No other genre or style of music, one could argue has had a greater cultural impact or been able to capture the imagination of people the world over as strongly as rock. Born out of the resonating notes of American blues accompanied with an insistent backbeat, rock n’ roll has been worshiped, ridiculed, satirized, loved, hated, brought about riots, protests and induced unconditional devotion among the masses, all within the span of 60 years.
This popular style of music came full circle when bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Animals collectively known as the British invasion originally influenced by American rhythm & blues and early rock n’ roll itself became popular in the states.
Even though the U.S and the U.K were and still are the epicenters of the rock revolution, the sound quickly spread to all corners of the globe in the subsequent years with bands nascent in Europe and Australia. This new sound was introduced to India in the mid 60’s when the Beatles at the height of their popularity took the now infamous Indian vacation. It became an even trade of sorts, as the fab four also borrowed sounds and instruments from the country which featured prominently on the ‘White Album’. With the modernization of the newly independent country, it didn’t take long for western influences to seep into the already rich and varied musical spectrum of India.
Initially devoid of any genuine rock acts even in the major cities; by the late 70’s the only source of rock music for the starved public came in the form of radio stations like AIR featuring an hour or two of the raging Beatlemania and the occasional concert by visiting groups on their way through the subcontinent. Long forgotten Indian bands like The Savages and Atomic Forest, instrumental in sowing the seeds of rock n’ roll were ostracized in the classical and Hindi music driven 1970’s India as lack of a proper audience and absence of record deals, became the obvious reasons for their premature demise. The foundation of what came to be known as Indian rock and which inspired innumerable future bands was laid arguably in the mid 80’s by bands like Indus Creed, which like most groups of the time started off as a cover band, later developing their own sound and presence within a few years of playing. Indian Ocean attracted considerable media attention as well as a solid fan base by being the first band truly recognized as ‘indo-fusion’. More often than not, these bands would incorporate Indian sensibilities and instruments into the western song structures, as in the case with Delhi based Parikrama who gained wide acclaim with the style. 13AD with their bluesy take on hard rock were also able to establish themselves as the premier Indian band of the 80’s.
Other groups like Moksha and Orange Street also gained popularity within this period with their differing styles. Moksha, with influences drawn from the British metal giants Iron Maiden along with the eclectic nature of the latter seemed to indicate the coming of a new age in the rock scene.
The early 90’s brought about a transitional period in the progress of the genre, as more and more bands seemed to shed off the notion of playing covers and focused more on original material. Rock was highlighted more often with monthly publications like Rock Street Journal and JAM as it started infiltrating Bollywood music territory in terms of fan base. Motherjane and Pentagram, remnants of the old guard took over exactly where Indus Creed left off to become favorites of the college festival scene. But not everyone fared as well; as the era produced its fair share of casualties, wiping out majority of the original pioneers of rock in the country with perhaps Parikrama being the lone survivor. Also the advent of annual festivals, Independence rock and Great Indian Rock beginning in 1995 along with a surge in the magnitude of college festivals, saw a barrage of new, fresh bands creating waves.
Following the relative high of the 90’s, the scene seemed to cool off in the first half of the new millennium with an apparent lull in the number of shows around the country. With minimal activity in the new decade, by 2004 an entirely new breed of bands had started to rise out of the woodworks, limited not only to the metropolitan parts of India but to different corners of the country not usually associated with rock. The rise of independent labels like Demonstealer and Counter Culture records gave an opportunity to the abundant thriving musicians of the country to make available their albums to a mass audience along with a sense of community and brotherhood among the label mates. This generation of rock lovers also saw the rise of channel V launch pad which proved to be a juggernaut in discovering and establishing bands to a nation which seemed primed for the globalization of its rock community. With obvious monetary benefits in minds, the media and people who previously had no relation with music soon descended on the rock scene which brought its share of benefits and pitfalls. In the early 90’s an Indian band that wasn’t playing covers was far from being considered commercial but that all has changed in the new millennium as bands started playing gigs and releasing cd’s of original material with increasing regularity. The quality of studio produced material as well as live performances also improved tremendously while the easy accessibility of the Internet, free downloads; free music uploading sites and music-swapping sites has given Indian bands a new medium to express their music and has considerably made a huge impact on the Indian rock scene.
