With a couple of months to go for heavy duty gig season to start off in the country, we focus on 5 of the many acts who wait behind the curtain to blow your minds this year. These bands have been constantly growing by making and releasing quality original music over the past months or years and are now seem to be amongst their creative best which is bound to lead them into putting out performances that will make an impact on audiences all over. Read on and watch out for them when they play at a venue near you.

No. 5.  The Bicycle Days

The Bicycle Days

We’re usually skeptical when we hear about alternative rock coming out of Bangalore/Chennai – it’s usually riff-based, plod-along, more-of-the-same, not-really-alternative stuff that’s simply not exciting. With the release of The Bicycle Days‘ EP, 42, we now have a reason to snap out of our cynical mindset. TBD presents psychedelic rock in a contemporary sonic context, with tracks that draw you in with a strength and untamed energy rarely encountered in the music scene today. Swirling samples, big guitars, trippy vocals and tasteful rhythm section all shine through. Its hard to draw comparisons, but echoes of Prodigy, A Perfect Circle and even Deftones can be heard in The Bicycle Days’ sea of sounds flowing through their songs. Individual songs are hard to point out and describe as we usually do, as 42 is more of an album experience. The band does a great live show too – they’re able to create a mood you can just feel under your skin, and they’re tight to boot. TBD shows tremendous promise, and we’re sure they’ll go far in the months to come.

No.4.  The Mavyns

The Mavyns

It was not too long ago that we did an ‘Off The Radar’ on The Mavyns (read here) – That’s how quickly this band has grown. We haven’t met too many people who have disliked this band, on first listen or otherwise. Be it their raw sound, their healthy original material based on Beatles-era progressions, or their totally honest stage act, these guys seem to be getting it just right. From playing amateur clubs a few months ago, to releasing their debut album featuring songs from a live gig, it’s been quite a ride for The Mavyns. The album showcases their collective gift for creating interesting compositions and decidedly indie song structures, and is a must-hear for any music lover.

No.3.   Five Little Indians

Five Little Indians

FLI are amongst Kolkata’s top rock bands to break through into the national circuit this past year. Being a city swarming with musical talent, that’s a major achievement. Their solid performances across the country have been widely acclaimed by critics and fans alike, and their evolving sound seems to have found its purpose. Having done strictly average demo track recordings untill now, it is evident that they seem to be gearing up for their debut recording effort – definitely good news for FLI fans and Indian rock lovers at large. We say this as FLI is amongst the tightest sounding bands right now with sorted sonic attributes. Their live performances themselves have enough crunch to get their messages through to their audiences and it seems that their recording will righteously be in overdrive seeing the kind of progress they have been making over the past year-and-a-half with their music and gigs. Here’s to their continued success in the months ahead.

No.2.  Parachute XVI

Parachute XVI

This band is amongst the most exciting sounds that you’ll have heard over the past couple of years from India, even though it’s essentially a classic rock sound. Consisting of experienced musicians from various hard rock outfits (as is the case with most original Bangalore bands), this trio is burning up stages across the country with their blues-psychedelic vibe which immediately transports an avid listener to the late 70s but throws in a pinch of modern fusion ingredients here and there to keep today’s listeners enthralled. The band kicked off proceedings last year with the launch of their debut EP ‘Sodium Trail’ and have been playing several unique gigs since then. Their set list has been rapidly increasing over their one-year-plus existence which tells us a hot album is on the cards. Whatever it is, we’re waiting for it with bated breath.

No.1.   PinkNoise

PinkNoise

PinkNoise is the late night alter-ego of Kolkata-based blues act Skinny Alley, and has created a sonic palette quite different from those of their peers – they deal in psychedelic jazz-rock. It feels like a secret project that the members have been brewing underground through their decades of existence, that they’ve decided is ready to unleash among today’s audiences. Alongside one of the most gifted drummers in the country (Jivraj Singh) and one of the most hard-working guitar players ever (Amyt Dutta), Jay and Gyan Singh join forces in delivering ground-breaking performances that are unmatched by other bands on the scene today. They’ve recently launched a live album ‘Dance of Diaspora’, which has some great compositions and performances. Find out what all the noise is about by heading to their next gig.

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