Budweiser Experiences recently concluded the Bangalore edition of their renowned music programme, BUDX, on 18th May 2019, at Fandom, Gilly’s Redefined. With its focus on the empowerment of female artistes within the music fraternity, the festival was home to ecstatic music aficionados who united to witness the music mavens weave magic with never-seen-before collaborations, stimulating discussions and exclusive music programming. Rooted in the sub-cultural soundscape of Techno / EDM, Bass, Hip-Hop and Undercurrent, the fiesta hosted panel discussions delving into the nuanced music space while brewing the virtues of inclusivity and acceptance within the industry. 

The festival tapped into pertinent subjects such as, ‘The Future is Female’ - a conversation between Madame Gandhi and Aneesha Kotwani (She Said So); ‘Breaking Through the Boys' Club: The women working behind the scenes in music and arts, and shattering the status quo’ by Roshnee Kumar (Programming - Ex The Humming tree, Production - F of X, Covelong Point), Brinda (Live Sound Engineer) and Sandhya Surendran (Founder of LEXIC, Legal consultancy for artists), moderated by Sonya Mazumdar (CEO -Earthsync.com, Festival Director - Indiearth Xchange); and ‘Arts as Activism: Can the arts bring about a cultural and civic change in Bangalore?’ by Roshan Netalkar (Festival Director - Echoes of Earth), Poornima Sukumar (Aravani Art Project) and Ayaan Syed (LGBT Activist, member of CSMR and Namma Pride), moderated by Jishnu Dasgupta (Bass and Vocals for Swarathma, Speaker, Activist). The evening progressed into an enigmatic experience for the music revelers with international sensation Madame Gandhi headlining the event and home-grown talents such as Pardafash, The F16s and The Derelicts regaled the crowd with their unique sonic textures. The performances by Consolidate Showcase, a city-based music collective, featuring Aniruddh Menon, Disco Puppet and _RHL, were full of electronically-charged acts. These were followed by staggering acts by Nritya with Nush Lewis, Flex Machina and Tansane X Nigel, which had patrons crooning to their thrilling tunes.

Commenting on this occasion, Kartikeya Sharma, Vice President Marketing – South Asia, AB InBev opined, “The earlier editions of BUDX were extremely well received and we were hoping for a similar response from Bangalore and the city surely didn’t disappoint us! We believe that music is an expression of freedom, free from gender bias, and through BUDXBLR we have carved out a gender-neutral, inclusive space for self-expression. The participation that the event witnessed from artists and music enthusiasts alike, further reaffirmed our belief in the opportunity of the music space as well the local talent the country has to offer. We are excited to take this concept to multiple cities throughout this year, offering a platform for home-grown artists along with established players thus, empowering them to be true kings in their own right.”

Exclusive beer cocktails along with specially curated burgers further added to the experience, ensuring the night ended on a stellar note. Moreover, in line with the brand promise of a cleaner and sustainable future, Budweiser served at the event was brewed with 100% renewable electricity from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mysore, Karnataka. 

Sharing his perspective on the festival, Aaron Pearce, Managing Director, VIRTUE said, “AB InBev and VICE have a long history of working together globally, so we’re rapt to be partnered with Budweiser India for the BUDX platform, helping create an event and content of such scale and ambition alongside a brand dedicated to pushing boundaries and making a real and lasting contribution. We believe that the majority of the dominant youth culture trends will come out of the region in the next few years, and that it will profoundly affect the world–this weekend’s festival and all that surrounds it is a great representation of the type of projects and platforms that can play a part in this, driving community and culture, and VIRTUE and VICE want to continue to be part of that movement.”