The most popular and distinctive bands of the scene include the likes of Thermal and a Quarter; a Bangalore based band formed in ’96 was the first to play original material in a scene flooded with cover bands. Often regarded as one of the finest bands of our time, this jazz/funk trio has released four albums to date and opened for the likes of Jethro Tull and Deep Purple while influencing the 2005 band Junkyard Groove. Skinny Alley, a true super group in the sense, with members involved in the rock circuit since the late 70’s were also a part of an experimental quartet Pink Noise, which by combining jazz, electronic and Indian classic, has been gaining momentum in terms of public appeal. Zero, often proclaimed as the one of best Indian bands of all time were certainly at the top of the heap when they decided to call it quits at Independence Rock XXIII. Formed in the late 90’s the band with multiple awards to their name unified the Indian scene around their sound.
Kolkata has always been a key centre for rock with the ever popular Fossils and Cactus at the forefront of the city’s rock community. The latter’s practice of blending psychedelic blues with Bengali music has inspired younger bands such as Five Little Indians formed in ’07.
Formed in 2001, Menwhopause were alternative rock’s first true incarnation in the country and one of the few bands able to get radio play in foreign countries. A band with a huge cult following, they started the trend of distributing music free through the net, a technique which is still prevalent today. Delhi crowd favorites and winners of channel V launch pad; Them Clones have been a breath of fresh air in the metal dominated rock scene with unrivaled pop/rock melodies and hard rock tendencies. Colorblind a short lived duo, rescued Indian rock which seemed to be stuck in a rut of classic rock and metal, by bringing a more contemporary flavor to the scene with traces of industrial rock. Another rock duo Dream Out Loud broke out in 2006 as one of the most commercially feasible bands of the decade.
Metal has always had a distinct voice in the Indian rock scene as early as 1985 with Bangalore metal giants Kryptos and Millennium opening for Iron Maiden and Megadeth respectively and inspiring the next generations of bands. As Indian bands grew heavier and heavier, Mumbai became a prime hub for metal with Bhayanak Maut and Pin Drop Violence becoming the quintessential death metal bands. Demonic Resurrection, the flagship band of Demonstealer records with the Demonstealer himself at the helm, within a few years of its formation would become the figureheads of a new movement of metal and at the same time, the most successful metal band of the country. Dense guitar riffs, diversified tempos combined with an aggressive vocal style set Narsil and Acrid Semblance apart while the thrash metal powerhouses Sceptre and Decibel with their celebrated version of the classic naagin, gained notoriety by means of their explosive and unpredictable live shows. The country saw one of its most intense death metal bands in 3rd Sovereign from the north eastern state of Mizoram, proving that metal is not only limited to the major cities but has a national appeal with a diverse palette as revealed by Blood and Iron predisposed to progressive and power metal stylings, Lucid Recess, an alternative metal formed by two brothers from the hinterlands of the country namely Guwahati, Joint Family representing Nu metal in their home town of Delhi and Extinct Reflections, a band from the south playing their brand of melodic thrash. The evolution of Indian metal came with bands like Undying Inc and Myndsnare moving the genre into uncharted territory, firmly rooted in technically precise and brutal metal albeit with modest progressive rock flourishes. In the current scene, Inner Sanctum, trash metal’s newest rising stars have been winning contests left and right while Scribe, the sole torch bearers of hardcore from Mumbai have been anointed as the best live act of the country.
Punk rock has been represented mostly by Tripwire, who were rewarded for embracing the style when it seemed most out of fashion in the form of mass critical acclaim. The 90’s also had a major impact on the Soundgarden influenced Split and the grunge inspired Indigo Children (originally The Superfuzz) who are presently considered to be the essential Indian band and for good reason. Another Vertigo Rush formed by the bassist of the above mentioned band showed an intelligent use of production and what it can do to enhance the sound of a band. Among the dozens of alternative rock acts that dominate the scene, Delhi’s Cyanide with Mumbai’s Blakc and Zodiac have been stand outs in the recent years while Rosemary, the up and coming Nirvana or at least Indigo Children wannabes have been the one to watch as they move from grunge to more psychedelic territory.
