The Tbilisi Altervision festival was held Oct. 23. The event aimed to introduce newcomer Georgian bands to the wider public. Performers at the festival included Ketrine&Me, The Georgians, Mirror Illusion, Me and My Monkey, Pornopoetry, Defenders of Tanelorn, ABC, Georgian Version, The Forest, Vitamin and Rema and Sanda.
The music varied in style and genre and the audience members had the chance to savor samples from the contemporary music scene such as death metal, minimal techno, folk-rock, funk and even Britpop.
“We tried to select quality bands from each genre. Unfortunately the hip hop niche was missed. Hopefully next year the gap will be filled,” festival organizer Achiko Guledani said.
The event’s initiators at Step Records did a remarkable job not only by giving different music genres equal opportunities, but also by introducing innovative marketing solutions to the Georgian market. The bands arrived on motorbikes, and stopped immediately in front of the stage and then proceeded to walk up the red carpet. As one musician said, “The way they organized things makes me feel as if I am an established musician.”
Even those bands that were not selected for the event had the chance to perform open-air in front of the Potola statue in downtown Tbilisi. The organizers dressed Potola in a T-shirt with an Altervision logo and jeans. The organizers also invited headliner bands from abroad, including Cynic Guru from Iceland and Temple Hedz from the UK.
The Altervision event was a continuation of the Tbilisi Open Air Festival, which took place in May. The idea is to promote and support Georgian independent musicians and the overall development of Georgian music industry. The festival’s slogan is “Music Breaks Free.”
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