In a time of growing festival frenzy from corporate brands and promoters alike, Echoes of Earth could have easily been swayed to think bigger in terms of curation or offerings, but the recent eighth edition is proof that there’s nothing wrong with staying the course.

The eco-conscious Bengaluru festival, which took place on Dec.13 and 14, 2025, demonstrated a healthy amount of ambition and commitment at a time when festivals are proliferating all around, competing for space and attention.

True to creating an escape from city life, the festival set up upcycled installations as décor but also for a bit of a zoology lesson around the theme called “Nature’s hidden intelligence.” While the King Claw stage had an ominous presence with a vulture overhead, the Octo Jones stage was an octopus built with discarded e-waste (tentacles wrapped around the speakers for added effect). An orb weaver spider was the inspiration for The Orb stage, ever popular with the electronic fans, as it was deep inside the festival woods.

Flameback woodpeckers, the lion-tailed macaque, and the immortal jellyfish all had trippy installations, while chill zones featured hammocks beneath paper jellyfish and elsewhere, there was a massive Indian roller installation, all making for the weekend’s most popular photo spot.

The festival’s infrastructure remained as thoughtfully executed as ever, showing how imagination and execution within the same space can go a long way.

Day One: Focus in Freedom

Echoes of Earth 2025 opened with Bengaluru singer-songwriter and R&B artist Rudy delivering a set that struck a balance between structure and spontaneity, sounding more focused yet still maintaining the improvisational freedom that defines the artist. Jazz favorites Derek & the Cats, with Anurag Naidu coming in on synth (and trumpet later on, for Chennai act Jatayu), played from their new album People To Meet, Places to See and closed with “Techno Police” and a jam that worked in “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This)” by Fred Again.., showing how Indian acts are increasingly in conversation with global electronic trends.

But it was Manu Delago’s return to India after eight years that offered one of the weekend’s most captivating performances. The Austrian percussionist, surrounded by three hang drums, created a sonic landscape that felt perfectly suited to the forest setting. His ability to seamlessly switch from hang drum to drums mid-set, giving the performance an alternative edge, showcased a bandleader completely in control of his vision. With violin, upright bass, and occasional piano in the mix, Delago’s performance on “Royal Mile” delivered the kind of light, enchanting music that felt tailor-made for Echoes of Earth’s natural environment, with another surprise onstage collaboration with Bengaluru folk hero Raghu Dixit.

At the Big Tree stage, DJ-producer Chris Tofu and vocalist Debbralee Wells brought unprecedented energy with their versions of classics—”Praise You,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”—reimagined for a festival crowd ready to lose themselves in familiar melodies.

Jatayu‘s performance became even more wondrous with the addition of a horn section. Playing from their new EP Jewel Tones, the six-piece iteration of the Carnatic-informed act also brought staples like “Mood Swings” that set up rhythmic possibilities for konnakol, “Chango Tales” that was aptly dark for the King Claw stage, and by the time “Shringara” closed their set, the crowd was grooving.

As Hungary’s live electronic act Earthjam raised the tempo at the now-illuminated Octo Jones stage, Chennai-based indie rock band The F16s chose a different path. Eschewing elaborate visuals for a light show, the band delivered their signature massive sound. Between making hentai jokes at the octopus’s expense and dealing with a broken string and sound issues, vocalist-guitarist Josh Fernandez maintained the band’s characteristic chaotic charm. Their performance of “Little Mama’s Boy” from their new album All Dogs Go to Heaven showcased their evolution, oscillating between disco vibes and angsty punk before building to their now-signature instrumental jam that rightly descended into reckless abandon.

Belgian electronic act Stavroz closed the Octo Jones stage on day one, on the back of Australian producer and synth artist Harvey Sutherland bringing the heat to the King Claw stage. With the saxophone, guitar and synth and electronic setup, Stavroz built up and released a lot of mind-bending tunes, exactly what you’d expect from the final act of the day at a festival like Echoes.

Day Two: Local Pride and Global Ambition

At the top of day two, Mumbai-origin alternative act Long Distances made their Bengaluru debut with a wall of sound that accentuated bleak winter atmosphere in the festival grounds. Playing a mix of unreleased material as well as songs off their debut EP How the Mighty Will Fall (2024), songs like “Response,” “Trustfall” and “Empire” demonstrated the band’s command of mood, with vocalist Aarifah Rebello’s animated stage presence and Karun Kannampilly’s energetic playing adding warmth to the melancholy. Their newer material suggested an evolution toward more urgent, surprisingly cheerier territory.

If Long Distances brought introspection, Indian-origin DJ-producer Anish Kumar delivered its antithesis. His indefatigable disco and funk set at the Orb stage had everyone moving, dust rising from the collective movements as Kumar clearly relished every moment in the early evening.

Over at the Octo Jones stage, Varijashree Venugopal brought soulful fusion to start the day, performing in Kannada for her fellow Bangaloreans. The hometown crowd showed up in force, confirming what festival veterans know—Bengaluru audiences have a special connection to their own. “One Note Samba” became “One Note Sambar,” a Brazilian standard transformed into something distinctly local with contributions from keyboardist/synth artist Vivek Santosh, violinist Apoorva Krishna, and drummer/percussionist Pramath Kiran. The slowly built melancholy of “Teardrop” and the emotional depth of “Harivaa Jhari” demonstrated why the fusion artist commands such reverence.

At the King Claw stage, Madame Gandhi‘s performance kind of divided the crowd. With an ISL signer on stage, she was joined by Mumbai-based hip-hop artist Krantinaari for “Anushasan” before performing “The Future is Female,” “Let Me Be Water,” and “Take Your Time” with DJ Benkii as well as drummer Priya Andrew. Her direct manner of addressing femininity, environmentalism, and empowerment aligned perfectly with Echoes of Earth’s ethos, though not all attendees were equally engaged. When she performed “Bad Habits,” the boys in the crowd perked up, many recognizing it from the FIFA 21 game soundtrack—a reminder of how video games have become unlikely tastemakers, which Gandhi was more than happy to capitalize on.

Much like Modern Biology offered music from mushrooms at past Echoes Of Earth editions, Indonesian duo Bottlesmoker offered a palate cleanser with their spacey synthesizer experiments, hooking their gear up to plants and also showcasing collaborative contact, where sounds emerged every time they touched. Their decision to take their plants into the crowd made the performance interactive in ways that felt organic (pun unintended) rather than forced.

U.K.’s Submotion Orchestra marked their return to India after nine years with a penultimate set at King Claw that proved they remain a major draw. Their slick downtempo tunes, starting just as the sun descended, created a hypnotic journey. Between songs like “Prism,” “1968,” and “Angel Eyes”—which they noted playing at their first Indian performance—the band joked about not wanting the bass to make the vulture’s head fall off.

Lithuania’s Vilnius Jjazz Ensemble brought a different flavor with their jazz EDM fusion, though their punchy trombone over distorted beats and glitchy synth proved too shrill for some tastes. New Delhi electronic artist Sublime Sound countered with high energy at Big Tree, while Monolink closed the night at King Claw with a crowd-pleasing set. Having flown in from Dubai and nearly missing the show, the German producer made sure everyone in Bengaluru danced, delivering on his considerable reputation with songs including “Father Ocean” (the Ben Bohmer remix that had everyone singing), “Sirens” and more.

Elsewhere on day two, U.S.-based duo Bedouin turned the Orb stage into an escapist fantasy, with the soundtrack being resolute house bangers. Accordionist and electronic artist Grayssoker brought high-energy to close the Octo Jones stage as well, throwing in everything from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” to Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” to Darude’s “Sandstorm” for a nostalgic yet dancefloor-ready set.

Staying True

What Echoes of Earth continues to understand better than most Indian festivals is that consistency doesn’t lead to stagnation. The festival’s visual identity seen in the eco-friendly installations to the thoughtfully named stages provides continuity, while the lineup consistently surprises. They trust their audiences and the audiences, in turn, trust the festival to curate adventurous lineups.

In an era when Indian festival-goers are spoiled for choice, with new events launching every season and established brands expanding their footprints, Echoes of Earth are keeping their environmental messaging and sonic ambition in focus.

As the Indian festival circuit becomes increasingly crowded and competitive, Echoes of Earth is finding a way to remain a beloved mainstay in everyone’s gig calendar. By refusing to rest on its laurels while staying true to its founding vision, the festival has carved out a space that feels both timely and timeless, which is as good a reason as any for people to keep coming back.  

The post Echoes of Earth’s Conscious Curation Sets a Worthy Benchmark for Music Festivals appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

“Jazz is not what is played, rather how it is played,” Charles Mingus once famously said. Going by this criterion, an exciting three-day jazz festival was held in Mumbai at the Tata Theatre, NCPA.

It was a diverse three days of jazz music, and it would be fair to say there was something for every taste in jazz, from a classic acoustic quintet led by a traditional upright bass to an upbeat electric guitar-led band with a tireless drummer, and much more in between.

This annual jazz festival at the NCPA, first held in 2011, is perhaps the longest-running event of its kind in India. This year, the festival opened with New York–based pianist and vocalist Peter Cincotti and his quartet, featuring Anthony Glausi on trumpet, Michael Olatuja on bass, and Charles Goold on drums. As the set unfolded, it seemed possible that Cincotti wasn’t entirely sure what might connect with an Indian audience — his performance felt deliberately simplified, leaning more towards pop-jazz.

He played and sang “New York State of Mind,” a Billy Joel hit, and a few originals. A few jazz-based standards, such as “Sway” and “I Love Paris”, were interspersed with his version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and “I Hate to See the Sun Go Down.” Cincotti’s piano-playing was indicative of a deeper connection with jazz, in contrast to his choice and style of songs for the NCPA gig. His charming and personal storytelling created an easy rapport with the audience, keeping them fully engaged. Glausi on trumpet was a fine complement to Cincotti’s playing, and all in all, this set reached a fair-sized part of the audience.

Day 2 was opened by the charming upright bass player-vocalist Nicki Parrott and her all-Australian quartet. They opened with “I Love Being Here With You,“ made popular by Peggy Lee, continued with the famous “Squatty Roo,” written by Johnny Hodges for the Duke Ellington band, a bossa nova number called “Mais Que Nada,” “Destination Moon” from the Dinah Washington song book and several standards.

Nicki Parrott was charm itself as she spoke a long sentence in Hindi, and got everyone listening with rapt attention as she told a story for every song she sang. Her bass playing was of a high standard. On an audience request, Parrott broke into “Fly Me to the Moon” without hesitation and later surprised one and all when she sang, in a remarkable jazz style, “Srivalli” from the movie Pushpa (which she sang in Telugu!)

This was a happy set, but it was the second half of the evening that was explosive.

Mike Stern on guitar, Leni Stern on rhythm guitar, saxophonist Blaise Whitaker, bassist Naom Tanzer, and the 360-degree drummer Dennis Chambers played the second part of Saturday’s entertainment. The interaction between the dexterity of Mike Stern’s playing and the all-encompassing rhythm of Dennis Chambers was quite magical and stretched across the 90-minute set. The saxophone of Blaise Whitaker added a dimension to the otherwise intense artistry of Mike Stern. A number of local musicians, including some well-known guitarists, were in the audience; the skills of Mike Stern, even at the age of 70 plus, were very impressive indeed.

For us, the high point of the festival was on the final day when Brian Bromberg’s Quintet played a set of acoustic jazz of the finest calibre. Starting as a trio, the band played “Nardis,” a Miles Davis composition. Broomberg’s bass dominated this rendition.

Very few bass players lead their bands. Charles Mingus is one who comes to mind, as well as Ray Brown, who led a trio; both Mingus and Brown played acoustic bass. The sound of the bass was ideal for the acoustically perfect Tata Theatre, and Bromberg played it masterfully.

The band performed mostly in a quintet format, with Lin Rountree on trumpet and Doug Webb on tenor saxophone joining pianist Tom Zink, drummer Charles Ruggiero and bandleader Brian Bromberg. While the muted trumpet and saxophone had some pleasing solos, it was the acoustic trio that made the most impact on jazz connoisseurs in the audience. “Chameleon,” “Cold Duck Time,” and “What is this Thing Called Love” stood out from the performance of this band as the festival came to a close.

We have seen that the following for jazz has been growing each year since the NCPA launched its jazz initiative, which has consistently sought to bring the best in the genre to Mumbai. Given the steady rise in audiences and enthusiasm, it seems increasingly clear that the growth of jazz in the city is no mere coincidence.

The post NCPA Jazz Festival 2025 Review: Mike Stern and Dennis Chambers Make It Explosive appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

The very first year that Ziro Festival was about to kick off in 2012, it almost didn’t. Co-founder Anup Kutty, sitting on a hill overlooking the festival grounds in Biirii as well as green fields as we speak, says torrential rains nearly made them call it off. “It was a big mess, but then we still somehow pulled it off,” he says.

The festival had support from the Arunachal Pradesh government soon after, who recognized the potential of a DIY festival in a faraway valley that focused on music discovery, specifically from the Northeast. Over the span of more than a decade, Ziro Festival has been home to international artists ranging from post-rock giants Mono, guitar great Lee Ranaldo to rock experimentalist Damo Suzuki, mainstream hitmakers Kailasa, Lucky Ali, Farhan Akhtar, and last month, Shilpa Rao.  

At the core of it, however, Ziro Festival has never been about tooting its horn over the big names. Unlike most Indian music festivals, the lineup posters for Ziro mention all names in the same font size, creating an equalized roll call. That’s where Indian indie acts like the Ganesh Talkies, Easy Wanderlings, Parvaaz, Aswekeepsearching, Polar Lights, Murder In Space, Taba Chake, Street Stories, Trance Effect, David Angu, and more have all been presented as festival highlights over the years.

Kutty, also part of seasoned rock act Menwhopause, says he’s always been driven to curate the artists he would like to see on Ziro stages, and that remains the core philosophy. “You also keep your ears open to other people’s suggestions. Then we also keep in mind how diverse we can make the lineup. For instance, we need to have representation from each of the Northeast states. That has always been there since year one.”

At Ziro Festival 2025, we see artists make the trek to Arunachal from places like Goa (Signal W), Chennai (Arivu), Berlin (Anna Erhard), and New York City (Guitar Prasanna), with layovers, multiple modes of transport and long journeys. The likes of Arivu even stayed back after his high-energy set (where he skipped his film song catalog for songs from his two albums and unreleased material) and went fully local. On stage, he taught his audience Tamil chants, and off it, he was vibing hard to Congolese act Kin’Gongolo Kiniata, partying with campers at afterparties and making new friends.

Arivu tells Rolling Stone India, “It was a long journey, but I knew the vibe would be worth it. That’s the beauty of Ziro — the crowd is open, tasteful, and ready to participate. So I showcased a lot of my independent and experimental tracks (like ‘Origins’).”

