Indie music needs more venues, sponsors: city-based rock band

Mad Orange Fireworks, like many things in Bengaluru, was born out of the frustration of a software engineer. The three-piece band was the brainchild of Micheal Dias who quit his job to scout the city for artistes and kickstart his life as a rockstar. Formed in 2011, Michael Dias, Kaushik Kumar and Dharvish PK have been playing music, that they call orange rock, all over the country. Metrolife caught up with Micheal to talk about their music and journey.

The band evolved due to a fateful jam session. Could you tell me a little bit about the journey?

The band was formed in 2011. It has been a beautiful journey since. We had a few line-up changes along the way but also managed to get some great moments in between. We played at some amazing shows and music festivals, headlined college fests, performed at stadium shows and got to travel to all major cities across India.

Why the name Mad Orange Fireworks?

It’s quirky, interesting and fun. Plus, it sticks.

How would you describe your sound?

Like all bands, our music is a good blend of all our influences. So it’s a mix of rock, pop, jazz, blues, grunge and funk. In short, we prefer to just call it Orange Rock.

Is it difficult to bring together all of your ideas to create a distinct sound for the band?

Not really. We’ve been together for nine years now so we’ve managed to figure out a process that works for us. I write the song and bring it to the jam room, that's where we experiment with it. Finally, we come up with something that everyone is satisfied with.

Bengaluru is often referred to as the mecca of the independent music scene in India. Being a band that knows the city’s music scene, do you think that’s true?

Considering this band has only been based in Bengaluru, we have no other reference to compare with to validate this statement. But of course, the city had some glorious days when it came to live indie music. Lately, the scene just seems to be getting more and more depressing. But platforms such as No. 1 Yaari Jampad, by McDowell’s No 1 Soda, and Hungama Artist Aloud, have given artistes the perfect platform to create new music and bond with fellow musicians.

Are there any changes you’d like to see?

More venues, more gigs, more sponsors, in short, more of a happening 'scene'!

Gigs have taken a huge hit due to Covid-19. What are you falling back on during this time?

As performing indie musicians, it’s not possible to solely depend on gigs for a living. We all have something else going on to help support our passion. Unfortunately, in times like these, we need to put our full effort into only those avenues.