Electric Peacock Festival rocks Colombo
View(s):“A night I’ll never forget!!! Thank you Sri Lanka you were awesomeeeee!#DISTURBINGSRILANKA#ELECTRICPEACOCK2013,” instagramed Tinie Tempah as he left the stage after his performance at the Electric Peacock Festival in Colombo. Tinie Tempah blew thousands of festivalgoers away with his commanding performance at the Electric Peacock Festival 2013 held at Waters Edge on April 27.
“I didn’t really know what to expect when I was coming out here. I’ve never been here before, totally new territory for me, and the reception was incredible! The show was one of my favourites this year, to be fair, and it was so nice to be received by a nation that is very new to you, that you had no expectation of,” Tinie Tempah said.
“When I did stand on that stage at Waters Edge and those thousands of people were singing “Written in the Stars” back to me, it did take me back to that sort of Olympic experience again in the sense that it was such a world crowd. And I’m just so happy, and I feel that people got the message,” said Tinie Tempah.
“Watching the people scream and jump on each other’s shoulders and wave their hands in the air was truly one of the best experiences that we have ever had,” said Leah Bazalgette, co-founder of the festival.
What Electric Peacock has demonstrated is that live music sells and that many festivals across South Asia tend to rely too heavily on DJs to carry the weight of a festival line-up. The team are gearing themselves to become the biggest music festival in South Asia at at the same time building a music tourism product.
With so many activities to go to and participate in, there was never a dull moment at Electric Peacock. The Durex Love Guru had a large queue outside the tent, the Friskybox Costume Tent was a huge hit, and the Push Skate half pipe was busy through out the show with a number of skaters exhibiting their skills. The TNL jam booth was packed with budding musicians queuing to have a chance at performing songs in the hope that they would be discovered as a future rockstar. The fifty Red Bull break-dancers displayed their amazing street dancing for all the festivalgoers in a breakdance battle at the beginning of the night adding to the already stimulating vibe of the event.
This is the third year that the festival has been running in Sri Lanka, and although music is the key focus the Festival Directors ensure that they use the Electric Peacock platform to highlight growing subcultures in Sri Lanka like skate boarding, break dancing and art. There were art installations done in partnership with the AOD International Design Campus including a gigantic monster mask mounted on the roof of the stage.
They have also been collaborating with young local entrepreneurs to give their brands the opportunity to engage new audiences in creative and innovative ways adding to the overall Festival experience. Said Leah Bazalgette, “Music festivals are the new big thing and South Asia has the opportunity to make it big and Sri Lanka is a great destination with its growing tourism product to take the lead.”
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