The rapper says he could feel the festival was “curated with care.” Curation and programming are key to bringing exclusive performances and have become a major draw of the festival. Ziro Festival 2025 had standout performances by international artists like K’ingongolo Kiniata and Thai funk act Ford Trio, while Manipuri rocker Sorri Senjam, Soumik Datta & The Travellers delivered a somber set touching upon the state of the world, Susheela Raman and Sam Mills interpreted William Blake’s poetry. There were also numerous heartfelt tributes to Assamese star voice Zubeen Garg by Sorri Senjam, Shilpa Rao, Swanand Kirkire’s Baawra Live, Chorun Mugli, Niil, Remi Remi and Da Minot.

Guitar Prasanna says he caught the Carnatic harmonica performance of Saitejas Chandrashekar and his accompanists, as well as the groovy set by Gauley Bhai and Shillong blues great Rudy Wallang. “The range of music that is featured… so many amazing bands that I didn’t know [about], there’s a lot of creative music happening in India and platforms like this are absolutely necessary,” he says. Even his own set featured the Northeast’s top musicians — guitarist and singer-songwriter Takar Nabam, bassist Nishum Pul, and drumming powerhouse Nishant Hagjer. After their performance at Ziro — which featured everything from Carnatic guitar riffs to Nabam leading the audience in sing-alongs of local Arunachali Nyishi songs — Prasanna promises this set of musicians is “going to do a lot more,” and that Ziro was just the starting point. “I want to do more with these people and showcase the young talent here,” he adds.

Arivu chimes in about the festival’s thoughtful curation, adding, “They bring together underground voices, folk traditions, hip-hop, electronic, indie rock — all in one valley. The organizers clearly understand music as culture, not just entertainment.”

Elsewhere, emerging artists like Rudy got to road-test a whole new iteration — a live band, in her case —for the first time at Ziro. While she has previously performed on stage solo with a backing track, this time, Rudy brought an all-girl quartet to play her moody, intimate R&B-informed tunes. The sunny, verdant setting at the Danyi stage was a study in contrasts, but Rudy didn’t mind. “I’ve never played a festival in such a scenic spot, so it’s a whole different vibe. This is my first set with a band as well, so we thought we’d just give it our best and see how it goes. I think it was great for a first try,” she says.

The festival’s spotlight on Northeast talent from the start is why it’s looked at as a pillar of support among musicians in the region. Singer-songwriter Chorun Mugli went from playing the Danyi (day) stage in 2023 to a full house, to closing day one of Ziro Festival on the Pwlo (night) stage. Mugli, who sings in Hindi and Arunachali dialects, says, “As a regional artist, it’s very difficult to get our music out there, outside of this region. Ziro is a place that has an audience from different parts of the world, so I feel I have the chance to make them explore my music here.” Performing his 2021 single “Jajin Ja” to a swaying audience across two editions has shattered the belief he once held — that people wouldn’t connect to his music because they didn’t understand Nyishi. “It changed everything,” Mugli admits.

With tribal lore-inspired bands Da Minot or funk band Larger Than 90 (both from Meghalaya) at this year’s edition, Ziro Festival continues to thrive on its Northeast roots. It’s an indicator that, despite kicking off around the same time as other independent music festivals across the country in the 2010s — from NH7 Weekender and Vh1 Supersonic to Magnetic Fields Festival to Bangalore Open Air — its success lies in staying true to its programming ethos and drive for music discovery.

Another differentiator here is that while other festivals all had major corporate sponsors backing them in some capacity, that came only recently for Ziro Festival. Kutty says, “You can take money from the government or corporates or whatever, but as an organizer, your first and foremost goal should be to make it sustainable through ticket sales.”

On-ground, you might see Ziro Festival as deeply committed to their sustainability goals — bamboo stages are constructed and then deconstructed and sold back to locals, recyclable and compostable utensils and plates, and urinals are filled with charcoal and used to nourish the soil. But Kutty also says sustainability is about how they run as a business.  

They might be the only music festival that says no to sponsors, if Kutty is to be believed. “We’ve said no to big brands and corporates whose values don’t align with the festival’s core principles. It took us a while to find partners whose values aligned with ours, but it was worth the wait. We stayed true to what we believed in. This was a loss-making thing for a really long time,” he says. The organizer recalls some sponsors who said it was “too far” for them to come set up shop, while others wanted to carry out a lot more in-your-face branding when, as Kutty points out, attendees often travel this far to get away from all of the usual festival experiences seen in cities.

At a time when four-act club gigs or an extended DJ night or corporates rushing to book one viral act are being branded as festivals, Ziro Festival stands out as a reminder of what an independent music festival is really about – music discovery, kinship, and memories. “Why is this a festival? I mean, because by the end of four days, you see familiar faces and you’ve had this shared experience. You’ve lived with them. You probably had lots of beers with people. Everybody’s staying in the vicinity; you go through the moods of the weather together. You see the sun together, you see a rainbow together, you’re experiencing rain together.”  

The shared experience, he underscores, is with “music not in the background, in the foreground.” Kutty adds, “So for me, even though I say so myself, that really is a festival.”

The post Ziro Festival 2025 Showed Us Why Independent Music Festivals Still Matter appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

When Enrique Iglesias ascended the stage at Mumbai’s MMRDA Grounds on Oct. 29, 2025, for the first of two India shows, the roar that rippled through the crowd felt more like the excited screeches of a reunion with a long-lost friend. Almost as if he was privy to this information, the Spanish hitmaker belted out turn-of-the-millennium anthems like “Bailamos,” “Hero,” and “Escape,” fully leaning into the sentimental discography that once soundtracked an entire generation’s CD players. Consciously swerving away from any of his more recent releases, Iglesias posed, pouted, and lip-synced his way through his first performance in India in 13 years, but the crowd went wild anyway. The show felt more like spectacle than substance, yet it was a testament to Iglesias’ star power as a seasoned showman who knows how to wield his legacy. 

And maybe that’s the cultivated instinct of an artist who’s seen pop music evolve from MTV and CDs to TikTok and AI: to know how to read the room. Speaking to Rolling Stone India ahead of the show, the Spanish icon pointed out what’s kept him curious and motivated through so many eras of reinvention: “The love for music never changes — I just keep learning and adapting.” At 50, Iglesias has been named one of Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time Latin Artist,” and racked up more than 40 billion streams worldwide. He’s one of those rare millennial-era icons who’s managed to keep the momentum going. Perhaps that’s because his songs still feel so gut-wrenchingly relatable, whether he’s pining after lost love on “Heartbeat,” or going full fuckboy on “I Like It.” When asked whether the emotional graph of his music reflects a deeper understanding of love or simply an acceptance of its contradictions, he admits, “A bit of both — love keeps teaching you something new every day.”

While the singer-songwriter may still be catching up to the complexities of love (and in 2025, it’s as complex as it gets), he clearly has no qualms about showing it to his fans. At his Mumbai show, produced by Eva LIVE in partnership with BEW Live and promoted by District, that energy was on full display. Iglesias made heart gestures, blew kisses, folded his hands in awe, and even dropped to his knees at one point. After all these years, he remains the eternal heartthrob.

While much of the sonic force of the evening came from his tight backing band, Iglesias remained its charismatic conductor. He knew exactly how to work the crowd — gliding between the mainstage and the runway, locking eyes, and making sure every section of the audience felt seen. That kind of connection sits at the core of his performances, and in India, it feels amplified. “The fans in India are truly remarkable,” he says. “There’s a profound appreciation and admiration for music there. The crowds at my Indian concerts are truly special. The atmosphere is electric. I’m thrilled about meeting the audience.”

Another exhilarating sight at his concerts is watching fans sing along to every lyric, even those who don’t speak a word of Spanish. Admitting he’s always in awe when the audience starts singing louder than him, Iglesias says, “It’s magical — music truly has no language when it comes from the heart.”

