In the course of my fieldwork I have been asked several times if I like the music I’m studying. The truth is, I couldn’t imagine doing research on hip hop and Delhi if I didn’t like the music. There is however a distinction to be made between liking the music, and being a fan. In London, my flatmate is a BTS fan. She listens to their music, watches interviews, and spends a portion of her disposable income on merchandise. Attending gigs in Delhi, I find myself surrounded by fans. People who attend multiple gigs by the same artist, create content (digital and analog), and sometimes go into artist management as a part-time profession.
It’s only recently that I realised that one of the directions that this project takes is fan studies. And I started thinking more reflexively: am I a fan? What does that mean for my research? Combining the role of the scholar with the fan, Jenkins (2006, p.4) defines the term as a “hybrid identity that straddled two very different ways of relating to media cultures”. Such a position necessitates methodological concerns. “The subject position of the academic fan (or ‘aca-fan’) presuppose[s] some form of methodological turn” (Evans & Stasi, 2014, p.5). I am still in the early stages of figuring out what this means for analysis, for how I want to frame some of my findings – but I wanted to start that thinking by reflecting on the gigs that I attended in May.
Spit Dope : Fliq. Date: 5th May 2024. Venue: Opia, Vasant Vihar. Artist: A. Roy
I always find the vibes at Spit Dope events to be incredibly supportive. It is a space for new and emerging artists, as well as those already established to come together and form community. And the fans who pull thru are loyal and enthusiastic. It also feels somewhat like the wild card of gigs as it expands out of its cypher-based beginnings.
Dil Fenk Ke Marenge. Date: 5th May 2024. Venue: Depot 48. Artist: Wolf.cryman ft Faizan and Akarsh.
As much as I enjoy attending gigs — both for fun and for research, I have never double-gigged before this evening. I don’t have the best images or videos, because I was somewhere at the back of the crowded venue, but I think that may have been part of the charm. Always a dream to see Faizan live, and Wolfie’s album and performance was full friendship, energy, and fun.
Lunch Break India Tour. Date: 12th May, 2024. Venue: Indira Gandhi Stadium. Artist: Seedhe Maut.
I attended my third Seedhe Maut concert with Pranav (Seedhe Maut concert count: 5) and Ayon (first Seedhe Maut live performance). I appreciate that they organised the tour independently under the DL91 label, but parts of the concert experience left me feeling underwhelmed. Their openers, while enthusiastic, lacked the finesse one associates with Seedhe Maut. The venue was confusing and overwhelming: why was there a cover charge for a concert at a stadium? Why did buying water feel like a near-death experience? Their performance was mosh-worthy, but experienced as a whole, what should have been a rousing homecoming fell flat.
Bargaam Tour Leg 3. Date: 19th May, 2023. Venue: The Piano Man Eldeco Centre. Artist: Dhanji
Y’all already know how I feel about this one. The gig that really made me commit to the act-fan identity, and write a whole review about how wonderful it was.
Newly Aged Summer Tour. Date: 26 May 2024. Venue: The Piano Man Jazz Bar, Gurgaon. Artist: Shauharty & Da’Rookhs ft. Green Park.
It was young, it was fresh, and it was Shauharty paying homage to his musical come-up. I appreciate ending the night with MF Doom.
References
Evans, A., & Stasi, M. (2014). Desperately seeking methods: new directions in fan studies research. Participations, 11(2), 4-23.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture (1st ed., pp. vi–vi). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814743690
Wait, so you are a fan??