Death by fandom

There is romance in tragedy. And when you are an artiste, and bid your audience good bye doing what they love seeing you do, the swansong is one no one forgets.

For Krishnakumar Kunnath, KK to the music world, last Tuesday saw him perform for the last time, something no one had anticipated. He left the stage abruptly at Kolkata's packed Nazrul Manch auditorium, complaining of heat and uneasiness. A few minutes later at his hotel room, he collapsed and was declared dead on arrival at the private CMRI Hospital. A misjudged cardiac arrest had taken the life of the 53-year-old pop and Bollywood singer, who is survived by his wife and two children.

Suhas VK and Nirmika Singh

While most have put it down to ignoring the signs and perhaps living with a condition that took an unfortunate turn, the glaring negligence at the venue was hard to miss. Videos of the performance make it amply clear that the venue had a crowd more than it could hold, with organisers choosing to use fire extinguishers to disperse excited fans who were trying to get in. Reports suggest that the closed auditorium that can hold 2,400 people could've housed double that number that night. In fact, the stage itself had bystanders, in addition to the band members. Vignettes from the videos emerged showed KK complaining of it being "too hot", as he went back continuously to the recesses of the stage to wipe his face with a napkin. But he continued to sing; 20 songs in an hour-and-a-half.

In a freak coincidence, three days prior, Malayalam singer Edava Basheer, 78, collapsed on stage while performing at an event in Alappuzha. He was rushed to the hospital, but didn't survive.

Bengaluru's Fandom at Gilly's Redefined claims to have two fire exists and a first aid kit, which has been used during metal gigs

"It's not new," a friend told this writer about the Boiler Room event held at Mahalaxmi's Famous Studios last week. "At one point, I was breathless. The artistes on stage at a bigger venue, at least have breathing space. But in a smaller studio packed with 2,000 people, it was so hot, you could feel the heat rise up around you. If someone in that crowd had felt unwell, they could've met the same fate."

It's a common grouse among musicians, artistes and managers: not being given adequate facilities to perform at optimum and with safety. With the rise of indie musicians, and with people looking to unwind post-pandemic, gigs are now being organised in unconventional venues. That's a good thing, until we realise that not every café and studio has logistical network in place to ensure the health and safety of its guests and artistes. Regulations that govern performance venues tend to focus on fire and exits, rarely on overcrowding or availability of emergency medical aid. "When an event organiser or venue applies for an NOC, they share the site plan, tell us where the gas burner is, fire exits and fire extinguishers are, etc. The number of fire extinguishers needed depends on the number of people the space can accommodate. Fire exit details also mention their width and how accessible they are," says Hemant Parab, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade. For large open-air festivals, he says, an ambulance stationed outside is mandatory as is the presence of a medical professional. This regulation isn't imposed on restaurants and clubs.

Tejas performing a show at Mumbai's Antisocial. Pic/Aaron Steve Pereria

Sarthak Kulshreshtha, founder of Bohemian Entertainment, a live music entertainment agency that works with clubs and indoor venues, says he hasn't faced difficulty with safety compliances. "Venues are aware that they cannot breach capacity limits and overspilling crowds are usually turned away. This is usually the case with metros. But, Kolkata is still a B town in terms of music gigs. Vendors and promoters are clueless [about what to provide]. We are happy if we get our tech rider [blueprint of technical information about the venue, stage, gear and equipment every performer requires] in place. So, we don't bother if the fan or AC is not in shape," Kulshreshtha says bluntly. He says he is yet to see an ambulance or first aid readily available at a smaller venue. "An ambulance may not be possible for club gigs since the revenue earned isn't sufficient to provide these facilities, but yes, what one could insist on is medical first-aid."

