Post by News Reporter on Aug 6, 2004 18:02:53 GMT
quotingSam Matthews and Aamina Zafar report on the music, food and fun of the Slough Mela 2004.
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The event also featured many unsigned acts such as Serese. Group member Anu said: "The Mela is great for acts like us because it's buzzing with talent scouts and record labels. We have already received a lot of interest."
But punters came to see world famous acts - and that's just what they got.
The musical celebrities who treaded the boards included Punjabi Hit Squad, Bee2, NRG, Master Rakesh, Kumar Heera, SK1, Khiza, AMS and Shahzad Raza.
The Rishi Rich Project bounced on stage in the late afternoon and wowed the crowd with a nine-song set taken from their forthcoming album, to be released on Monday, August 23.
Juggy D and Veronica's performance of Hum Tum was jam-packed with Juggy D's trademark fancy footwork and electric chemistry, which spilled into the masses who cheered in appreciation.
In an exclusive interview with the Express, Rishi Rich Project's Jay Sean, said: "This year's Slough Mela is very special for us because we performed last year when no one knew who we were. Now we're being recognised, which is great as it gives us satisfaction and re-assurance that there is a huge market for Asian music."
Headline act Jawad Ahmed flew in from Pakistan to perform his 45-minute set.
Jawad's performance may have lacked the usual backing dancers and lighting effects, but this was overcome by the energy generated in the crowd who waved their hands in the air.
The excitement was particularly evident during his performance of Mendhi Wali Raat Hai, which saw the swarm of people chanting the lyrics back to their idol.
The best was saved until last as Raghav Mathur closed the show by dazzling locals with six tracks taken from his forthcoming album, released on Monday, September 6.
Teenage girls swooned as Raghav serenaded them with his rendition of Bad, Bad, Bad, with Urdu lyrics such as, 'Beautiful, your town is very lovely and I have fallen in love since coming here'.
Raghav's performance generated cheers from both young and old as his music fused old Bollywood samples with hip hop beats. Even elderly ladies in their saris bopped along to the finale performance of Let's Work It Out.
The only let down was the sporadic fights throughout the day with violence spilling into Raghav's performance as youths chucked bottles on stage.
Raghav said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the crowd were great, but there are always a few who try to ruin it for everyone else." He added: "It's annoying because it makes it harder for me to concentrate on delivering a great performance. But I still believe the majority of people in Slough are peaceful and respect their neighbours."
"
The event also featured many unsigned acts such as Serese. Group member Anu said: "The Mela is great for acts like us because it's buzzing with talent scouts and record labels. We have already received a lot of interest."
But punters came to see world famous acts - and that's just what they got.
The musical celebrities who treaded the boards included Punjabi Hit Squad, Bee2, NRG, Master Rakesh, Kumar Heera, SK1, Khiza, AMS and Shahzad Raza.
The Rishi Rich Project bounced on stage in the late afternoon and wowed the crowd with a nine-song set taken from their forthcoming album, to be released on Monday, August 23.
Juggy D and Veronica's performance of Hum Tum was jam-packed with Juggy D's trademark fancy footwork and electric chemistry, which spilled into the masses who cheered in appreciation.
In an exclusive interview with the Express, Rishi Rich Project's Jay Sean, said: "This year's Slough Mela is very special for us because we performed last year when no one knew who we were. Now we're being recognised, which is great as it gives us satisfaction and re-assurance that there is a huge market for Asian music."
Headline act Jawad Ahmed flew in from Pakistan to perform his 45-minute set.
Jawad's performance may have lacked the usual backing dancers and lighting effects, but this was overcome by the energy generated in the crowd who waved their hands in the air.
The excitement was particularly evident during his performance of Mendhi Wali Raat Hai, which saw the swarm of people chanting the lyrics back to their idol.
The best was saved until last as Raghav Mathur closed the show by dazzling locals with six tracks taken from his forthcoming album, released on Monday, September 6.
Teenage girls swooned as Raghav serenaded them with his rendition of Bad, Bad, Bad, with Urdu lyrics such as, 'Beautiful, your town is very lovely and I have fallen in love since coming here'.
Raghav's performance generated cheers from both young and old as his music fused old Bollywood samples with hip hop beats. Even elderly ladies in their saris bopped along to the finale performance of Let's Work It Out.
The only let down was the sporadic fights throughout the day with violence spilling into Raghav's performance as youths chucked bottles on stage.
Raghav said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the crowd were great, but there are always a few who try to ruin it for everyone else." He added: "It's annoying because it makes it harder for me to concentrate on delivering a great performance. But I still believe the majority of people in Slough are peaceful and respect their neighbours."