MUMBAI: 17 June will be a momentous day for the alternative music community of the country. Let the statement be rephrased – 17 June will be a momentous day for music. For a quarter of a century, arguably India’s biggest ‘rock’ band – Parikrama – remained an unparalleled source of pure Rock ‘n’ Roll music, inspiring several musicians and songwriters on its way.
Parikrama gained international attention in 2007, with a performance at the Download Festival, and the popularity snowballed into a phenomenon. While the band headlined at the major music festivals and concerts back home, the international platforms and stages welcomed them for opening slots during the initial years. On the road, bands often experience several cultures and witness unforgettable scenes, and Parikrama is no different.
Parikrama had their strangest gig ever during the Indonesia tour in 2009. The band’s popularity had not reached in Indonesia, and the unfamiliarity led to a massive misunderstanding. The venue organiser presumed Parikrama played impromptu dance tracks and arranged two microphones on the stage. What ensued could define Parikrama’s professionalism and showmanship. The band hooked up their guitars, bass and violin to the di boxes and transformed a dustbin into percussions, thus managing to pull yet another hit show. “Things like these happen, so we do not go out and say “fuck you man”, and complain about it. We just calmly go out and improvise, because no matter what we are never going to cancel a single gig, even if that means Nitin does a solo performance,” explains Subir Malik, who bought an MUV on Bruce Dickinson’s birthday and paid handsome amount to get the number 666 for the vehicle.
Related Post
The band deserves the credit for staying around for over two decades, and although the band never released an album, the success and the fame make their journey to the top even more special. The electronic music scene’s evolution in the country has caught the band’s attention, and although the culture has grown multifold in the past five years, bands like Parikrama, Indus Creed, Thermal and a Quarter continue to prove ‘Rock n Roll’ will never die. And Malik has another reason to prove the statement – “In Delhi, almost all pubs host live performances, I think, there are over 30-40 gigs in a week. So, it’s just a matter of time.”
2016 will surely be a landmark year for Parikrama. Apart from the 25th anniversary, the band has composed two new singles – ‘How do we decide it’ and ‘Gonna Get It 2’. “A video for ‘Life is certain’ is on its way,” adds Malik.
So what are the necessary steps to ensure a band survives and excels for 25 years? “It’s extremely difficult to keep a band together, and that’s what we have actually managed. The basic things are the same for all – hard work, keep your egos out of the rehearsal rooms, stay off drugs, respect each others, and be grounded – the basic things that ensure you will stay around for a long long time,” replies Malik.
And how would they describe the journey so far? “It doesn’t seem like twenty-five years. The journey has just begun.”
Well, if the journey has just begun, then it isn’t too late to be a part of it. Parikrama returns to the Hard Rock Cafe Worli, three years after its last performance at the venue. The band will perform at the iconic entity’s Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon venues, on 17, 18 and 31 March respectively.
