Having a nice time

The UK’s dance kings, ‘Above & Beyond’ celebrated a pretty special occasion recently – they broadcast the 450th episode of their radio show and chose to do so live from the City.

They were joined by other DJs like Mat Zo, Norin & Rad, Andrew Bayer and Jody Wisternoff at Jayamahal Palace, where the event was organised. And for a City that is otherwise not allowed to dance, it wasn’t surprising that the crowds poured in in huge numbers.

The grounds were done up in flashing neon lights and it was evident that the people who turned up were looking forward to a party of epic proportions. While the mood was kept upbeat by the line-up of warm-up acts, the crowd could be seen having a good time, freely passing around drinks and cigarettes. Many had also come dressed to kill – sporting psychedelic hairbands, sequined fedoras, oversized sun-glasses and even bunny ears. While one group of friends was uniformly wearing upturned buckets on their heads, another came with identical Mohawks. The girls were dressed in their highest heels and shortest dresses. Sagarika, who had come for the concert with a bunch of her friends, said, “Dressing up like this always makes a concert more fun. My friends and I always try to wear some funky accessories and out-of-the-box garments to make a statement – that way, we get to stand out in the crowd!”

By the time Mat Zo took to the console, the energy in the grounds had hit an all-time high. And when ‘Above and Beyond’ finally hit the stage, the crowd was practically screaming. Nikhil Chinapa, who was hanging out in the VIP box, actually climbed onto the rails to get a better look at the band – and fell off a couple of times as well.

The band kept playing hit number after number, to the crowd’s delight. Large groups of youngsters could be seen shaking a leg to the tunes. Trisha, who was part of the crowd, said excitedly, “I love dance music and since we get very few opportunities to dance in Bangalore, it’s great when events like these happen. My friends and I have been looking forward to this concert for a while.”