KOCHI: It’s no secret the ‘60s to ‘80s period was the time of the rock. Any rock music lover would have dreamt of this at least once: To experience Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ or Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ undistorted in the 1970s, to have gotten a front row ticket to a Beatles’ concert in the 1960s, or to have made an attempt to cover for Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.
However, not a lot of people - especially the millennials - are aware of the thriving Western/rock music scene in Kerala at the time. For starters, between the ‘60s and the ‘80s, Kerala had over 25 popular music bands, most of them based in Kochi. At the turn of the century though, the number of these bands are on a decline. In an attempt to bring the Western/rock music scene back on the trend map, rock bands and music lovers have come together to trace the history of the music genre in the state.
As a first step towards this, Rockers Kochi - the group of all major new and old Western/rock bands in Kerala - will meet for the first time today at Riverbourne Centre in Tripunithura. “Once upon a time, Kochi was the hub of Western/rock music. During this time, a lot of musicians became famous and local rock music bands used to produce original content. This was because of the live shows that were held at the time. Now, we have a dearth of such shows and it is time to revive the rock culture in Kochi,” says Manu, manager and drummer of Kalinga band, and one of the admins of Rockers Kochi. The group aims to do just that.
The meet-up will witness the performances of three Kochi-based bands - Firefly, Brown Circle and Adolf & the Band. “A few musicians are also slated to jam at the session. More such sessions will be held in the coming months,” says Manu. Apart from this, a video documentary tracing the history of the Western/rock scene will be made. “What one should understand is that our thriving rock culture existed at a time when technology was basic. There was no internet and not everybody had radios. Yet the influence the genre had was huge,” says Jayen Varma, renowned bass guitarist and another admin of Rockers Kochi.
What Jayen said is true. Did you know that ‘Sweet Muchachos’ in 1946 was the first ever Western band from Fort Kochi? Sweet Muchachos! That was certainly not the last. From the Sundowners, Rhythm Rockets, Freaks and Supersonics in the 1960s to Neptunes, Moonlanders, Easy Riders and Be Bread in the 1970s, and Blaze Damascene, Purple Haze, Stalks and Power Strip in the 1980s, there was absolutely no dearth of Western/rock artists in Kochi. “These performers/bands were popular in the party and dance circuits at the time,” says John Thomas, drummer of Motherjane.
According to Rockers Kochi, probably the first band to release original material was the Hijackers, which was founded in 1969. Legendary guitarist John Anthony used to be a part of this band at some point. 13 AD, founded in 1977, made a huge impact on the national rock music scene and was one of the three major Indian bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Another band that produced original content was the Wrenz, formed in 1989.
During the golden age of Western/rock music in Kochi, new bands were formed and many old ones disbanded. A few of them - including Motherjane, Exodus, Brown Circle, Kalinga, 2B3C, Firefly, Highway Haze and Marine Drive - stood the test of time.