India, in many ways, is still in its nostalgia era, as seen in the packed arenas for the likes of Bryan Adams and the Backstreet Boys, and acts like Blue and Pitbull next on the country’s concert slate. It’s a country where pop history keeps finding new life onstage, and where fans come for the memories as much as the music. Iglesias might represent the peak of this wave, but he’s also very much a part of its evolution. Beneath the confetti, the pyros, and the sing-alongs, it’s a reminder of India’s voracious appetite for live music in all its forms, whether it’s built on the comfort of familiarity, driven by discovery, or somewhere in between.

The post Enrique Iglesias’ Mumbai Concert Showed How Nostalgia Can Carry a Performance appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

It’s 5 AM in Jodhpur, and the towering Mehrangarh Fort that usually watches over the city is still shrouded in darkness when we arrive at the Jaswant Thada terrace nearby. To the left, the call to prayer from a mosque reverberates through the air. To the right, the faint ringing of temple bells gradually grows louder. Somewhere between these sounds, the delicate twang of Sonam Dorji’s Drangyen, a Bhutanese lute, floats with the dawn birdsong — ushering in a deeply meditative state as the first gentle strokes of sunlight pierce the sky. The Bhutanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and archivist is presenting YakVibe — a folk music experience carrying the spiritual sounds and stories of the Himalayan highlands — at the Jodhpur RIFF dawn session, a sensorial early morning experience that has become one of the festival’s most defining curations.

It’s a moment emblematic of RIFF’s remarkable knack to bring together sounds that rarely belong in the same breath, yet somehow greet each other with a smile.

At a time when the international festival circuit is eyeing India, the Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival), now in its 18th edition, is an independent genre-blurring festival with a reputation for uniting some of the most distinctive voices in folk music from around the world. Under the patronage of the likes of Jodhpur’s Maharaja Gaj Singh II and Mick Jagger, it has become a space for collaboration, cultural exchange, and undiluted discovery. Helmed by the festival’s director and producer, Divya Bhatia — who traverses the globe in search of hidden gems in the roots music landscape — a 15th-century fort becomes a portal to some of the most forward-thinking sounds and musicians of today. 

With a relentless schedule of music performances, knowledge-sharing sessions, and unexpected pairings running from 5 AM to 3 AM, the festival is effectively an agility test. Much to everyone’s disappointment, it was forced to cancel its evening programming on the second day after an unseasonal thunderstorm left the courtyard mainstage temporarily out of commission. Yet it bounced back with vigor, cramming most of Day 2’s artists into an already jam-packed schedule the following day. 

That evening, the festival was graced by the likes of Padma Shri awardee Lakha Khan Manganiyar and Barkat Khan Chattangarh, torchbearers of Rajasthan’s Manganiyar legacy, kamaicha virtuosos Ghewar Khan, Feroze Khan, and Darre Khan, Portugal’s fado masters Helder Moutinho and Ricardo Parreira, and Chennai’s Jatayu, who brought an edgy blend of Carnatic, jazz, and rock to the stage. 

One of the night’s standout performances came from Polish trio Karolina Cicha and Company. Playing the accordion with one hand, hitting piano keys with the other, and stomping her feet on a drum, all while singing, lead vocalist Cicha commanded the stage with pieces steeped in a don’t-surrender spirit that paid tribute to Poland’s multicultural fabric — from dedications of strength to Ukrainian refugees to happy songs about family life made for Lithuanian minorities.

This was followed by a mesmerising medley that perhaps best captures the festival’s longstanding commitment to bridge boundaries through music — The Cool Desert Project, an initiative born out of Jodhpur RIFF in 2023 that reinvents Rajasthani folk classics through a jazz lens. Comprising the SAZ trio of Sadiq, Asin, and Zakir Khan — young folk masters from Rajasthan’s Langa community, known for their subversive sound — along with Sax on Toast, the moniker adopted by saxophonist Rhys Sebastian of Bombay Brass and The Bartender acclaim, the collaboration swept us away into a mind-bending dialogue between oral tradition and urban groove. Performing a mix of original compositions like “Sundar Gori” and “Neemdi” along with electrifying renditions of “Kesariya Balam” and “Hitchki,” the sounds of the khartal, sarangi, and saxophone danced together with reckless joy. Elevated by Merlyn D’Souza’s deft touch on the keys and Amandeep Bhupinder’s textured guitar lines, it was a performance that throbbed with an improvisational energy and the enduring musicality of Rajasthan’s folk tradition. 

Speaking to Rolling Stone India right after the performance, Sebastian admits they only managed to do one practice run before the show. The rest, he explains, was simply about tuning into each other’s cues and trusting their instincts. “The crucial thing about this set was just to really listen to each other,” he says. “Everyone’s just kind of directing the song as they feel, and it’s also about the others letting that happen. We hold a safe space for each other to take charge, but also to follow each other.” 

He adds that while past Cool Desert Project shows featured a full drum section, this time they skipped it entirely, letting Sadiq and Zakir drive the rhythm with just their dholak and khartal. For their part, SAZ are finding their footing as both guardians and innovators. “We perform songs that have been passed down to us from generations before, but we are also trying to create new music that we can pass on to the next set of generations,” says Asin Khan. This ethos was on full display at the festival, where the trio joined forces with Kathak dancer Tarini Tripathi for Inayat: A Duet of Four, and shared the stage with Syrian-Swiss saxophonist and improviser Basel Rajoub. 

Around midnight, the gleaming full moon guided us to the fort’s ancient Salim Kot area for Club Mehran, a festival mainstay that pulses with after-hours intimacy. London-based Chilean-Italian Latin jazz singer Rosa Cecilia, who first performed in India at the IIMW conference earlier this year, set the tone for the night with her wistful charm and wink-laden humor, while Italian folk ensemble Ars Nova Napoli cranked the energy all the way up with their frenetic violin flourishes and accordion melodies.

But the real showstopper of the night was Killabeatmaker, the alter ego of Colombian DJ, producer, and beatboxer Hilder Brando. Accompanied by Guadalupe Giraldo on tambora, gaita, and vocals, and Julian Herrera on percussion and choir, Killabeatmaker tore through a beautifully chaotic set, mixing ancestral voices, African rhythms, and Andean traditions into a powerhouse performance punctuated by piercing yowls, spontaneous beatboxing, and high-frequency beats. In one of the more heartwarming moments, the Killabeatmaker crew was joined on stage by Rajasthani dhol drummers and folk musicians from the Manganiyar community, who improvised a song about unity on the spot. 

“In the beginning, I was worried, because it’s really different [forms of music],” Brando says to me over lunch the next day. “But when we came together, they had the most beautiful energy. It was like a connection of souls.” As he tucks into a hearty chicken curry, he can’t help but draw parallels between India and Medellin — food and otherwise. “India and Colombia are both disorganized but also organized at the same time,” he says with a laugh. “In Colombia, we are very mixed between the African Diaspora, our indigenous communities, and white people, and you can see this mix in our music too.”

Perhaps it was this vision and openness to cross-cultural collaboration that earned Brando the title of this year’s Rustler — the conductor who leads the festival’s revolutionary RIFF Rustle format, where nearly every artist on the lineup comes together for a jaw-dropping, genre-defying jam. Watching the Rustle in action is an experience that’s hard to describe as anything other than spellbinding. This year, 36 artists from across 7 countries got together on stage for a crossover episode that pushed every boundary to its brink. Finnish violinist Emilia Lajunen’s five-string fiddle ricocheted off Merlyn D’souza’s keytar, sparking a raucous instrumental conversation. Tenerife-based gypsy jazz band Nicotine Swing’s sax player, Kepa Martinez, exchanged knowing smiles with Sebastian, while Karolina Cicha’s soaring tenor crashed straight into Damani singer Anita Dangi’s powerful vocal range. It was a dizzying collision course that cut across languages, instruments, and even time. 

