Sanjay Seran can kind of recall the last time Delhi 2 Dublin played Coquitlam.
The Richmond-born vocalist for the high-energy, multicultural band — which has an international following — remembers the park atmosphere and the act that preceded them: children’s entertainers Bobs and Lolo.
For their return to Town Centre Park, however, it’ll be a different scene.
Rather than a temporary stage and a daytime slot, D2D — as they are known — will perform in the Lafarge Lake amphitheatre, on the newly rebranded TD Community Plaza stage, as headliners for the Canada Day celebrations, an annual city-run event that last year saw more than 80,000 visitors during the day-long national fete.
And, to conclude their set, pyrotechnics will shoot off over the lake for 20 minutes.
“We are really psyched,” Seran told The Tri-City News, adding, “These are really exciting times for us right now. We’ve got some new music we want to share with everyone.”
Early September was supposed to be the launch for their new album, filled with electronica, Bhangra, Celtic and world pop sounds, but their management pushed it to later in the year, he said.
No worries, Seran said, as the extra time gives D2D more opportunities to test out their new tunes before summer audiences.
After Coquitlam on July 1, D2D heads to St. Albert, Alta., for the Seven Music Festival before starting a U.S. tour that begins in Redmond, Wash., before moving east: Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Oregon.
D2D already has a huge fan base in those states but hasn’t performed there in years, Seran said; their management thought it would be a good time to solidify their standing.
“Big cities like Chicago and Minneapolis have lot of options to see big names,” he said, “so it’s kind of cool that a little band can go to a big city and still be a big attraction. That’s a cool feeling.”
They’ll keep it chill for their Canada Day show, too.
Seran said he won’t be getting on a soapbox to trash talk American politics nor will he be leading the crowd in the national anthem.
“It’s a touchy subject,” Seran said. “Once we played in Haida Gwaii and another band sang O Canada. It didn’t go over well. We don’t overtly try to be patriotic — I love being from Vancouver, it’s beautiful and, yes it’s crazy expensive but this is my city — but we just tend to party.”
He added, “We celebrate the wonderful place and the people that have allowed us to be here.”
• Coquitlam’s 10th annual Canada Day festivities start at Town Centre Park (1299 Pinetree Way) at noon; Delhi 2 Dublin hits the TD Community Plaza stage at 8:30 p.m. Visit coquitlam.ca/canadaday.
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