Vengaboys cancel Indian concert

DELHI, INDIA (AP) - Dutch pop group Vengaboys have called off a concert in India after protests from Indian students.
Hundreds of university students in the remote Indian city of Gauhati took to the streets last week claiming that the band's music is too risqu� to be played live.

Concert sponsor Pepsi said that the group decided to cancel the Sunday concert so as to keep "in tune with local sentiments".

Student organisations had planned to disrupt the concert, if it went ahead.
"We told the Pepsi officials they were free to hold the show with police protection but if anything untoward happens then they would shoulder the responsibility," said student leader Bipul Rabha.

Vengaboys have topped European charts with hits like We Like To Party, We're Going To Ibiza and Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom.

The protestors objected to the "western influence" of the band and the "tremendous noise pollution" that the concert would entail.

Disappointed

The cancelled concert was thought to have been the first in the city by a top international pop group.

Many Indian music fans were disappointed by the decision. "A handful of demonstrators managed to scare away Pepsi from organising the show, which is ridiculous," said college student Anil Sharma.

Vengaboys are scheduled to hold concerts in the Indian cities of Chandigarh, Lucknow, Calcutta, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

Those events are expected to go ahead.