Delhi 2 Dublin at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver

Delhi 2 Dublin at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 7 2011. Tamara Lee photo

Review and photos – Delhi 2 Dublin at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 7 2011

– review by Jacqueline Ronson/photos by Tamara Lee

Delhi 2 Dublin has made a name for themselves over the past few years with their high energy live performances. The band first played together at the Vancouver Celtic Fest in 2006 in what was supposed to be a one-time gig. But the fans couldn’t get enough of their fusion style that is part Bollywood wedding, part Celtic kitchen party, and all electronic dance fest. Last night’s show at the Commodore was both a homecoming celebration after a long tour that took them all the way to Bali, and a CD release party for their latest remix album, Planet: Electrified.

With six band members, the band ensured there was a lot going on to keep the audience’s attention. The musicians moved up and down and across the stage while performing Bollywood-style dance moves and engaging each other in instrumental battles. Andrew Kim played the electronic sitar wearing only a kilt and skate shoes. Sara Fitzpatrick looked like a sultry Celtic pirate as she engaged the audience with her no-holds-barred fiddle performance. Each member was alluring and charismatic in their own way, and no one stole the stage from the others. In fact, lead vocalist Sanjay Seran was the most generic-looking of the bunch.

Sara Fitzpatrick with Delhi 2 Dublin at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, May 7 2011. Tamara Lee photo.

While exciting, the full force of the band’s performance verged at times on chaotic. The most interesting parts of the evening were when only select members were on stage, revealing the full extent of their skill and musicianship. A drum set featured Ravi Binning on the dhol and Tarun Nayar along with two guest percussionists on tabla. The rhythm and energy wowed the crowd. As if that weren’t cool enough, fiddle player Jaron Freeman Fox joined Nayar on stage to reprise the drum set using their voices alone. The sounds of seven drums and four drummers were captured convincingly by two sets of vocal chords. Awesome.

Apparently the band felt the second percussion set later in the evening wouldn’t be enough to keep the audience’s attention alone, so they sent Seran crowd-surfing in a spacesuit. It felt a tad gimmicky for a band that really doesn’t need to resort to the bizarre to sell their live performance.

Delhi 2 Dublin kept the party raging into the early hours of the morning. They proved their worth as musicians and as performers. Perhaps more importantly, these hometown heros showed a few hundred Vancouverites a really, really good time.

More Delhi 2 Dublin at the Commodore Ballroom photos: