UWMF 2017 Day 2: Diverse bands, some insane energy & tunes to hum for days

Post lunch, the day's performances started on a stage situated on the banks of Fateh Sagar Paal lake. While the location was absolutely stunning, the music just added to the mood.

Day 2 of UWMF 2017 started with poetic encounters from West Africa and Persia, a performance called itinerant gardens, by the collaboration of kora player Ablaye Cissoko from Senegal and the three-member band Constantinople from Canada. Their music was a soothing mix of Persian and West African flavours, perfect for a hot afternoon by the lake.

They were followed by a young, energetic folk band, Kabir Cafe, from Mumbai. The USP for this band is simple - Sant Kabir's poetry infused with contemporary tunes. They had the crowd singing with them, especially because of the effort they made to have the crowd understand Kabir's words.

After this, the venue shifted to Gandhi Ground, a bigger, snazzier stage. The first band to perform here was Parvaaz, a four member band from Bangalore. Of the four, two originally belong to Kashmir, but the band chooses to be identified as 'Bangalorean'.

Parvaaz performed some cool psychedelic rock numbers, and had the crowd asking for more. And the crowd definitely got a lot more, from the next band - Hot Water.

A South African band from Cape Town, Hot Water combines many different sounds and languages in their repertoire. But what truly sets them apart is their impossible level of energy.

While they had the crowd dancing and swaying, Swarathma, the last performers for the night, had them singing along as well.

A folk fusion band from Bangalore, Swarathma sported bright kitschy outfits, and were an absolute delight on the stage. Their antics, coupled with Hot Water's before them, made it quite the paisa vasool night for the audience. Not that there's any paisa involved.