The screening round for the Airtel presents Hornbill National Rock Contest (HNRC) 2012 continued on Wednesday with nine bands taking to the stage at IG Stadium, Kohima.

The nine bands are - Making Merry(Nagaland), Jester (New Delhi), Four Fields (Nagaland), Adam’s Apple (Darjeeling), Blek (Mumbai), Escher’s Knot (Bangalore), Ably (Mizoram), Rogues Saint’s (Delhi) and Alice in Wonderland (Nagaland).

A total of 19 bands have already been screened.

Prior to the start of the second day of the contest, MTF Project Director, G. Chishi informed that three bands pulled out due to “unfortunate and legitimate reasons” and were replaced by two wild card entries from Nagaland.


On December 6 starting 5 p.m., the remaining four bands, showcasing of achieving bands from Nagaland at the HNRC will take the podium followed by final declaration of finalists. Grand finale would be held on December 7.

A total of 23 bands are taking part in the rock contest.

The judges are Deepak Castelino from Delhi and Thejove Medeo and Andrew Ngully (both from Nagaland). On all the days, entry would be free, and gates will open by 3 p.m. at IG stadium.

The week-long contest is part of the annual Hornbill Festival, the annual cultural extravaganza in Nagaland showcasing the rich Naga culture, organized by the state government’s Music Task Force (MTF), department of Youth Resources and Sports and the event is managed by XL.