The distinctly Indian Jalabee Cartel along with Shair & Func revolutionized the techno and synth genre which encouraged a wide variety of bands like Medusa, Frequency and Skincold to incorporate electronics in their brand of hard rock akin Deftones.
Eclectic bands that don’t seem to be defined by genre constrictions encompass Helga’s Fun Castle, a jam band with traces of reggae, alternative, metal undertones and impromptu performance skills; Something Relevant equipped with a saxophonist, a pianist and a percussionist covering genres as far ranging as jazz, blues, swing, reggae and rock; blues bands Galeej Gurus and Half Step Down; and lastly funk driven Human Abstract and Aftertaste. 2003 saw Level 9; a rock band with pop leanings and a female vocalist proving that rock n roll is not just a boys club while in 2005 India’s solitary post rock band Lounge Piranha played their version of ambient rock to an ever increasing fan base. Red Cube, pop/rock outfit which to Bhayanak Maut is what Stone Sour was to Slipknot, an outlet for some members of the band to display their softer sides.
Channel V launch pad’s latest season saw another project by the infamous Demonstealer, a metal band mixed with large doses of humor called Workshop. Crowd favorites included The Circus, a New Delhi group of teens with an ever evolving sound with bits and pieces of every genre imaginable thrown in and Cassini’s Division, the most pompous band to come out of the woodworks since Pentagram but with enough creative ability to back it up and bring a modern take on punk rock. However none of these bands were able to compete as the winners of the show turned out to be Reverse Polarity, metals new kids on the block injecting youth and energy into the tired art form.
Regardless of which country it’s from, rock is about expression: expression of the self, expression of having a voice and unleashing those buried emotions without hindrance to do so. Thus it can be concluded that Indian rock n roll is something of a sleeping giant – bearing immense potential, but little so far in the way of international commercial success. However, things are developing, slowly but surely. It is a matter of reducing the stereotype and raising the rock scene out of its ambiguity, thus making it recognizable across the world as a viable form of music.
This popular style of music came full circle when bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Animals collectively known as the British invasion originally influenced by American rhythm & blues and early rock n’ roll itself became popular in the states.
Even though the U.S and the U.K were and still are the epicenters of the rock revolution, the sound quickly spread to all corners of the globe in the subsequent years with bands nascent in Europe and Australia. This new sound was introduced to India in the mid 60’s when the Beatles at the height of their popularity took the now infamous Indian vacation. It became an even trade of sorts, as the fab four also borrowed sounds and instruments from the country which featured prominently on the ‘White Album’. With the modernization of the newly independent country, it didn’t take long for western influences to seep into the already rich and varied musical spectrum of India.
Initially devoid of any genuine rock acts even in the major cities; by the late 70’s the only source of rock music for the starved public came in the form of radio stations like AIR featuring an hour or two of the raging Beatlemania and the occasional concert by visiting groups on their way through the subcontinent. Long forgotten Indian bands like The Savages and Atomic Forest, instrumental in sowing the seeds of rock n’ roll were ostracized in the classical and Hindi music driven 1970’s India as lack of a proper audience and absence of record deals, became the obvious reasons for their premature demise. The foundation of what came to be known as Indian rock and which inspired innumerable future bands was laid arguably in the mid 80’s by bands like Indus Creed, which like most groups of the time started off as a cover band, later developing their own sound and presence within a few years of playing. Indian Ocean attracted considerable media attention as well as a solid fan base by being the first band truly recognized as ‘indo-fusion’. More often than not, these bands would incorporate Indian sensibilities and instruments into the western song structures, as in the case with Delhi based Parikrama who gained wide acclaim with the style. 13AD with their bluesy take on hard rock were also able to establish themselves as the premier Indian band of the 80’s.
