Police band to rock the city

At Bandstand Revival Festival Season Three, bagpipers in uniform will perform alongside city bands.

Bandstand Revival Festival returns with Season Three. This year, it will be spread over three months, and will be held at three bandstands across the city — Malabar Hill’s Kamla Nehru Udyaan, Dadar Chowpatty bandstand and Carter Road Amphitheater in Bandra.

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The Mumbai police band is among the 17 city bands taking to stage. Organiser of the festival, and Something Relevant’s bassist, Stuart Da Costa explains that the bands will play into the sunset at the age-old structures, constructed to host live gigs, but have now become redundant in the wake of nightclubs and indoor ‘live’ gig venues.

“We got a great reception last year when we held the gig at one venue at Malabar Hill. This year we are including other venues so people can revisit these historical spaces and enjoy live music,” says Da Costa.

The programming of the festival is different this year with a mix of different genres coming together and the gigs will be eco-friendly. “We are using low watt lights, less power and organising more intimate gigs. We’re also promoting on our Facebook page that people should walk to the venue instead of driving down. It’s also not that hot yet, so the season is perfect for evening walkers,” he adds. The gigs will be held 5.30 pm onwards every Saturday, starting this weekend till May 28. The bands include local heroes like Da Costa’s Something Relevant, Bombay Bassment and Dischordian.