Stop The Hateful Comments and Support Your Local Artists at Big Festivals

When Lollapalooza India announced its lineup in November last year for its debut edition in Asia, what came with it was a sense of satisfaction for the country’s independent music scene to see our homegrown artists grace this iconic and huge festival stage. However, what also came with it was a barrage of hateful comments towards the festival and artists across social media from keyboard warriors complaining about the festival lineup.  

One can agree that the ticket prices for the festival are on the steep side and that people want to get their money’s worth. As someone who has seen a majority of the artists on the lineup at least once, there is definitely a lot to look forward to at the festival.  

Another question to ponder upon is, does this happen only in India, where Indians are dismissive of Indian artists? Shouldn’t there be a sense of pride to see how far the Indian indie music community has grown over the years from DIY gigs, to club shows and now full-blown international music festivals? Think about it… 

On the other hand, if you’ve been an ardent supporter of the scene through the years, you know just how hardworking the artists on the lineup are. Take for example a few of them. Singer-songwriter Tejas is putting together a full band with a horn section for his set, bassist-producer Harshit Misra aka Hashbass’ set is a specially curated one called House of Hashbass and includes seasoned musicians joining him. The likes of Madboy/Mink, Sandunes, Mali, Tanmaya Bhatnagar and others are also ones to watch out for at the two-day event.   

If you aren’t familiar with the local talent, a festival like this – where artists from multiple genres are programmed to perform – is also the best way to find out and learn about the music being made on our shores.  

So, let’s get behind our Indian musicians and show them the love and backing they deserve, and if you plan on skipping Lollapalooza this weekend in Mumbai, no qualms. But if you’re a music enthusiast, be sure to at least give these musicians a listen and possibly even catch them live at a club show near you. You won’t be disappointed. 

See the full list of Indian artists performing at Lollapalooza India this weekend below:

Abhi Meer

AP Dhillon

Aswekeepsearching

Bloodywood

Bombay Brass

DIVINE

Easy Wanderlings

House of Hashbass

Kavya

Kayan

Kumail

Madboy/Mink

Mali

Parimal Shais

Prateek Kuhad

Raveena

Sandunes

T.ILL Apes

Tanmaya Bhatnagar

Tejas

The F16s

The Yellow Diary