A band performing on the final day of the preliminary rounds of the 2018 Hornbill International Rock Contest on December 7. (Morung Photo by Manen Aier)
Nine finalists, including two from Nagaland, will compete in the grand finale of the 2018 edition of the coveted Hornbill International Rock Contest (HIRC) scheduled on December 8.
The finale will have two bands from Jharkhand and Nagaland, and one band each from Delhi, West Bengal, Sikkim and Bangalore, and Assam.
Arguably the biggest domestic rock fest, and indisputably the highest prize money rock contest in India, the HIRC has become a big draw since its introduction in 2006 as Hornbill National Rock Contest. The winners will walk away with a whopping Rs.10 lakh cash prize, while the first and second runner-ups will bag Rs.5 lakh and Rs.3.5 lakh respectively.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio will give away prizes by the end of the evening on December 8.
The organiser LiveNew Events in a release informed that the crowd on the Day 3 of the Hornbill “swelled” as the evening progressed, with ticket sales pegging the turnout at about 2000. Judges Derek Julien, Sonam Sherpa and Among Jamir will declare the name of the nine finalists after the last band takes the bow on Friday. The nine finalists will battle it out - 25 minutes each for performance - on December 8 for the top honours in the country’s highest prize money rock contest.
Finalists
Moongphali (Delhi) Vikrit (Ranchi, Jharkhand), UDX (Dimapur, Nagaland), Vishnu (West Bengal), Her Illegal Practice (Sikkim), Highway 69 (Ranchi, Jharkhand) Perfect Strangers (Bangalore) Since 90’s (Dimapur, Nagaland), Ambush (Diphu, Assam).