It’s difficult to stumble across a band that packages parody, comedy, meaning and satire into one piece but the City-based ensemble, ‘Live Banned’ has defied all expectations and have been doing just that since 2011.
The larger-than-life troupe, known for genre-bending, its ridiculous lyrics and melodies and a bold stage presence, comprise Amrit Rao on vocals, Sridhar Varadarajan on guitars, Siddhart Kamath on the keys, Dheerendra Doss on the durms and Raveesh Tirkey on bass. Their aim is to provide pure entertainment through their music, which is a social commentary about issues that affect people in daily life. Taking popular songs and twisting them is what makes them stand apart. ‘The Auto Tune’ is a popular medley which talks about the hassle that common man has to go through with auto drivers as is ‘Roads Bloody Roads’, a satirical take on Bengaluru’s pot-holed streets. Vocalist Amrit catches up with Anushka Sivakumar on the music scene today.
What has kept ‘Live Banned’ in the scene so far, in an era where bands come together for one day and collapse the next day?
Just the sheer passion or music and playing. The drive to create art and write new material makes us stay there. Most often, every band has creative differences which they can’t cope with, which is why most of them come together and collapse. But one should realise that such differences are always bound to happen. It’s all about the effort and energy you bring to the band at the end of the day.
How does ‘Live Banned’ deal with creative differences?
We were all on the same page when we first started out. As we evolved, we all had differences of opinions. However, at the end of the day, we want to build something new in terms of sound. We see how to make it work. Our sound has to be something quirky and different. Our sound is what is different, whatever shocks us and makes us happy at the studio.
What is the Indo-international mass sound, which is considered the ‘Live Banned’ sound?
It’s just there for the lack of a better definition. We don’t know yet but I think it’s music with a connect.
How does an idea or a song evolve while writing or jamming?
Writing our kind of music is definitely not an easy act. It’s about satires, puns and yet meaningful sentences. We write a lot about social issues. It’s a time consuming process. Even when we start writing, we wouldn’t know how the song will finally come out but one thing we are careful about is not forcing down creativity. The music has to make sense to us. We don’t write it if the lyrics don’t impact us or the music doesn’t affect us.
Any challenge the industry faces today?
I hope to see more seriousness in the industry of non-filmy music. Any private event and people always want pop music. We have to learn how to strike a balance so that all genres so can co-exist.
Why are there no females in the band?
(Laughs) Because it was just started by a bunch of friends. No gender discrimination. If a beautiful bassist auditions with us, why not!
Next project?
We are now on a break and looking to change our sound to make a new version of ‘Live Banned’. We are working on it as we feel it’s important to evolve and give something new to the audience.