JOIN USFood, drinks, friends and live music set in a beautiful ambience? Sounds like the perfect definition of a good weekend.
Eating, drinking and enjoying a live performance, all together, seems to be the trend these days. Restaurants and cafes are incorporating arts and music into their menu.
Roadhouse, The Hard Rock Cafe, Opus, Take 5, The Humming Tree, The Legends of Rock are some places that Bangaloreans have been haunting. The artists, meanwhile, are taking their art to unconventional places to cater to a different and wide range of audience.
“This concept is a step forward for our society. In the West, people are used to live music playing everywhere. For us to adopt this trend is refreshing, says Kashif Iqbal, guitarist of ‘Parvaaz’ band, who has performed at cafes and concerts.
Ashish Kothare, CEO and Managing Partner, Roadhouse, adds “The concept is not new in the West, however, in Bangalore we have had many hurdles to face namely lack of space and talented entertainers or musicians. However, this has changed. More and more people are taking up this activity, may be not as professionals. They are spending quality time to pursue their talent. This being the case, the quality and variety of entertainment at pub/restaurant venues had greatly improved.”
Most of these place have karaoke nights, live music, dance and theatre performances. And it’s not just a youth phenomena. Priyanka, a youngster, says, “The food is expensive but the drinks are prized good enough. Moreover, it is for the ambience and the music that people go to such places. It breaks the monotony of a typical restaurant. This is new and it’s fun to have bands performing live at cafes and restaurants.”
At the rate the food and beverage industry in Bangalore is growing, the variety of food being dished out is also going through its changes. “The question that comes up is: What more can I do? Art, live music, poetry-reading, stand-up comedy and much more are being dished out to the discerning patrons to ensure; loyalty and value add to the property,” adds Ashish.
On asking how different it is to perform at concert than cafe, Kashif says, “While at concerts, the audience is bigger and the sound is usually better, cafes and restaurants have the advantage of being more personal. It is much easier to connect to the people at cafes as the setting is smaller and the interaction between the artist and the fans is more direct.”
“After a hectic week of rigorous work, a glass of wine with some music, poetry and moments of laughter with someone close would be just perfect and these places ensure we make the best of our weekend,” says Paul.