Chennai welcomes cruise concerts, music fans thrilled

The Hindu

5 hours ago

What length you would travel to to get away from your screen for some respite? Krishnaraj R, founder, Divine Dilemma and Sage Club, has a potential answer. Considering he has been seeking the same for himself, the founder of this events company, has decided to jump into the deep-end and has landed at Muttukadu lake on the East Coast Road.
Taking the location as inspiration, he has channelled this quiet through intimate concerts spotlighting indie musicians from Chennai — interestingly, on a cruise ship. This is far from the crowd and pollution (a kilometre into the lake from the dock), he says. He hopes that once every two months, an experience can be simulated where people watch a performance, speak to strangers, engage in the art of conversation, and most of all, look up from their phones.
On June 21, Siennor, behind Tamil indie hits like 'Innum Enna' and 'Ponnira Malai', will be performing at the lake on a full moon night, surrounded by the backwaters of the Bay of Bengal. He is not new to the world of strumming the acoustic guitar in unlikely places, but this notion of performing on a cruise ship is a different experience for him too.
'I've done other small concerts on boats before. They've been magical. This however, is a new experience because the cruise ship offers the option of performing with amps [amplifiers]. I'm performing with my two other mates, who will play the drums and the guitar as part of the Siennor trio. We will be playing some favourites and some new tracks,' he says.
While Siennor will be performing on the upper deck, a live DJ and a food station (a coupon is provided upon the purchase of a ticket) will be available below deck. The boat moves at a speed of five kilometres per hour, says Krishnaraj. The company that rent out the ship, Seanz Cruise, also mandates that fire is not allowed on board and two lifeguards will always be present, the organiser adds.
'We have finished only one edition and it came with its own kinks. For instance, we needed to find a huge generator to ensure that the amps work in the middle of the lake. Since I like organising and figuring things out, it seemed like a challenge that I was excited to try my hand at. I'm hoping that subsequent events are smooth,' he says.
Krithika Chidambaram, who attended the first edition of this cruise concert with Oorka, the band, on April 20 said that it felt like a chill hangout among friends as the set up was intimate. 'I had never watched Oorka perform live and was kicked to see them go. The interesting part however, was being on a boat and listening to them because otherwise, we'd see them only at bars and outdoor venues. A view of Chennai from the middle of the lake was beautiful,' she said.
Krishnaraj is keen to spotlight Tamil Nadu's culture which is why he plans on having therukoothu performances onboard soon. For now, he wishes only for one thing — to ensure that Chennai's biggest natural resource, its seascape, is put to good use.
@Muttukadu Boat House on July 21 at 8pm. Tickets starting from ₹3,333 on district.in.