Review- Cardiff Mela 2007
As with many Melas, the event started off quietly but as the day progressed the vibe and the atmosphere certainly grew in size before by the time it had reached its end the pressure could not be contained anymore and the party was certainly in full swing. XS Bass members ‘Dolphin’ and Deepak certainly played their part in lifting the crowd as they did a fantastic job in MC’ing the proceedings, with their comedy and chemistry really setting the tone for the whole event. Not a single member of the crowd could claim not to be in hysterics when Dolphin managed to identify the six typical groups who attended the Mela’s, which included the take away owning, limping Rude boys, the GHD girls and also the Uncle’s who just simply knew everybody and everything!! The main stage saw a nice blend between music and fashion, with a number of models from the ‘Visible changes’ group providing the styles and latest essential Asian- wear, from casual to bridal and back again. It was certainly enjoyed by all, especially the guys who just had to get out their camera phones to record a glimpse or a flick of the beautiful models that graced the stage!
Musically, the headline act was the Sona Family who arrived just as the stage and the crowd were into their full swing. Performing a number of their hits, they really showed the Cardiff crowd what they and their sound was all about, from straight up Hip Hop to their more desi and Arabic influenced beats. The stage had been well set before this though by the talented Bobby Singh and Deepak who really gave us a taste of the true Bhangra sound, sending the crowd into a frenzy of dance and singing.They really managed to set the stage alight with their fantastic performance. Maybe one of the most well received acts was unsigned boy band ‘3 mix’, who won the award for best unsigned act at the UKAMA awards a few months ago. The boys certainly pulled off a fantastic performance and had many of the girls in want of more by the time they left the stage. The sheer volume of signed photo’s they had to do displayed this and they certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves! Definitely a talented group of individuals to watch for the future with a fantastic cross-over appeal.
It seemed that the end of the day all came but too early as Cardiff was still bathed in golden sunshine by the time the event was finally wrapped up by the boys and the Dholi’s from the Desi Swat Roadshow. A fantastic day and a great effort by all those involved to make the event such a huge success! Top tunes, great entertainment, and finally, the British Summer had even arrived in time for the day. You certainly could not have asked for a better day out and I thoroughly look forward to returning to next year’s event which I’m sure will prove to be even bigger and better.