Bhangra explosion rocks Melbourne

If there was only one word to describe Preet Harpal and Diljit Dosanjh’s bhangra explosion show held recently at Melbourne Convention Centre, it would have to be ‘rocking’. I could even go on to add entertaining, lively, peppy etc and completely exhaust the thesaurus, but it would suffice to say that the show was way better than I expected.

I can generally handle bhangra music in small doses and am quite happy to shake a leg or two to upbeat and popular numbers but quite honestly, I have limited knowledge of this genre of music and I had not heard much about these singers before. I was a little unsure about this show and when it began on Indian stretchable time with a relatively unknown artist, I resigned myself to a night of mediocrity. But then came Preet Harpal, full of energy and verve and everyone, including me, sat up and took notice.

He sang all his popular songs like Jutti utte ghungroo, Nashele nain, Lock up, Chittiyan, Mahi and the predominantly Punjabi audience loved him. Preet Harpal spoke their language and sang their life, and threw in some great dancing moves for good measure. The crowd showed their appreciation in typical Punjabi fashion with lots of bhangra in the aisles. Security was strong and evident; however even their stern presence did nothing to deter people from having a good time. Every now and then someone evaded the strong guys to shake hands with the singer or request a song and he was most obliging.

I thought Preet Harpal would be a hard act to follow, however when Diljit Dosanjh took centrestage I was happy to be proved wrong yet again. The sheer energy that this young man from Punjab put into his performance was gob smacking. He strutted around the stage, confident to the point of arrogant, he sang songs that bordered on aggressive, he danced like he owned every inch of the stage and surprisingly he rocked, not repelled. Diljit sang his popular hits Ru ba Ru, Panga, LA, Desi Daroo etc. and provided true conviction to the term ‘Singh is King’. And true to their names Preet’s songs and stage persona were likable, but Diljit simply stole the show.

By now many in the audience could not resist the desi beats and the bhangra brigade took off in earnest. Those like me who kept sitting missed out on some fun but got more entertainment than we bargained for. Varsha Patti as the MC dazzled the stage in a becoming turquoise outfit. She was serenaded in true ‘cabbie’ style by a young man dressed up as a cab driver. Familiar terms like Immigration, spouse visas, Punjab and Pendu (villager) brought up at regular intervals seemed to resonate among many in the audience.

According to Sabrina Olomi, Marketing Director of The Buzz Events who organized this show, they are a premium event organizing company specializing in promoting South Asian shows throughout Australia. “We guarantee each of our shows will leave you spellbound and wanting more mind-blowing performances from your favourite artists,” she claimed. With my newfound interest in bhangra music I won’t go as far as calling Preet and Diljit my favourite artists but I am certainly left wanting more. Bring on more balle! balle!