CHENNAI: Nivin Bedford is ‘music’s child’ and credits it for shaping him up. The front man of the band ‘Shelly told us a secret’ will be performing this weekend at Phoenix MarketCity. From a metal core band, the ensemble decided to ‘tone down their genre’ and play pop rock. Ask him why and he quips. “I used to scream for metal core back then and it was a big thing. But, I can’t do that forever right?” he laughs.
During the time when Nivin was looking out for his calling in music, he was spotted by Eddie of Exodus in 2011 and was hooked up with a band, after which he started touring. “Since then, there has been no looking back and now even I play in films,” he says.
The four-piece pop and rock band will be performing a mix of heavy music with acoustics on Sunday and an enthusiastic Nivin says that Chennai is catching up to the genre. “When compared to other cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, the scene isn’t great. It draws a niche crowd, but we are hoping that more performances and gigs will create awareness,” he shares. “Budding artistes are sometimes called to perform in gigs for free. You cannot do that to people just because they are young and new. Only when they are encouraged and paid, will they get the confidence to go forward. Their talent needs to be appreciated,” he shares.
The most amusing aspect of the band has been the name and it even has an unusual back story! “After a solo performance, I was in the backstage. A girl walked up to me and introduced herself as Shelly and said something, which I couldn’t quite hear because of all the noise around. When I asked her to repeat she said nothing and walked away!” he narrates. When Nivin got back with his band after a hiatus, he narrated the story to them and his drummer decided to name their band ‘Shelly told us a secret’!
The band is a happy-go-lucky bunch and Nivin says that unlike other metal core bands, they used to perform with flip-flops and collared T-shirts. “We broke the stereotype of what a metal band would look like. We used to have so much fun!” he exclaims.
August Burns Red and For Today are some of his favourite bands and he reveals that his dream is to share stage with Jeremy Camp. “It’s been a long time dream to perform along with him and also perform in the Warped Tour in USA. We did get contacts, but it hasn’t worked out yet,” he adds.
Nivin Bedford will perform along with his band on November 19, Sunday, at Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery. For details, call: 66513007