An enigma on stage

Striking concepts

International band ‘Massive Vibe’, who is ready to perform in the City, always presents a bouquet of surprises — be it through their original concept, electric music or empowering lyrics. The 10-piece sonic ensemble comprises members from countries such as UK, Germany and Australia who have varied musical backgrounds.

With John Wright on lead vocals, Nick Hallett on dance, Vlad Buxton on the harmonica, trombone and vocals, Henry Dingle on the acoustic guitar, Oli Wells on bass, Daniel Norich on drums, Sam Hallett on percussion and dance, Pete Mills on keys and George on the saxophone, the band is currently touring the world like one big happy family.

The tour is titled ‘Massive Vibe Live’ and the members have already performed at sold-out shows in cities like Mumbai, Mysuru, Chennai, Goa and parts of North India. From festivals, clubs, villages and shacks, the young and vibrant team proudly say that they are happy to have touched over 40,000 hearts in about 30 concerts.

During their inception, the band took the phrase ‘sharing creativity’ a notch higher. ‘Queen Bee’, the producer and lyricist of the band, decided to bring people together from various parts of the world when she wanted to empower and shrink spaces through music.

Giving importance to songwriting, their music defies genres and songs such as ‘Being Made of Awesome’ and ‘Big Up Shine’ sparkle of strong lyrics that have the capacity to invoke hope and hold promise for a better tomorrow. The members, who are in various age groups and tour for about six months, have always managed to stick together and stay true to their music throughout their journey, at a time when bands can easily fight and go their own way due to creative differences. The members also try to pepper their musical influences into the ‘Massive Vibe’s’ set if they feel that it serves the set and the
lyrics. 

John Wright, gorging on a ‘masala dosa’ says, “The response here has motivated us. There are very obvious differences among the cities that we have visited so far. However, the one factor that binds every city and makes India stand out is the amount of openness and tolerance this country has. That makes us feel so loved and welcome. We want to come back here for our next tour. We have also picked up phrases from languages like Kannada and Konkani,” while Katharina quips, “I think our biggest memories here remain the love, hospitality and the relationships that we have built. We did make some great friends here and are surely going to network with them once we go back.”

The band does have a nodding acquaintance of Indian classical music and have collaborated with artistes such as Benny Dayal to try and understand the different styles. They are also getting offers from film industries in the country. Katharina happily says that they also received an offer from the Kannada film industry to work on a score for a movie.

It’s not just their concept that make the band stand out but the state-of- the-art visuals too. During their concerts, the band has bright, electric visual interpretations of their music through LED screens and colourful dances to explain their music.

     “We thought visual interpretations were necessary since they bring pictures, sound and lyrics in one medium. It also helps the audience sing along while we perform, understand our music and convey our message better. We try to make our visuals quite enigmatic and pure so that they reach straight to the heart and empower the audience.”
The band will perform on March 6 at Indigo Live Music Bar, Koramangala.