Play it again, Peter: Mumbai’s one-man band who plays 13 musical instruments at a time

Mumbai is home to countless musicians, who traverse the city in search of venues to showcase their talent. Some are guitarists, and many play drums. Meet Peter Gladson, 24, who can play 13 instruments at the same time and has been identified as India’s first and Mumbai’s only ‘one-man band’. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

Updated on: Apr 08, 2017 9:17 PM IST

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Mumbai is home to countless musicians, who traverse the city in search of venues to showcase their talent. Some are guitarists, and many play drums. Meet Peter Gladson, 24, who can play 13 instruments at the same time and has been identified as India’s first and Mumbai’s only ‘one-man band’. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson has been playing since the age of three. He plays over 45 musical instruments, including instruments such as drums, ukulele, piano and the lesser known kazoo. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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“One-man bands are not new. I just borrowed the concept and pursued it with all my passion,” says Gladson. He began as a drummer, butt move on to play the ukulele because he couldn’t afford expensive drums . (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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He started by performing at the Natural Streets for Performing Arts with a ukulele. “At the age of 13, we were asked in school to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a picture of me playing a number of instruments all at once,” says Gladson. As circumstances shaped his life, he began pursuing his dream that he had illustrated in a drawing in school. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson is a part of over six different bands, in which he is the lead singer and musician for three bands which specialise in original and Independent music in English and Hindi. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson has performed in over 40 shows and has now started receiving corporate gigs. Here he can be seen practising in a music studio. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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From bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, kazoo to tambourine and ghungroos, he has played it all. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson performs by carrying all his instruments, which altogether weight over 25 kg. But he says he doesn’t consider instruments to be a strain and all he wants to do is perform. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson, who also writes and sings, follows themes of positivity and thankfulness in his performances. He propagates anti-smoking and hopes youngsters watching his show take inspiration. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Peter Gladson hard at work at home fixing a drum set. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)

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Gladson has appeared on television shows India’s Got Talent and The Kapil Sharma Show and also played for the prestigious EU Chambers. According to media reports, there are about 20-30 one-man Bands in the world. Gladson is, so far, the only Indian to have been identified as a one-man band. (KUnal Patil/ht photo)