Yama Seth has been an artiste manager for seven years, and handles Indian Ocean and Parvaaz. For Seth, overseeing gigs in smaller Indian towns and cities has been a mainstay. "It's not a B town problem," she thinks. "Surprisingly, B and C towns now have started getting their act together in terms of inventory and sound system," mentions Seth, who has experienced performances in Mandu, Bina and Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh. It's more to do with slackness, thinks Ritnika Nayan, Owner, MGMH and Country Head, Downtown Music. "The chalta hai attitude comes back to haunt us. Although we are aware of what is needed, we don't always comply. We think we can get away with it. Awareness is another problem. Not everyone, for instance, knows that medical facilities are mandatory at a festival." Nayan explains how it's different when dealing with international bands, who enquire about venue capacity, and number of tickets the organisers intend on selling.

Yama Seth, Schubert Fernandes and Ritnika Nayan. Pic/Dhruv Kalra

Interestingly, some talent managers we spoke to, said they tend to rely on the promoters to take care of transportation, safety regulations and hospitality.
Savinay Shetty, founder and artist manager at Misfits Inc, an artist management agency and independent record label, says what he does do is emphasise on the need for a separate space for artistes and their equipment. Club venues don't usually have a green room or a backstage area. One music lover we spoke to said, requesting anonymity, "Antisocial, for instance, has a green room near the stage, but it also gets used as a storage room."

Bengaluru's Fandom at Gilly's Redefined is a popular gig venue. Its events programmer, Suhas VK, claims it has two emergency exits and a first aid kit that's often used during metal gigs when people get cuts during mosh pits.

KK, 53, died on Tuesday after experiencing uneasiness during his show in Kolkata. Pic/PTI

It's not uncommon for even the grandest of indie music talent to compromise on comfort. Often, venues book flights in the wee hours, disturbing their sleep and causing stress to build up. Seth argues, "The number of times musicians have had to travel at odd hours and fallen sick due to exhaustion, food poisoning, anxiety, trouble sleeping..." Once, our artistes were not able to get water because the bar was shut; sometimes, food isn't available after the gig because it has gone on so late," adds Shetty stating that organisers and venues need to take care of basic hospitality needs instead of overlooking them to save costs.

Seth points out that support staff and organising labour have it tougher than star musicians. While musicians still have the liberty to freshen up at their hotels, the staff sets up equipment a night prior and hang on after the gig to wrap up too. "We just come and perform. They are the ones who do all the work. In the case of a disaster, such as sudden torrential rain, musicians walk off the stage with their guitar. The staff stays back."

Bachitter Singh and Sarthak Kulshreshtha

When it comes to ensuring that a venue is not over crowded, Bachitter Singh, a technical manager who has worked with festivals like NH7 Weekender and India tours of Lucky Ali and Prateek Kuhad says that usually, organisers book a venue that has 10 to 15 per cent more capacity than what is expected. Fandom has a capacity of 450-500 people, but the maximum they have accommodated is 550. Venues like Antisocial and Bonobo in Mumbai, this writer has observed, are so crowded, it's hard to move. Sunday mid-day got in touch with these venues, but they refused to share a response. Schubert Fernandes, PR professional and artist advisor who is also a frequent gig attendee agrees that overcrowding is a problem in indoor venues. "You have space for bigger outdoor gigs and you can move around if you feel claustrophobic." When it comes to indoor gigs, one would have to step out to get some air. However, he points out that this is a problem faced by other night clubs too, which don't have live music performances.

Nirmika Singh, executive editor, Rolling Stone India, thinks the Indian music industry is missing robust infrastructure that ranges from safety, disaster management at a venue to the well being of the audience. "[We should] think of these as must haves rather than ‘good to have'." During Indian Ocean's show at Jio World Drive last month, Seth says that since it was a free gig, they got 14,000 registrations, but ensured that they capped it at 1,400.

Safety must return to top priority, then. Mumbai-based singer-songwriter, Tejas, who prefers going by his first name, says, "Consider the number of issues artistes have to bother themselves with. And [safety] is not high on that list. The odds of you not getting an amp are higher than a fire breaking out. You take things for granted until something bad happens."