JOIN USBengaluru's bands go live again
Bengaluru’s live music scene is slowly and steadily recovering from the blow dealt by the pandemic.
The live music scene in the city has faced many challenges these past few years. In 2018-19, popular music spaces like The Humming Tree and bFlat closed down because of stricter municipal regulations. The pandemic followed, bringing all live acts to a halt.
Bengaluru bands now say they are getting regular bookings. The Chronic Blues Circus, one of Bengaluru’s oldest blues bands, has been active at five-star hotels. Peter Isaac, vocalist and guitarist, says, “We have been performing once a week since the beginning of the year.”
The closure of music spaces in 2018-19 was disastrous for musicians, he recalls. “During the pandemic, some musicians were able to master the art of live streaming with the right equipment and software. We tried it but it didn’t work out, so we focused on recording music and working on projects we had kept on hold,” he says.
‘Hope ahead’
Khalid Ahamed, vocalist-guitarist with 12-year-old contemporary Indian music band Parvaaz, says the journey has been difficult these past two years for independent artistes, especially newer bands.
“However, since the last Covid wave receded, people have been attending live shows. The attendance is higher as most people have been indoors for long and are now looking for reasons to step out,” he says. The band did a six-city tour in the second half of 2021 and has been performing at music and college festivals.
New formats
Debjeet Basu, the guitarist with rock band Perfect Strangers India, says the opening of new venues is adding to the interest. “We have had two gigs a month since February,” he says.
Most Bengalureans are vaccinated, and that means increased attendance. Most music lovers were tired of online performances and wanted to experience live music, he says.
‘Music changed’
Indian-based percussion band Swahaa has played at 15 corporate events since April. Arun Sivag, the founder, says the band also trains corporate employees to perform.
Chintan Chinnappa, founder-guitarist of metal band Inner Sanctum, says the “eagerness to play and make music has dropped” because of the extended break.
“Many are consuming music in the form of videos rather than enjoying the audio. Also, online live events have led to audiences not turning up for events physically. This in turn has led to people not buying band merchandise and bands not making enough money to release albums,” he says.
Chinnappa believes this is a domino effect, and “until people organically start supporting musicians, things will continue to remain the same”.
Venues say…
Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined, Koramangala, which opened in 2018 and regularly hosted gigs, returned to live music in February. “We have close to 20 gigs every month now. Lots of people are listening to new music,” says Suhas V K, programming head. About 90% of pre-pandemic audiences are back. Foxtrot, Marathahalli, says it is getting 95% of its earlier customers. Rahul Khanna, director and co-founder of Azure Hospitality, the company that runs the gastropub, says the music scene is “as vibrant as before”. “We have been hosting eight to 10 live gigs a month now,” he says. Bira 91 Taproom, Koramangala, which opened in March 2020, is also witnessing big crowds. “People are actively enquiring about live gigs,” says Nayanabhiram Deekonda, VP (restaurants).