Manipur: Finest rock bands from NE share the stage at Shirock 2019

Ukhrul: Some of the finest rock musicians from Northeast India rocked the stage at Shirock, a concert that was held as part of the ongoing state-level Shirui Lily Festival in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.

Organised by the state tourism department, the rock band competition saw thousands of music enthusiasts and tourists from various parts of the state and elsewhere in India converging at Bakshi ground, who kept the evenings alive by singing, rolling and jumping at the event.

As many as 21 rock music bands from across Northeast India who got selected for the finalists were totally in control of the stage as one after another, bands spelt out their pieces in the two consecutive days of the event.

On the first day of competition, the event featured rock bands from Meghalaya such as Pantocrator, Lynx, Larger than 90 and Chasing Proxima, Innocent Eyes, and Oking Band from Manipur. Paper Sky band was the lone band from Nagaland on the initial day of the concert.

Meanwhile, the second day of competition on Friday evening featured Manipur-based bands like Echoes of Mercy, The Melophile, Call of the Earth, Pariahs of Paradise and High Volt. Vibran 4, Nephele and Arsenic bands represented Assam, whereas Fifth Note and Nightmares bands were representing the states of Nagaland and Sikkim, respectively.

Origami and Sword Tune bands from the state of Mizoram also performed at the rock band competition.

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Meanwhile, the region’s seasoned musicians like Lou Majaw and Uday Benegal were part of the event as judges.

Being only at its 3rd edition, the music fest, probably is considered as one of the biggest live musical events in the entire Northeast and the largest gathering sharing a common passion for music.

In this year’s edition, Shirock also featured Scottish-origin rock band Nazareth on the curtain raiser event where close to 30,000 people witnessed the live music concert.

Meanwhile, renowned American rock band Extreme made their debut performance in India on Saturday evening, the last leg of the four-day-long festival which was started from October 16.

Shirui Lily Festival is being observed at a state-level with an aim to promote the endangered Shirui Lily and spread awareness about the rare pinkish-white flower found only in the Shirui hill range of Manipur.

The festival also offers a varied range of activities like traditional events, Shirock, a rock musical event, camping, bike racing and many others during the four-day long event.