At Jodhpur RIFF, this spirit of curious collaborations becomes one of warm friendship. From the glimmering serenity of Padma Shree awardee Pandit Satish Vyas’s santoor, intertwining with Paras Nath’s flute and Mukund Deo’s tabla under the rising moon, to a dialogue on preserving indigenous sounds helmed by Kazakh virtuoso Layla, Uzbek vocalist Gulzoda Khudoynazarova, arts promoter Zhan Kasteyev, and cultural scholar Husniddin Ato on a sticky afternoon — it flows through every note and conversation. 

And as the fort’s glowing ramparts gave way to the first light of a dawn aarti at Jaswant Thada, it was a reminder that here, diversity becomes rhythm, tradition becomes improvisation, and the stage becomes a universe of possibility.

The post At Jodhpur RIFF, the Future of Folk Music Is Forged in the Heart of History appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Bollywood has never just been an industry; it’s been our shared language. It’s the background score we grew up to, capturing everything from awkward first crushes to teenage triumphs. And last weekend, that language spoke louder than ever.

As the Bollywood Music Project returned for its 8th edition, it was a night that celebrated what Bollywood represents: legacy, discovery, reinvention, and connection.

It began with the new voices finding their place in a sound that has defined generations. Priyashi Shrivastava, Chetna Bhardwaj, and Subhadeep Das Chowdhury brought with them a rare freshness that still felt familiar. Their tones were reminders that even as time moves forward, the emotion that Bollywood evokes remains unchanged.

Then came the wave of nostalgia: Anu Malik, Baba Sehgal, and Abhijeet Sawant, all artists who once ruled our radios and cassettes, now commanding a crowd that spanned every age. Their music was a bridge across time. Parents sang with children. Strangers smiled at each other, mouthing the same lyrics. Instead of sound simply filling the air, it was memory taking form.

And just when it seemed the night had reached its peak, Shankar Mahadevan stepped in with his “Shankar Mahadevan and Friends” project. There’s something transcendent about watching a man who doesn’t just sing, but absorbs the song completely. From the first chant of his Ganpati track, the air turned sacred. The music swelled with energy, building from intimate melodies to soaring crescendos that left the entire audience spellbound. 

Farhan Akhtar arrived next, commanding the stage as a poet, rockstar, and storyteller. His presence shifted the energy, taking us back to the Rock On! days, when youth and rebellion had a melody of their own. His voice carried nostalgia and defiance in equal measure. And then there was Shaan — eternal, effortless, ageless. His voice felt like coming home after a long journey, warm, steady, unchanging.

Then came the moment that defined the night: Shankar sharing the stage with his sons, Siddharth and Shivam Mahadevan. It wasn’t just a performance; it was inheritance in motion. When they performed “Breathless”, faster, cleaner, and more alive than ever, it felt like watching time fold itself into the old and the new.

Day two also came with a power-packed lineup of feel-good classics and fresh perspectives. From Usha Uthup’s electrifying stage presence, to Neha Bhasin’s soulful pop sounds, to Salim–Sulaiman’s masterful live arrangements, every performance showcased the star power of a cohort that knows how to honor the past while shaping the future of Bollywood music.

Over 20,000 people stood witness that weekend to that riveting sense of shared emotion. Beyond the performances themselves, the format of the Bollywood Music Project showcased the untapped potential of Bollywood-led live entertainment. Much like international music festivals, it curated a diverse lineup that balanced nostalgia with discovery, veteran stars with emerging talent, and intimate sets with large-scale productions. The seamless flow from one act to another, paired with thoughtful collaborations and a narrative arc that engaged audiences across generations, demonstrated that Bollywood, too, can thrive in festival-style formats.

The post Bollywood Music Project Shows the Genre’s Potential for Festival-Style Experiences appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Cuban music always seems to carry a hint of celebration. Their sounds give the impression that there’s a party going on, and Mumbai recently got a taste of this exuberance and merriment.

When the Buena Vista All Stars band played at the NMACC on Saturday night, it was a good bet that not many in the packed audience had been exposed to this flavor of music from the island country of Cuba before. There was a pre-concert buzz of anticipation for a lively Latin music evening, but few would have been familiar with what was to come. The music and dance on stage was lively and infectious. The acoustics at NMACC’s Grand Theatre were perfect. By the end of the show, a large part of the audience was dancing in the aisles and anywhere they could get a foothold. The music did it all.

Where has this happy music been hiding all these years? Why have we not been exposed to these sounds from Cuba all these years?

The reason is that music in Cuba was dormant for close to half a century during the regime of Fidel Castro. After the Cuban Revolution in 1958-59 and the installation of a stern and strict government in the country, the rulers decided to promote official pro-revolutionary music and ban sounds that were seen as “capitalist.” Jazz was one victim of this diktat, but the local folk and street music in Cuba gradually lost favour and languished, with their musicians losing their livelihoods.

The music that was denied airtime for four decades has now, fortunately, made a comeback. The Buena Vista Social Club ushered in this return in 1997, when musicians from the 1950s and 1960s — by then well into their eighties — came together to form the band. Their performance at Carnegie Hall in New York marked a triumphant return of their cultural heritage and music.

The Buena Vista All Stars (BVAS), which played in Mumbai, are taking forward the legacy of this folk music from Cuba. The 12-member BVAS band consisted of 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, a guitar, a piano, 3 percussionists, and 3 vocalists, all of whom consistently played throughout the set.

While most of the music — though lively with persuasive percussion — was unfamiliar to the audience, three numbers they chose to play were quite well known: “Bésame Mucho,” “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás,” and “Guantanamera.” The band also played a Coldplay number, but in their own style, using the popular Cuban rhythm called the clave.

Two songs made famous by Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer (of Buena Vista Social Club fame), “Chan Chan” and “Dos Gardenias,” were played by the BVAS band as a tribute to the revival of this Cuban music.

The musicians of BVAS were helmed by director Demetrio Munez and featured some outstanding performers — Manuel Machado on trumpet, Sergio Fernandez on piano, Julian Garvayo on trombone, and Angel Aguilar on vocals — each enriching the music with their solos. But the most striking aspect of the performance was the way the band played as a cohesive unit.

The music flowed effortlessly from the stage to the audience. The rhythm was basic yet universal. The Cubans must be a happy people if the fare on display is any indication.

We are certain that Mumbai would be well served with more music from Cuba.

The post Buena Vista All Stars Transported Us To A Night in Havana appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Deep in the cradle of the world’s oldest wine-making region, the Tsinandali Estate is enveloped by a courtyard of abstract face fountains, cloud-scattered skies, and the symphonic sounds of violin, cello, and piano bursting from every corner. Since 2019, this winery estate in Georgia’s Kakheti region has been the home ground of the Tsinandali Festival — a classical music event that has swiftly risen through the ranks to become a global contender in the philharmonic landscape. 

Founded by George Ramishvili, Chairman of the Silk Road Group, along with Martin Engstroem and Avi Shoshani, co-founders of Switzerland’s legendary Verbier Festival, the Tsinandali Festival is a point of confluence for some of the world’s most celebrated classical musicians. It’s also meant to be a deliberate exercise in cultural diplomacy, bringing together artists from conflict-ridden Caucasus regions for a luminous celebration of music and merry-making. 

