paul, at the Lands End amphitheatre. The set was energetic and fun and they played ‘Nada Nada’ twice. At the end of the gig the band announced that they would serve free avial (a tradional Malayali vegetable preparation) to all the audience members. It was a sweet gesture and one that did not go unappreciated by the hungry audience.

Masks at Wyclef Jean

His latest album is called The Carnival so it was appropriate that Vh1 gave out masks – the kind you’d wear to a masquerade ball – for all those who didn’t want to be caught attending a Wyclef concert. In truth, the masks were a momentary distraction in a sweatsoaked, hellish two-hour wait for the hip hop star. When you’re standing around with nothing to do, any sort of entertainment is welcome, we say!

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

Plectrums at British Council Soundpad

The British Council Soundpad project saw four home-grown indie bands – Advaita, Indigo Children (formerly known as The Superfuzz), Medusa, Swarathma – participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record with top British producer John Leckie. Part of the deal was a performance by each of the bands at the Blue Frog. At the ‘lobby’ of the venue, audience members could pick up a variety of coloured plectrums presented in attractive Soundpad packaging. We picked up four. Each.

Raincoats at Mehli Mehta

The previous night had seen unseasonal rain in South Mumbai and the wise organisers, the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, had anticipated that the clouds might strike again. All those who had paid thousands to see classical music legends Zubin Mehta and Placido Domingo at Brabourne Stadium (at least those were on time) were given stress ball-size footballs at the entrance, which they were informed were “courtesy Godrej”, one of the sponsors. Drizzle it did and out came the disposable plastic ponchos inside the soccerballs.

CDs at I-Rock

There are some things you can always expect at I-Rock: a manic moshpit, an over-the-hill classic rock band, and a free bandana from Lee Cooper. In what is increasingly becoming a very welcome trend, you also get some pretty good free music. Scribe gave out their second album at the event and at both the Compaq and the Fight Back stalls, you got gratis compilations. The former was the official I-Rock CD, which featured tracks by competiting bands; the latter was produced by CCR in collaboration the anti-eve teasing campaign Fight Back.

And Best Gig Freebie â??08 is

Raincoats at Mehli Mehta; the folks who wore them may have “looked like condoms” according to those in the stands, but as far concert freebies go, they were the most useful we’ve seen so far.

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