PUBLISHED ONAugust 23, 2013 1:43 AM
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Two legendary Indian rock bands Indus Creed (above) and Parikrama (above) will take to the stage at the Esplanade in a rare double concert.
Starting out in the late '80s and early '90s, these pioneers of Indian rock did away with playing Western rock covers and instead wrote and performed original songs in English, gaining popularity on the college and rock festival circuits and influencing a whole generation of young Indians while paving the way for original, alternative music outside of dominant film music.
The multi-award-winning Indus Creed has toured extensively around India, the UK, Middle East and Russia, and performed with Bon Jovi for 40,000 fans in Mumbai and jammed with Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash. Created in 1984 as Rock Machine, Indus Creed took on its current name in 1993 before breaking up in 1999 when two of its members moved to New York. They re-formed in 2010 to headline a concert in Mumbai. The band consists of Uday Benegal (vocals), Zubin Balaporia (keyboards), Rushad Mistry (bass), Mahesh Tinaikar (guitar) and Jai Row Kavi (drums).
Parikrama has done more than 3,000 shows over 22 years, playing every college, club and festival gig around India. Its shows feature Indian classical music instruments like the mridangam, tabla and flute alongside conventional instruments. The band consists of Nitin Malik (vocals), Sonam Sherpa (guitars), Saurabh Choudhary (guitars), Subir Malik (keyboard), Gaurav Balani (bass), Srijan Mahajan (drums), Imran Khan (violin), Shambhu Nath (percussion) and Ashwin Neal Mani (drums). Parikrama has opened for Iron Maiden three times and is the only Indian rock band to have played at the Download Festival in the UK.
It has yet to release a full-length album and has been giving out its music for free for years. Most of its recordings are done during live performances and listeners are encouraged to download their recordings to make their own album.
Catch Rock On! With Parikrama and Indus Creed on Sept 2 at the Esplanade Concert Hall at 7.30pm. Tickets at $68, $88, $98, $108 and $118 (SISTIC charges apply). Call SISTIC on 6348-5555 or log on to www.sistic.com.sg. Artiste videos and music are available at fb.com/SchemaIntl
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