Now in its seventh edition, this year’s lineup was no exception, featuring the likes of Chinese cellist Jing Zhao, French pianist Julien Quentin, Israeli string quartet Jerusalem Quartet, Belgian violinist Marc Bouchkov, Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez, Hungarian-British pianist and conductor András Schiff, and Russian piano prodigy Alexandra Dovgan.

But perhaps the beating heart of the festival is its 80-plus–member Pan Caucasian Youth Orchestra (PCYO), a commendable effort that brings together and mentors young talents from eight countries fractured by political unrest. It’s a reminder of how, here, music becomes a shared language to navigate divisions and foster dialogue.

“I think we are above the politics,” David Sakvarelidze, the festival’s General Director, tells Rolling Stone India. “We are spreading a message of peace by showing that people from so many nationalities can come together, on stage and in the audience.”

As I wander through the sprawling grounds, it’s hard to disagree with this hypothesis. In the 19th century, this was the home of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a poet, diplomat, and founder of Georgian Romanticism. Under his patronage, the estate emerged as a crossroads of Georgian and European art and intellect, hosting figures like French writer Alexandre Dumas and Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. As Georgia grapples with potential democratic erosions and uncertainty over its ascension into the European Union under the ruling Georgian Dream Party, the festival becomes a fitting stage to carry forward that diplomatic legacy. 

Today, medieval Georgian brick architecture, a luminescent amphitheatre, and rolling greens cascade into warmly lit chambers that cocoon you like a cave. The conversations flow freely, and so does the locally made wine. Soft instrumental sounds seep out of the walls. It’s a place that stirs something within you, dissolving the distance between the senses and the soul.

The performances, too, are an impressive feat of emotional kindling and cultural immersion. The amphitheatre, drenched in a deep red glow that shifted with the night, set the stage for my first taste of the festival’s programming — a mesmerising display by the Sukhishvili National Ballet of Georgia. The performance told the story of Georgia through a series of folk dances and instruments, complete with ornate headdresses, blades glinting against traditional garb, dancers gliding on the tips of their toes, and skyward leaps that drew gasps and claps before ending in reverent bows. The pacing was unlike what you might expect at a typical ballet, powered by percussive beats and accordion strains, the clash of swords and shields adding an entirely new sensory layer.

Another standout performance came from a duet by Jing Zhao and Julien Quentin, who performed Claude Debussy’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, selections from Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words arranged by Alfredo Piatti, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor. Their show vibrated with a nimble energy, moving fluidly between playful inflections and staccato bursts. A few days later, Jing Zhao — who commanded four different chamber performances — joined Marc Bouchkov and Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov for a powerfully expressive performance that unfolded like a divine arc. Their rendition of Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, “Dumky,” moved from melancholia and a sense of futility to an anguish that soared heavenward, the final note whispering like a last breath. 

Then there was the 18-year-old Alexandra Dovgan, who claimed the stage with a poise far beyond her years. In a striking solo performance, she played Frédéric Chopin’s Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat Major — a piece composed by Chopin as an assertion of his Polish identity during the height of tensions between Poland and Russia, giving her rendition a poignantly political edge. 

What made the festival’s curation especially compelling was its commitment to showcasing the next generation of classical musicians, mixing legacy with new perspectives. This was perhaps most evident in a solo recital by 15-year-old Tsotne Zedginidze, a piano prodigy who hails from one of Georgia’s most illustrious musical lineages. Playing Johannes Brahms’ Piano Sonata No. 3 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 28 alongside his original compositions, his technique embodied a kind of breathlessness that felt spunky yet respectful. 

Speaking about what drew him to these particular pieces right after his performance, the young pianist explained that the abstract nature of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 28 made it feel “very modernistic, back then and even today.” He also reflected on Brahms’ Sonata No. 3, written when the composer was just 18, a connection that perhaps mirrors Zedginidze’s own ambitions at 15.

The PCYO’s performances carried forward that same spirit of restless ambition. Hailing from countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan (with an Italian viola player thrown in the mix), the group was shepherded by Italian maestro Gianandrea Noseda — one of the world’s leading conductors, who also serves as the festival’s music director. Accompanied by Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky, they opened with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, a work that balanced introspection with soaring grandeur, before moving into Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F Major, a sweeping composition that evoked a sense of unity and unadulterated joy.

One of the festival’s most monumental moments came when the PCYO took on Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, one of classical music’s most formidable works, under the baton of Scandinavian conductor Daniel Blendulf (who was himself conducting the nearly hour-long composition for the first time). For such a young ensemble, it felt like a declaration of intent: to tackle a score that is at once macabre, unsettling, and profoundly hopeful, and to make it their own.

An air of excitement hung over the amphitheatre long after the PCYO played their final chord, the musicians giddy with a sense of shared triumph.

“At some point, I forgot that I was physically on the stage — I felt I was somewhere in space, sharing these great emotions with people that I really love and respect, and can now call friends,” remarks cellist Amina Davilbekova, a first-timer in the PCYO from Turkmenistan, when we catch up just moments after the final performance. “So many people from different countries are coming every year,” adds Grigori Ambartsumian, a Ukrainian violinist who has been part of the PCYO since 2019. “It’s difficult between all these countries, but still, we found a common language. We use our music to express our love.”

In the notes and silences between performances, the festival tries to make its most profound statement: that art can bridge even the deepest divides.

“When you bring people from societies fighting each other together, it’s not easy,” says George Ramishvili, explaining the vision behind the festival. “Many of these countries face threats of war or ongoing conflict, so it was important for this region [to have a model like this]. It was difficult to bring youngsters from all these countries, put them together, and make them make music. But from the first year, we saw that they played together, created together, and when they do this, it shows peace can exist in society.”

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Mumbai’s antiSOCIAL has always carried the smell of concrete and rebellion, but across four Thursdays this monsoon, it turned into a proving ground for the stubborn spirit of independent music. Misfits Inc.’s Not Dead Yet 2025 gig series ran like a challenge, a sneer at the notion that India’s indie scene had lost its fire. Each night stacked legacy, discovery, and experiment in ways that made the title ring truer than ever.

The series began with a rush of fresh energy—Jonathan Yhome’s amazing songwriting, Dohnraj & The Peculiars’ infectious groove, Sidd Coutto and The Grinfluencers’ carefree warmth, and Green Park’s charge. It was the kind of opening night that reminded everyone how wildly different voices could still feel at home on the same stage. A week later, the tone shifted into something heavier, with Neel Adhikari setting an intimate mood before Still in Therapy and Sen carried the night into a very personal territory.

Sen’s return felt like déjà vu and revelation all at once. Years ago, with The Supersonics, he’d been the kind of frontman who could make a stage feel combustible. They tore through festivals, even stormed the UK, and left audiences convinced they were watching something rare. Later came The Ritornellos, another shot of rock ’n’ roll adrenaline, before silence took over. His recent album Pages from the Past performed at Not Dead Yet, carries an ache beyond nostalgia—it is one of the final works touched by the late Miti Adhikari, the legendary sound engineer whose fingerprints have shaped Indian music history. Supersonics members contributed guitars and drums, but it is Miti’s presence that haunts the record, binding Sen’s story to a mentor who had always believed in him. Watching him perform those songs now feels less like a comeback and more like a memorial set to melody.

Still in Therapy marked their debut performance at the series. Formed by Suyasha Sengupta, Zubin, Nihar, and Akshat, the trio stepped onto the stage for the first time as part of the Aug. 7 lineup that also featured Sen and Neel Adhikari. For Sengupta, it was a notable return to performing live in a band setting since her time fronting The Ganesh Talkies, one of Adhikari’s favorite Kolkata rock outfits.

