Photos: Bloodywood, Hanumankind and Taba Chake Brought Diversity to The Hills Festival Meghalaya
The third edition of the two-day festival drew in locals from host venue Umbir village as well as attendees from the rest of the North East
Bloodywood perform at The Hills Festival Meghalaya.
Meghalaya has another formidable festival to add to its annual calendar, with The Hills Festival bringing together hip-hop, metal, rock and folk-fusion across two days on November 4th and 5th.
Held by Umiam lake in Umbir village to showcase the traditions and cultures of local tribes, the two-day festival had a fully Indian lineup, plus Singaporean rapper Yung Raja performing. Top draws included singer-songwriter Taba Chake, folk-metal frontrunners Bloodywood (for whom people traveled from all over the country, the festival says), Chennai indie act The F16s, and Bengaluru-based hip-hop artist Hanumankind.
The Hills Festival also brought in Shillong folk-fusion act Da Minot, Nagaland rockers Trance Effect, hip-hop duo Leo Boys performing with the band Paper Parachute, rock trio Dossers Urge and DJ-producers like Karan Kanchan and Sickflip. Although a slight bit of rain was a bit of a disruption, the festival trudged on safely.
Off the stage, a local group of musicians called Ka Sur na Nongkyndong (Voice of the Villagers) from the East Khasi Hills were performing in the food and merchandize area of the festival, adding a bit of local flair.
Apart from programming heavyhitters to pack the stage, The Hills Festival Meghalaya also introduced an initiative called The Forage Aisle, with the intent to shine a spotlight on different rare ingredients found in the wild in Meghalaya.
The stage setup at The HIlls Festival Meghalaya Stalls at the festival A local musician regaling attendees A fan waves a flag during Dew Drops’ set at The Hills Festival Meghalaya Bengaluru-based rapper Hanumankind performs at The Hills Festival Meghalaya A full crowd showed up for Bloodywood’s first gig in Meghalaya The F16s performed old and new material during their set Trance Effect vocalist Iuli Yeptho Arunachal singer-songwriter Taba Chake was among the headliners The crowd for Bloodywood on day one of The Hills Festival Meghalaya
Photos: Courtesy of The Hills Festival Meghalaya