Other groups like Moksha and Orange Street also gained popularity within this period with their differing styles. Moksha, with influences drawn from the British metal giants Iron Maiden along with the eclectic nature of the latter seemed to indicate the coming of a new age in the rock scene.
The early 90’s brought about a transitional period in the progress of the genre, as more and more bands seemed to shed off the notion of playing covers and focused more on original material. Rock was highlighted more often with monthly publications like Rock Street Journal and JAM as it started infiltrating Bollywood music territory in terms of fan base. Motherjane and Pentagram, remnants of the old guard took over exactly where Indus Creed left off to become favorites of the college festival scene. But not everyone fared as well; as the era produced its fair share of casualties, wiping out majority of the original pioneers of rock in the country with perhaps Parikrama being the lone survivor. Also the advent of annual festivals, Independence rock and Great Indian Rock beginning in 1995 along with a surge in the magnitude of college festivals, saw a barrage of new, fresh bands creating waves.
Following the relative high of the 90’s, the scene seemed to cool off in the first half of the new millennium with an apparent lull in the number of shows around the country. With minimal activity in the new decade, by 2004 an entirely new breed of bands had started to rise out of the woodworks, limited not only to the metropolitan parts of India but to different corners of the country not usually associated with rock. The rise of independent labels like Demonstealer and Counter Culture records gave an opportunity to the abundant thriving musicians of the country to make available their albums to a mass audience along with a sense of community and brotherhood among the label mates. This generation of rock lovers also saw the rise of channel V launch pad which proved to be a juggernaut in discovering and establishing bands to a nation which seemed primed for the globalization of its rock community. With obvious monetary benefits in minds, the media and people who previously had no relation with music soon descended on the rock scene which brought its share of benefits and pitfalls. In the early 90’s an Indian band that wasn’t playing covers was far from being considered commercial but that all has changed in the new millennium as bands started playing gigs and releasing cd’s of original material with increasing regularity. The quality of studio produced material as well as live performances also improved tremendously while the easy accessibility of the Internet, free downloads; free music uploading sites and music-swapping sites has given Indian bands a new medium to express their music and has considerably made a huge impact on the Indian rock scene.
The most popular and distinctive bands of the scene include the likes of Thermal and a Quarter; a Bangalore based band formed in ’96 was the first to play original material in a scene flooded with cover bands. Often regarded as one of the finest bands of our time, this jazz/funk trio has released four albums to date and opened for the likes of Jethro Tull and Deep Purple while influencing the 2005 band Junkyard Groove. Skinny Alley, a true super group in the sense, with members involved in the rock circuit since the late 70’s were also a part of an experimental quartet Pink Noise, which by combining jazz, electronic and Indian classic, has been gaining momentum in terms of public appeal. Zero, often proclaimed as the one of best Indian bands of all time were certainly at the top of the heap when they decided to call it quits at Independence Rock XXIII. Formed in the late 90’s the band with multiple awards to their name unified the Indian scene around their sound.
Kolkata has always been a key centre for rock with the ever popular Fossils and Cactus at the forefront of the city’s rock community. The latter’s practice of blending psychedelic blues with Bengali music has inspired younger bands such as Five Little Indians formed in ’07.
Formed in 2001, Menwhopause were alternative rock’s first true incarnation in the country and one of the few bands able to get radio play in foreign countries. A band with a huge cult following, they started the trend of distributing music free through the net, a technique which is still prevalent today. Delhi crowd favorites and winners of channel V launch pad; Them Clones have been a breath of fresh air in the metal dominated rock scene with unrivaled pop/rock melodies and hard rock tendencies. Colorblind a short lived duo, rescued Indian rock which seemed to be stuck in a rut of classic rock and metal, by bringing a more contemporary flavor to the scene with traces of industrial rock. Another rock duo Dream Out Loud broke out in 2006 as one of the most commercially feasible bands of the decade.