By the third week, the walls rattled with a new kind of fervor. Sakré’s beats, Shreyas and The Siege’s intricate live chemistry, and EXCISE DEPT’s anniversary set for Sab Kuch Mil Gaya Mujhe Vol. 1 pushed the series into celebratory chaos. Each act was proof that new vocabularies for indie music are constantly being written, reshaping what it means to hold an audience in 2025.

The finale on Aug. 21 brought the spectacle promised. House of Hashbass launched Vol. 1 with a full-scale audio-visual performance, joined by OG Shez and a lineup of collaborators including Pho, The Siege, Pahaad, Yungsta, Saniya MQ, Aghor, RAK, and Pyrex. Tricksingh also joined the producer for a special performance of their new single “Haule Haule” with France’s Vacra. Flooding antiSOCIAL in bass and light, it was a closing chapter that turned the point into fact: live independent music in India isn’t going anywhere.

Threaded through the series was the memory of Miti Adhikari, though it was only on Aug. 7 that the night became a true tribute. That show brought together many of the bands he had worked with—Signal W, Long Distances, and even his cousin Neel—forming a kind of living archive of his impact. Miti’s story itself is almost mythic: an Indian sound engineer who worked with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters, mixed sets at Glastonbury, and even earned shout-outs from Dave Grohl, who once called him “Silver Fox” on stage. Yet when he returned home, he poured the same energy into the smallest rehearsal rooms and the hungriest indie bands, always answering the call of artists who needed him. For him, the ladder he climbed internationally always had rungs left for others to climb. The rest of the series, meanwhile, wasn’t framed as a memorial but as a conscious effort to grow a community for live music—something Miti himself had championed all along.

That undercurrent carried through Not Dead Yet 2025. It was never officially framed as a tribute, yet Miti’s presence seemed to shadow every set. Sen carried it like history, Still in Therapy like debut, and Hashbass like transformation. Over four nights, the series revealed what can spark when remembrance meets forward motion: it isn’t just proof that music survives, it’s proof that it refuses to stand still—alive, restless, and always starting over again.

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Since its debut in 1999, Oslo’s Øya Festival has steadily grown in reputation, and 2025 might just have marked its biggest edition yet.

The lineup included pop stars like Chappell Roan and Charli XCX, plus Norway’s own big export Girl in Red and one for the rock crowd, Queens of the Stone Age (who were perhaps making good on their promise to play the festival after dropping out last year due to an illness besetting frontman Josh Homme).

If you can withstand the occasionally distinctly sharp winds that cut through Toyen Park on the regular, Øya was a high-energy summer festival for all intents and purposes. Taking place from Aug. 6 to 9, 2025, some locals said it was one last big festival before the end of summer (read: when the sun sets at 9:30 pm and sunrise is around 5:30 am) and luckily for us, there was just about an hour of heavy rain during these four days, when most people took refuge under the tent of the Sirkus stage before American guitar ace Mk.gee stepped up on day four. He asked if everyone was staying dry, but also faced a few sound issues, which he attributed to the weather. “The rain is doing some funky stuff to our gear right now, but we’ll get through it,” he said.

The headliners aim high

Music festivals all around the world have become the platform for artists to speak out about death, starvation, and conflict in Palestine over the last couple of years. At Øya Festival—amid attendees sporting flags and keffiyehs, wearing T-shirts condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, and even food stalls selling Palestinian cola and donating proceeds to those working actively to aid Palestinians—the messages felt more heightened than ever.

Without a doubt, the likes of Chappell Roan and Charli XCX delivered power-packed, clout-worthy performances on day one and two, respectively. On day one, fuzzy pink cowboy hats, white face paint, and plenty of Chappell Roan merch were abound among fans in the roughly 20,000 in attendance. Roan played her new single “The Subway” for the first time since releasing the song, while also giving the crowd a fantastical dose of her world with hits like “Pink Pony Club” and “Good Luck, Babe!” plus a cover of Heart’s “Barracuda.” It was Roan in rockstar mode with her band, even as she presented a castle-like stage décor and Disney-like animated visuals alongside pyrotechnics. Cheered on by audiences, even cuts like “The Giver” were punctuated with humor that involved Roan reading out crowdsourced complaints about partners. It was the Midwest Princess’ world, and we were just living in it (with her mom in the crowd!) for a solid 90 minutes.

On day two, the U.K.’s Charli XCX kept her Brat summer in full swing, delivering the festival’s most high-energy set entirely solo. As a headliner, she made time fly, claiming space and partying down in a way that feels frenetic and freeing at the same time. Her setlist moved from “Von Dutch” and “360” to “Sympathy Is a Knife” and “Party 4 U,” with remixed takes on “Guess,” “Girl, So Confusing,” and “365” (alongside its original), all while sporting her signature black shades. She sprinkled in lighthearted moments too—spotting a fan dancing to “Apple,” sharing banter about her recent wedding before “Everything Is Romantic,” and revving up the energy on “Speed Drive” with nods to fast cars.

If day one belonged to Chappell Roan’s cosplay army, day two of Øya Festival was drenched in Brat green—flags, banners, T-shirts, nail art, tote bags, even knitted keepsakes—topped off with plenty of Y2K sunglasses. “I love coming here,” Charli told the Oslo crowd. “You have great tap water, coffee, interior design, and phone makers, if you know what I mean. Just a generally good vibe.”

Day three’s headliners, Queens of the Stone Age, drew a clear shift in the audience—from the Gen Z and Gen Alpha festival-goers of earlier days to a slightly older, rock-loving crowd eager to watch Josh Homme and crew tear it up. Though at times visibly worn, Homme’s energy never faltered. He told Oslo they were there purely to have fun and even instructed security to let fans crowd surf and perch on each other’s shoulders. Opening with the curveball of “No One Knows” right out of the gate, the band kept the momentum going with heavy-hitters like “I Sat By the Ocean,” “Misfit Love,” and “Smooth Sailing.”

For “The Vampyre of Time and Memory,” Homme lit a cigarette, and as lighters flickered across the field, he grew a little emotional, taking in the rare sight of a clear night sky. The crowd lapped it up, breaking into a unified sing-along for “Make It Wit Chu.” True to form, QOTSA leaned into their rockstar bravado—Homme and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen trading playful shoves as drummer Jon Theodore powered through a solo—before closing with a thunderous finale of “Go With the Flow” and “A Song for the Dead.”

The message is loud and clear

Girl in Red, headlining the final day of Øya Festival, was the only headliner artist on the Amfiet stage to relay a message to free Palestine toward the end of her set, during “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend.” It showed just how resolute Marie Ulven Ringheim was to make her homecoming match up to Norway’s stand on the ongoing humanitarian disaster.

Girl in Red’s high-energy, soul-baring, endearing set was as good a marker as any for perhaps what Øya Festival was all about—having fun but making sure the world’s most important topics aren’t ignored. “Doing It Again Baby” brought a surprise cameo from Norwegian veteran artist Odd Norstoga playing the banjo, punk band Honningbarna all joined Girl in Red’s band for a blowout on “Bad Idea,” fireworks shot out during “Serotonin,” and the artist crowdsurfed and even got into a playful wall-of-death moshpit to end her set.

One of the most talked-about acts at Øya Festival was Irish group Kneecap, who have been in the headlines ever since facing terrorism charges—winning both critics and supporters following their Glastonbury appearance in the U.K. They opened their set with a bold LED message calling out the Norwegian government for complicity in Israel’s military actions in Palestine, also pointing to the festival’s investors KKR (through their company Superstruct Entertainment) for having ties to Israel. Still, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí expressed gratitude that Øya kept them on the bill, unlike Hungary’s Sziget festival, where government pressure got them dropped.

