BANGING THE DRUM FOR VICTORIOUS
Johnny Kalsi brings The Dhol Foundation to Southsea for their Victorious Festival debut in the World Music Village.
Any major festival worth its salt these days will have plenty to see and do beside the big name draws on the main stages.
And so it is at Victorious. The organisers pride themselves on having created a family-friendly festival – there’s the kids’ arena, comedy and literature stages, a circus tent and much more.
But one of its real gems is the World Music Village with its dizzying blend of genres and multicultural atmosphere – it is a festival within a festival.
An act destined to be one of the highlights of this year’s World Music Stage are The Dhol Foundation, who play on Saturday evening. While it is billed as a DJ set, it is a lot more than just a bloke behind some decks spinning some records; it features four dhol drummers, a tabla player, guitarist and, yes, a DJ, mixing up bhangra, Bollywood and beats.
Johnny Kalsi is the founder of The Dhol Foundation, and a leading light of the world music scene – he has been a member of Transglobal Underground, The Imagined Village and is also part of the Afro Celt Sound System, as well as playing in numerous other projects. But this will be his first visit to Victorious.
‘This is really exciting, I was looking it up the other day,’ Johnny tells
The Guide, ‘we love all those family festivals.’
The village is put together with Arms Around The Child, a charity supporting deprived children in India and Africa, an angle which particularly appeals to Johnny. Much of what he does has had a basis in helping young people and education.
‘Absolutely, that’s how we started. We thrive on education, getting kids off the streets.’
He recalls a collaboration between the Arts Council and Womad (World
of Music, Arts and Dance, which was set up by Peter Gabriel) which saw him head to New Zealand to work with feuding Maori and Samoan gang members.
‘The common ground was hip-hop – we threw them in a studio and said we’re going to make a track.
‘During the breaks I sat down with them and asked: “What’s going on guys? Why is their such hatred towards each other’s culture?” We’re all human at the end of the day, and I just give them a bit of a humanity talk.’
They ended up creating a CD together, but more importantly became friends.
‘And so I’m all up for anything bringing kids together and getting them off the streets, giving them something that’s sustainable, giving them an education, giving them some music – just putting a little bit of drumming magic in their palm and saying: “Off you go…”’
Born in Yorkshire and the son of immigrants, Johnny has had a lifelong love of music – he began learning the tabla, the Indian percussion instrument, at seven. But it was at school where he discovered the western drum kit. ‘I used to watch my mates play drums, and they would have lessons. I thought to myself, you know what? I could actually do that.’
He was a natural and soon had a monopoly on the school orchestra and bands, earning the nickname ‘The Drummer’.
But it was at 14 that the dhol – the distinctive double-headed drum – came into his life via an uncle who played for a bhangra team.
‘I was intrigued about the sound, intrigued about the fact that it was an instrument that was free – you’re not behind any fixed drums, you’re wearing it slung over your shoulder like a guitar.’
He joined a group and his weekends were soon taken taken up by constant gigging, leaving him little time to go out and get into mischief.
‘It was great, I was loving it, I was living my best life and I could have been doing a lot worse in my teenage years! You get those stories of the drugs and the booze and rock’n’roll lifestyle, but I never had any of that, ever, all we were doing was Indian weddings,’ he laughs.
‘Then I joined an international bhangra group called Alaap and that’s where I really got my wings because before I was 18 I was touring the world.’
His career has seen him perform at some prestigious events back home in the UK – such as the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, the Queen’s birthday celebrations at The Royal Albert Hall, and earlier this year, at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
He chuckles as he recalls the latter event: ‘The archbishop, when he heard it in rehearsal, he leaned over to me and he goes: “You’ve woken up some rather old kings and queens there... But I think they liked it.”’
Johnny’s parents were initially unhappy with his chosen lifestyle, though – they had hoped he would be a doctor or solicitor. ‘They hated it! I was the only son, and I completely rebelled, it didn’t go down too well.
‘With other Asian parents at the local temple, they’d brag about their own kids to my dad: “This is what my son’s doing, what’s your son doing?” And my dad would put his head down. It was only when I started international touring and getting my face on TV every now and again, he could hold his head up again.’ And now? ‘He was there at Westminster Abbey as a guest which was really lovely. He was sitting like six rows behind The Queen – he was chuffed.’
Victorious Festival starts today until Sunday. Friday tickets are £40, Saturday and Sunday are £45 each. Go to victoriousfestival. co.uk.