Given Mumbai’s stature as India’s financial heartbeat, it’s no wonder that the modern mega-city is also the leading edge of Indian pop-culture. This is, after all, the home of Bollywood which is expected to generate revenues around INR14,200 crore (over USD2 billion) this year. Not surprisingly, Mumbai is the best place in India to see top local musical talent as well as international acts that are increasingly recognizing Mumbai as a world-class city and India as an important music market. 2017 still has three months left and plenty of great live music options for fans of all genres.
The PJ Hindu Gymkhana will host the 4th annual Red Bull Tour Bus: Off the Roof concert on October 14. The show will be a great collection of Indian talent across many musical styles. Some of the participants will be Bollywood composer and singer Amit Trivedi, electronic dance music specialist Komorebi, progressive metal band Skyharbour, and When Chai Met Toast who bring catchy and poppy acoustic tunes in both English and Hindi. A music marathon set on the water sounds like a must-see event.
The diva trio Atomic Kitten played at the Phoenix Market City Mall on October 7. The UK chart-toppers entertained fans with their greatest hits including ‘Whole Again’ and ‘The Tide is High (Get the Feeling).’ Fans of a harder sound enjoyed progressive metal band, Dream Theatre on the following night at the MMRDA Exhibition Grounds.
EDM enthusiasts need to keep the weekend of October 28/29 open. Saturday will see Swedish DJ Sebastian Mullaert (formerly of Minilogue) will be spinning at one of the preeminent Mumbai dance clubs, Kitty Su. On the 29th, the Mahalakshmi Race Course will host Indian-American DJ KSHMR, who recently collaborated with Tiesto. Also working the decks will be Bangladeshi-American Jai Wolf who performed at the Coachella Festival in April of this year.
One of the most anticipated concerts of the year happens on November 19, when international sensation Ed Sheeran plays at JioGardens. Sheeran is touring extensively in support of his latest album Divide and he is making a concerted effort to please his fans in Asia with numerous tour dates. Among the major stops are Tokyo, Manila and Seoul. He’ll also be playing in Hong Kong and as everyone knows, China is home to the panda bear and kung fu which were combined in the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda. The panda bear is an iconic Asian symbol and is used in many forms of media and entertainment, including online gaming like the King Panda Slot game release.
Towards the end of the year, Mumbaikars will be treated to another EDM extravaganza at the World’s Biggest Guestlist from December 1st-3rd. Artists are still being booked but it looks like Indian favourites like Sartek and Zaeden will be there as well as Dutch powerhouse Hardwell.
There are plenty of more options than those listed here so check out what’s playing and get yourself some tickets. Mumbai has hosted some great local acts and some big international bands over recent years like Guns N’ Roses, Coldplay and Justin Bieber. The more we keep supporting live music the more the Mumbai music scene will continue to grow.