Launching into their high-octane, mosh-friendly performance, Mo Chara kicked things off with, “For f***’s sake, I’m up for terrorism charges, give me a bit of energy,” even slipping in a comparison to neighboring Sweden. The crowd got a mix of politically charged rap anthems and party-ready bangers, with tracks like “Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite,” “It’s Been Ages,” “Guilty Conscience,” “Rhino Ket,” and “The Recap,” all punctuated by chants of “Free Palestine.”

On day three, fellow Irish acts The Mary Wallopers as well as rock band Fontaines D.C. were in top form, using their stage time to bring out cherished fan hits but also highlight the plight of Palestine. From “Jackie Down the Line” to “Roman Holiday” to “Favourite” (dedicated to Kneecap) and “In The Modern World,” Fontaines D.C. were in fine form at the Sirkus stage, performing with an inflatable silver color heart stage prop hanging in the back, referring to their Romance.

Much prior, on day one, The Bomb with Norwegian artist Emilie Nicolas took the Sirkus stage on what was the 80th anniversary of the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Author Eric Schlosser—behind the book that inspired the electronic-meets-string-ensemble audio-visual performance—spoke briefly about the grave dangers of nuclear armament and the world’s stockpiling of arms. From footage of military parades (including India), there was an hour-long set that was the most thought-provoking and serious thing you would ever experience on a summer music festival stage.

Later that day, Swedish punk/hardcore heroes Refused were scathing and furious in their set at Sirkus as well, with Palestinian flags and a banner that said “Øya must be apartheid-free.” Calling out sponsors, including banks and beverage brands, vocalist Dennis Lyxzén decried the machinations of capitalism that enabled the genocide in Palestine.

Norway’s veteran artist Ane Brun, too, had her own way of taking a stand, her evocative trip-hop-leaning lush set featuring quotes from author Gabor Maté about how it’s “not controversial” to lend one’s voice for the world’s injustices. Elsewhere, Norwegian act Pom Poko’s frenzied performance also saw the drummer wearing a T-shirt that called for “Oya without Genocide” in Norwegian.

The Norwegian stars of tomorrow

Music Norway gave invited delegates an inside track on some of the artists they were focusing on for an international push on the lineup at Øya Festival 2025. Artists like Hillari with her smooth R&B, folk-jazz act Bare Folk, and singer-songwriter Rabo all performed intimate sets before taking on the big stages at the festival. While Bare Folk have more of a local appeal due to their pastoral, often philosophizing lyrics in Norwegian, Rabo (who recently released her song “Tiptoes”) and Hillari (with the powerfully catchy “Loyal”) are more poised for global success, and they had arena-ready performances to prove it.

Anna of the North, who’s already enjoying acclaim globally along with listenership, delivered one of the best sets of the festival at the Vindfruen stage on day four. With songs like “The Dreamer” and “Moving On” sounding massive, everyone was just having fun on stage—she even got everyone to sing along to “Hollywood Hills,” her recent single.

Other standout rising acts at Øya Festival 2025 included psych-rock act Kanaan and Ævestaden, who opened the festival and incorporated folk instruments with spiraling rock, and Flammer Dance Band for their vibrant, groovy tunes. Bands like Scoreboard brought shoegaze to the front, King Husky (started by guitarist Vidar Landa from metal act Kvelertak) added confessional indie hues, Makosir brought big band arrangements and vibrant pop, and Pumpegris went well beyond their folk-inspired rock to have an angry song of resistance.

Keeping it heavy

If there’s one way Øya still kept things representative of Norway’s musical leanings, it was by having punk, hardcore and metal on the lineup. From local acts like Feral Nature mobilizing moshpits with their metal-edged hardcore to Japanese post-rock/hardcore band Envy delivering one of the festival’s most poignant and sprawling sets at the Hagen stage to Belgian post-metal band Amenra trudging through an atmospheric, anguished and horrific (in a good way) set at the Sirkus stage, there was plenty to devour. Norway’s own Honningbarna brought madcap energy and an astounding sound and light show to their closing set. On day four, Aktiv Dodsjhelp (which translates to Active Euthanasia) brought stoner punk rock, sing-alongs, and got plenty of love in return, being the local act. 

All the stars

International curation stood top-class at Øya Festival as well. From Baltimore native Bartees Strange’s diverse blend of hip-hop, rock and pop at Hagen to Khruangbin taking over the Amfiet stage with their groovy, coordinated moves with songs like “White Gloves,” “Time (You and I)” and “Maria Tambien,” the crowds showed up for these can’t-fail acts. Electronic duo Bicep closed out the festival with their Chroma set, a magnificent audio-visual feast for the senses that everyone rushed towards after Girl in Red wrapped up.

Australia’s The Chats were rampaging in true punk style at the Vindfruen stage with songs like “6L GTR” and “Smoko” and their new song “Half Arsed” (while also commenting on how fellow Oz band AC/DC had performed the previous day).

U.K. act Wet Leg were giving it their all on stage on day two, performing from their new album Moisturizer, including “Catch These Fists.” Getting the crowd to jump and move along, the previously rainy skies had cleared a bit for the crowd to scream along to songs like “Davina McCall” and “Pillow Talk.” The fast, fun and furious set also included new favorites like “U and Me At Home” and staples like “CPR,” “Wet Dream,” and “Chaise Longue.”

Heartworms was like an act possessed on stage, complete with post-punk and industrial rock energy, while Portishead’s Beth Gibbons amazed with a solo set that also threw in the trip-hop act’s most famous songs like “Roads and “Glorybox.”

British act Cymande brought jam band energy, and vocal and songwriting powerhouse Lola Young was a huge draw as well for songs like “Don’t Hate Me,” “You Noticed,” “Conceited,” “Not Like That Anymore,” and of course, “Messy” and “Big Brown Eyes.”

American rocker MJ Lenderman ushered in sad-boy hours with his set, while Sweden’s Yung Lean and producer Bladee were in top form, adding melodic and melancholic hip-hop to the Øya lineup. Hermanos Gutierrez were pensive and powerful, but perhaps programmed a little too early in the day. Maybe the festival could have moved them to the Klubben stage, which doesn’t sound befitting in name, but was more than cozy for intimate performances by the likes of Indo-American Tamil artist Ganavya.

With a harp and a cello, it’s safe to say there was some figuring out to do before Ganavya began her set in earnest but she got a patient, inquisitive audience at the Klubben stage. Performing from her new album Nilam (“Land,” “Nine Jeweled Prayer”), perhaps Norwegians appreciated the pastoral nature of the presentation. Then, Ganavya also included the A.R. Rahman-composed “Oh Raaya” from the movie Raayan. With a little bit of humor (and occasionally freestyling lyrics), it wasn’t all somber during Ganavya’s set, but there was a quiet intensity to it, and here’s hoping Øya Festival spotlights many more Indian voices and their stories.

Future facing

Even though there were protests at the entrance on day three of the festival to boycott Øya, given their funding by KKR and other sponsors, the festival seems to be having an open dialogue about it. In this way, it’s arguably pointing the way forward for all music festivals. You can have the chart toppers, but also the acclaimed new artists on the block, have a very healthy gender balance on the lineup, platform voices who want to speak about topics that are brushed under the rug at a “good vibes” festival (The Bomb was exceptional programming). And of course, have a sustainable outlook for the most part, capping ticket sales without getting greedy. 

It helps that Norway is one of the most liberal countries in the world, of course. But where they can vehemently and regularly lend their support to causes in Gaza, some of their headliners wouldn’t dare say a word. The tens of thousands didn’t seem to mind, so there’s space for everyone.

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