On Friday, March 4, Vancouver’s Delhi 2 Dublin returned to Victoria. After a few mixes by Oregon DJs The Sugarbeats, the headliners bounded onto stage, and were ready to give an energetic performance.
The band combines bhangra, celtic, electronic, hip-hop, and reggae, and carries it with an array of instruments and pure talent. The group of five took the stage by storm, getting the entire crowd jumping with the first song.
They were great to watch, and so were the instruments: I had never before seen a dhol, let alone realized what an energetic and powerful instrument it is. This double-headed drum, shaped like a wine barrel and only slightly smaller than one, was dressed in tassels, and the sound it created by being hammered by two sticks (a dagga and tihli) carried and emphasized every track with loud and steady bass.
Throughout each song their unwavering dedication to modern-day bhangra was evident. Not only with the authentic instruments but also with the light rhythms that floated atop the underlying beat, all of which kept the audience in constant motion.
Tarun Nayar was alternating between his electronic control panels and hand-played tabla percussion, which are similar to bongos. Once lead singer Sanjay Seran had enticed the crowd to give in fully to the rhythm, with all hands bouncing in the air, Nayar left his set-up and carried a floor tom to centre stage. The group cleared away as he and drummer Ravi Binning had a bass-beat battle, both pounding their drums while bouncing and egging the audience towards a culmination of ecstatic cheers and cat-calls.
Not only do Delhi 2 Dublin ensure upbeat, complex, and fully danceable tunes, but they put on one hell of a show. Keeping the crowd in constant motion, they leave swarms of fully exhilarated and happily exhausted music-lovers behind.