E-Paper
We'll rock them
Indian rockers are registering their presence abroad, though the struggle is far from over, writes Malvika Nanda.
Indian rock is finally rolling. And beyond home turf this time. Sample this — Delhi's Orange Street played in UK and Europe a while back and is now finalising shows in Pakistan, Bangalore band Thermal And A Quarter is touring the UK right now, Indian Ocean is just back after a US tour, and Mumbai's Pentagram, after rocking Glastonbury and Sundance, is all set to tour US and Canada. It seems that Indian rockers are registering their presence abroad, even though the struggle is far from over.
Original sound track
Anirban Chakraborty, Orange Street vocalist says that the West "loves originality. You can't win them by aping them." He recalls how a Swedish composer surprised him by asking "why I sang with an accent as Bob Marley too didn’t change his style." Pentagram vocalist Vishal Dadlani (of the Vishal-Shekhar duo) agrees that the world is looking at India but adds that Indians are "mainly selling th emselves as exotic sideshows rather than as mainstream musicians." Pentagram is off to Hungary and Germany and to the US/ Canada to promote its album, Sterling Sound.
Strong on homework
Playing abroad sounds glamorous but it means a lot of hardwork too. Says Amit Saigal, MD of the Rock Street Journal, that has taken bands abroad, "You need to have the right contacts to get things going." Homework also means planning on playing the right tunes. Sanjoy Roy of Teamwork Production, who too has taken bands for shows overseas, says: "It’s basically Indian exotica that ap peals to them." Saigal adds that curre ntly fusion bands are getting noticed. "They wouldn't put money in a Nu-Metal act from India when he can hear that in a garage next door," he says.
Decent exposure
An overseas concert is profitable, both in terms of money and exposure. Mrigya drummer Rajat Kakkar says, "International shows open up new avenues for our music and help us reach more people." Surojit Dev, drummer with Them Clones (who got offers to play in Manchester) agrees that shows abroad bring new opportunities. So, have Indians learnt to rock?