Metal has always had a distinct voice in the Indian rock scene as early as 1985 with Bangalore metal giants Kryptos and Millennium opening for Iron Maiden and Megadeth respectively and inspiring the next generations of bands. As Indian bands grew heavier and heavier, Mumbai became a prime hub for metal with Bhayanak Maut and Pin Drop Violence becoming the quintessential death metal bands. Demonic Resurrection, the flagship band of Demonstealer records with the Demonstealer himself at the helm, within a few years of its formation would become the figureheads of a new movement of metal and at the same time, the most successful metal band of the country. Dense guitar riffs, diversified tempos combined with an aggressive vocal style set Narsil and Acrid Semblance apart while the thrash metal powerhouses Sceptre and Decibel with their celebrated version of the classic naagin, gained notoriety by means of their explosive and unpredictable live shows. The country saw one of its most intense death metal bands in 3rd Sovereign from the north eastern state of Mizoram, proving that metal is not only limited to the major cities but has a national appeal with a diverse palette as revealed by Blood and Iron predisposed to progressive and power metal stylings, Lucid Recess, an alternative metal formed by two brothers from the hinterlands of the country namely Guwahati, Joint Family representing Nu metal in their home town of Delhi and Extinct Reflections, a band from the south playing their brand of melodic thrash. The evolution of Indian metal came with bands like Undying Inc and Myndsnare moving the genre into uncharted territory, firmly rooted in technically precise and brutal metal albeit with modest progressive rock flourishes. In the current scene, Inner Sanctum, trash metal’s newest rising stars have been winning contests left and right while Scribe, the sole torch bearers of hardcore from Mumbai have been anointed as the best live act of the country.
Punk rock has been represented mostly by Tripwire, who were rewarded for embracing the style when it seemed most out of fashion in the form of mass critical acclaim. The 90’s also had a major impact on the Soundgarden influenced Split and the grunge inspired Indigo Children (originally The Superfuzz) who are presently considered to be the essential Indian band and for good reason. Another Vertigo Rush formed by the bassist of the above mentioned band showed an intelligent use of production and what it can do to enhance the sound of a band. Among the dozens of alternative rock acts that dominate the scene, Delhi’s Cyanide with Mumbai’s Blakc and Zodiac have been stand outs in the recent years while Rosemary, the up and coming Nirvana or at least Indigo Children wannabes have been the one to watch as they move from grunge to more psychedelic territory.
The distinctly Indian Jalabee Cartel along with Shair & Func revolutionized the techno and synth genre which encouraged a wide variety of bands like Medusa, Frequency and Skincold to incorporate electronics in their brand of hard rock akin Deftones.
Eclectic bands that don’t seem to be defined by genre constrictions encompass Helga’s Fun Castle, a jam band with traces of reggae, alternative, metal undertones and impromptu performance skills; Something Relevant equipped with a saxophonist, a pianist and a percussionist covering genres as far ranging as jazz, blues, swing, reggae and rock; blues bands Galeej Gurus and Half Step Down; and lastly funk driven Human Abstract and Aftertaste. 2003 saw Level 9; a rock band with pop leanings and a female vocalist proving that rock n roll is not just a boys club while in 2005 India’s solitary post rock band Lounge Piranha played their version of ambient rock to an ever increasing fan base. Red Cube, pop/rock outfit which to Bhayanak Maut is what Stone Sour was to Slipknot, an outlet for some members of the band to display their softer sides.
Channel V launch pad’s latest season saw another project by the infamous Demonstealer, a metal band mixed with large doses of humor called Workshop. Crowd favorites included The Circus, a New Delhi group of teens with an ever evolving sound with bits and pieces of every genre imaginable thrown in and Cassini’s Division, the most pompous band to come out of the woodworks since Pentagram but with enough creative ability to back it up and bring a modern take on punk rock. However none of these bands were able to compete as the winners of the show turned out to be Reverse Polarity, metals new kids on the block injecting youth and energy into the tired art form.
Regardless of which country it’s from, rock is about expression: expression of the self, expression of having a voice and unleashing those buried emotions without hindrance to do so. Thus it can be concluded that Indian rock n roll is something of a sleeping giant – bearing immense potential, but little so far in the way of international commercial success. However, things are developing, slowly but surely. It is a matter of reducing the stereotype and raising the rock scene out of its ambiguity, thus making it recognizable across the world as a viable form of music.
