How Bandland rocked Bengaluru with an electrifying lineup

How Bandland rocked Bengaluru with electrifying lineup

“Bangalore never disappoints”, belted out Parikrama’s frontman Nitin Malik to a ‘sea of black’, that roared back in agreement. What Malik was emphasising was that Bengaluru has always proudly held its tag of being the rock capital of India. And when British rock legends Deep Purple make multiple visits to the city over the years, you know why.

Rock fans were spoilt for choice over the weekend of December 16 and 17 at the Embassy International Riding School, venue of the first-ever Bandland Music Festival, organised by BookMyShow Live. With efficient handling of tickets, queues, multiple food stalls, a vinyl record store and a tattoo parlour, it was well worth the trek to the outskirts of the city.

Bandland was a coming together of some of India’s finest rock outfits, sharing space with global sell-outs such as Deep Purple and Goo Goo Dolls as well as recent Grammy-award winners The War on Drugs. 

While the big-ticket attractions — Goo Goo Dolls and Deep Purple — got the lengthier, primetime slots over the weekend, the atmosphere and vibe on either side of those acts were no less electrifying. Eight Indian bands made the elite line-up that included Bengaluru’s very own Parvaaz and Thermal and a Quarter; old-timers Parikrama; Skrat, the F-16s, Aswekeepsearching, The Pacifists, and The Earth Below.

The scheduling was such that no two bands overlapped, ensuring each performance was well attended. Kashmiri and Urdu rockers Parvaaz began slowly with ‘Roz Roz’ before picking up the pace with ‘Marrika’ and an unnamed track intended for their next album. Thermal and a Quarter’s set list for the evening had a more grunge feel to it, with songs such as ‘A World Gone Mad’ and a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’, much to the delight of their fans who sang along to the chorus ‘Ground control to Major Tom’.

It was the first time in India for Philadelphia rockers The War on Drugs, and probably the first exposure to the band for many present there. Frontman Adam Granduciel’s dreamy, thought-provoking vocals, followed by electrifying riffs, especially in ‘Strangest Thing’, transported the crowd to another world. The band delivered other flagship tracks such as ‘Pain’, ‘Under the Pressure’ and the title track of their recent album, the rousing ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’.

Midway, Granduciel popped the question, “You guys are here to see Goo Goo Dolls right? Well, so are we.” And so were hundreds, craning their necks, looking for vantage points with their phones recording favourite segments from hit numbers probably from their school and college days. Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik, got the crowd participating with ‘Slide’, and saved the best for last with arguably their biggest global hit ‘Iris’, with thousands happy to chip in as back-up vocalists.