Folk tunes flavoured with rock

Blending genres

It is not every day that one gets to listen to a music band with 18 artistes. ‘Thaikkudam Bridge’, a band founded by Kerala-based cousins Siddharth Menon and Govind Menon, has become increasingly popular thanks to its enigmatic concerts.

The band which has original compositions like ‘Fish Rock’ and ‘Shiva’, performs across all genres and languages.

This band comprises singers and performers who are spread across the country, varying from Kochi to Mumbai.

“We didn’t really plan to form a band. This was a gathering of friends coming together to play some songs at a show ‘Music Mojo’. They wanted us to do 12 songs, and it would have become monotonous to see one person singing all the songs. That’s when I called my friends from Mumbai, and my brother called his friends from Chennai and Kochi and we got the group together,” narrates Siddharth.

He says that the group doesn’t meet up often as they are spread out. “But, we have a Whatsapp group and with today’s technology, things aren’t that difficult. We all know our roles — mine being working on romantic numbers — we go about our roles accordingly,” he says.

He says that people came to know about ‘Thaikkudam Bridge’ after their song ‘Nostalgia’, which is a hit on YouTube. “If ‘Nostalgia’ wasn’t made, people would probably not have noticed us,” says Siddharth.

The band’s name is different. “There’s a simple story behind this —  We were practising and the band had no name till then. One day, I and my brother had to pick up Piyush, a band member who is from Mumbai, and we couldn’t go, so we told him to take a pre-paid taxi to ‘Thaikkudam Bridge’ (a place in Kochi). This was the only place he knew in Kerala and he was the one who insisted on it,” he shares with a laugh.

With ground-breaking performances and nostalgic re-creational abilities, the band is known to create mesmerising enthusiasm amongst audiences.

Mithun Raju, a band member, who is also a music producer and director with the South-Indian film music industry says that the experience of the band is like none other. “I have been with the band since its inception. You get more recognition in a band, where there are live acts, compared to movies, where there are no spectators.”

He adds that people recognise him from the band. “The reaction at a performance is immediate unlike a recording, where one has to wait,” says Mithun. He says that though the band has performed more than 100 gigs now, each performance is special.
Vian Fernandes, another band member, who lives in Mumbai gave up his job as a music teacher to be with the band.

“It was a tough decision but I’m happy with what I’m doing now. Losing the security of a permanent job was something I feared, but once I left the job, I realised I would find a way. If you want to get  something done, you will do it any way. The band taught me a lot and I look up to the band members,” says Vian.

The band is known across fests in Kerala and was highly appreciated at places it performed like Muscat, Bengaluru and Chennai. “It’s amazing to see a jam-packed, bustling crowd,” he says. ‘Nostalgia’, ‘Chathe’ and latest composition ‘Navarasam’ are Vian’s favourite compositions.

Mithun adds that ‘Chathe’ is his personal favourite too. “It is a special number which consists of different genres into one song. It’s a Malayalam folk song with heavy metal. It is a one-of-a-kind number,” he wraps up.